424B4 1 form424b4.htm

 

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)

 

PROSPECTUS Registration No. 333-260090

 

$125,000,000

 

OmniLit Acquisition Corp.

 

12,500,000 Units

 

 

 

OmniLit Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business, industry or geographical location, we intend to focus initially on transactions with companies and/or assets within the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics or optics sectors, and related sectors. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.

 

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of a redeemable warrant. Every whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation, as described in this prospectus. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,875,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any. We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will redeem 100% of the public shares for cash and the warrants will expire worthless, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares.

 

Our sponsor, OmniLit Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, Imperial Capital, LLC and I-Bankers Securities, Inc. have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,170,500 warrants (or 6,920,500 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which Imperial Capital will purchase 500,000 warrants and I-Bankers will purchase 125,000 warrants (575,000 warrants and 143,750 warrants, respectively, if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,170,500 (or $6,920,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants will be subject to certain restrictions on transfer and entitled to registration rights. OmniLit Sponsor LLC, is owned and controlled by Al Kapoor, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. The private placement warrants purchased by the underwriters are deemed underwriters’ compensation by the Financial Industry Regulation Authority (“FINRA”) pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual.

 

Our sponsor currently owns an aggregate of 4,791,667 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 625,000 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 Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, as described herein.

 

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. Our units have been approved for listing on The Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OLITU.” Our units are expected to commence trading on Nasdaq on November 9, 2021. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd business day following the date of this prospectus unless Imperial Capital LLC, the representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “OLIT” and “OLITW,” respectively.

 

We are an “emerging growth 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 34 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.

 

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission 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   $125,000,000 
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)  $0.55   $6,875,000 
Proceeds, before expenses, to OmniLit Acquisition Corp.  $9.45   $118,125,000 

 

 

 (1) Includes $0.35 per unit, or $4,375,000 (or up to $5,031,250 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. The underwriters will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discounts and commissions. See “Underwriting” beginning on page 146 for a description of compensation payable to the underwriters.

 

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $127,500,000 or $146,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.20 per unit, in either case) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $1,170,500 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering.

 

The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about November 12, 2021.

 

Joint Book-Running Managers

 

Imperial Capital I-Bankers Securities, Inc.

 

November 8, 2021

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

SUMMARY 1
   
RISK FACTORS 34
   
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS 69
   
USE OF PROCEEDS 70
   
DIVIDEND POLICY 74
   
DILUTION 75
   
CAPITALIZATION 77
   
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS 78
   
PROPOSED BUSINESS 84
   
MANAGEMENT 110
   
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS 118
   
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS 121
   
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES 124
   
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS 138
   
UNDERWRITING 146
   
LEGAL MATTERS 153
   
EXPERTS 153
   
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 153

 

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

 

TRADEMARKS

 

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

 

 

 

 

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

 

Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus, or the context otherwise requires, references to:

 

  “certificate of incorporation” are to our certificate of incorporation, as may be amended or restated from time to time;
     
  “common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively;
     
  “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering, and the shares of our Class A common stock issuable upon the conversion thereof as provided herein;
     
  “initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of our founder shares prior to this offering (or their permitted transferees);
     
  “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;
     
 

“I-Bankers” are to I-Bankers Securities, Inc., a joint book-running manager in this offering;

     
  “Imperial Capital” are to Imperial Capital, LLC, the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
     
  “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor, Imperial Capital and I-Bankers in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering, which private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants will be subject to certain restrictions on transfer and entitled to registration rights;
     
  “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
     
  “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and management team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;
     
  “public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market), to the private placement warrants if held by third parties other than our sponsor (or permitted transferees), and to any private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not initial purchasers or executive officers or directors (or permitted transferees), in each case, following the consummation of our initial business combination;
     
  “representative” are to Imperial Capital, LLC, who is the representative of the underwriters in this offering;
     
  “sponsor” are to OmniLit Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;
     
  “warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which includes the public warrants as well as the private placement warrants; and
     
  “we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to OmniLit Acquisition Corp.

 

Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of a redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

 

1
 

 

General

 

OmniLit Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company formed as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or sector, but we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics or optics sectors, and related sectors, with an enterprise value of approximately $350 million to $750 million. Management believes that this relative size of target opportunities will enable the Company to pursue companies that are the most attractive from a return standpoint and are less pursued by larger, more established sources of capital.

 

Our Company

 

OmniLit Acquisition Corp. currently intends to concentrate our efforts in identifying high quality businesses in the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics or optics products, services, and end markets, and related products, services, and end-markets. Within this focus, we will seek to pursue opportunities with businesses that have potential to utilize advanced manufacturing technology to provide cutting edge optics and photonics solutions and services to customers in a diverse set of market verticals where our sponsor’s operational, strategic or managerial expertise can assist in maximizing value.

 

We believe there are disruptive forces in society creating increased demand for optics and photonics imagers, sensors, and detectors. Society is trending towards data everywhere, more intelligent automation, and light-based security. We believe we will be able to provide significant value due to our ability to drive growth, global scaling and profitability in businesses along with our understanding of complex business situations and structures.

 

OmniLit Sponsor, LLC

 

Our sponsor, OmniLit Sponsor, LLC, is an affiliate of Al Kapoor, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Kapoor has extensive experience identifying, evaluating, and executing acquisitions, and has led multiple operating companies across the advanced manufacturing industry. Of note, Mr. Kapoor has built Syntec Optics, a full-service and integrated optics and photonics solution provider over the last 20+ years through a combination of strategic acquisitions, operational improvements and focused end market expansion and diversification. Syntec Optics is now a leading solution provider of high technology and strategically sourced optics and photonics components to many Fortune 500 Companies in sensitive product areas such as Aerospace, Defense and Healthcare, among others. Over the course of Mr. Kapoor’s career, he has developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships, including deep networks in the optics and photonics industry that we believe will serve to identify and vet potential combination targets.

 

Management Team

 

Alongside Mr. Kapoor, our management team will include Robert O. Nelson II, Chief Financial Officer & Skylar M. Jacobs, Chief Operating Officer. We intend to complement our management team and sponsor with a board of directors experienced in mergers and acquisitions with background in private equity, hedge fund, banking, legal, and accounting.

 

We intend to leverage the significant operational and investment experience of our sponsor and board of directors to identify acquisition opportunities at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and optics and photonics.

 

We believe that our sponsor and board of directors have several attributes that will create shareholder value against the backdrop of these trends.

 

2
 

 

Deep industry relationship: Mr. Kapoor has spent his career building businesses with disruptive technologies in optics and photonics. This experience has created numerous relationships with experts and thought leaders, presenting us with unique abilities to identify and evaluate opportunities across multiple sectors. Mr. Kapoor also led a global not-for-profit effort to foster entrepreneurship that expanded his relationships to entrepreneurs, public companies’ executives, venture capitalists, growth equity and debt providers across various industries. Mr. Kapoor currently writes a newsletter titled “Pioneering Minds” on future industries with circulation of over 100,000 to executives around the country.

 

Diverse operating experience: Mr. Kapoor and our board of directors have expertise in operating manufacturing businesses and building industry leading companies over an extended time period. As a public entity, we believe we can offer a wide range of advantages to stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to, utilizing our team’s collective skills and experience to catalyze accelerated and profitable growth, broader access to debt equity capital providers, liquidity alternatives for employees and investors, public currency for potential acquisitions, and improved branding in the marketplace.

 

Proven process to source, acquire, and operate: Mr. Kapoor started his career by sourcing, acquiring, and operating private manufacturing companies that were transformed into advanced manufacturing businesses in optics and photonics. We believe this managerial and investment history will assist us in identifying and acting on acquisition opportunities across our target universe.

 

Proprietary deal flow: Mr. Kapoor has built relationships with industry leaders and is a trusted operating partner, both of which contribute to deal flow and investment opportunities and marketplace credibility. Our network of entrepreneurs, investors, customers, suppliers, and executives helps us in target screening and evaluation, creating a tactical advantage in M&A. Our sponsor uses a proprietary model to screen companies with their ability for positive social disruption. It involves an assessment of factors including: 1.) science used, 2.) chosen technology concept, 3.) business model deployed, 4.) regulatory environment, and 5.) positive societal transformation. Once the opportunities meet the screening criteria, they are prioritized by size, ease of likely M&A execution and intrinsic factors. As a result, our sponsor has a unique ability to attract, identify, evaluate and execute unique acquisition opportunities.

 

Rigorous underwriting criteria: Mr. Kapoor and the board of directors have decades of science, technology, finance, and business education experience that provides a rigorous framework for identifying and approaching potential acquisition targets and evaluating technologies that may powerfully reshape financial statements and outcomes.

 

We believe that the combination of these components will enable us to execute a differentiated strategy and create long-term value for shareholders. Our vision is to allow shareholders to benefit from the same strategies that have made our founders successful while leveraging the commercial, financial and tactical advantages of a public company listing. We believe our experience will enable us to help the target’s management team navigate operational, financial and strategic opportunities and challenges to build a high-growth and financially successful business. We believe these competitive advantages will allow us to deliver on our founders’ shared vision to create a world class publicly traded business that serves the diverse optics and photonics markets.

 

Business and Investment Strategies

 

While OmniLit Acquisition Corp. may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, our investment strategy will focus our efforts in the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics and optics products, services, and end-markets, and related products, services, and end-markets. Our initial business combination and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, implement an operating strategy with a view of creating value for our stockholders through operational improvements, capital infusion, or future acquisitions. We intend to source initial business combination opportunities through our management team’s broad network of investors in the advanced manufacturing industry, board members, company executives, lawyers, accountants, and brokers.

 

We believe that technology and globalization are creating enormous opportunities for disruption and value creation in advanced manufacturing. Many of these technologies can be transformative for varied markets but require the right expertise and global connections to capture opportunities within public markets. Within the broader market space of advanced manufacturing, we intend to concentrate on sourcing business combination opportunities that serve, or can be transformed to supply solutions to, the optics and photonics market.

 

3
 

 

Our investment thesis is rooted in the following core beliefs that will influence the types of investment opportunities that we will target.

 

We believe that businesses involved in the design, development, manufacturing, operation, and distribution of optics and photonics assets will benefit from strong tailwinds in years to come and may represent attractive acquisition opportunities.

 

Optics and Photonics Industry Report 2020 estimated that the manufacturing sector contributes 30% of global gross domestic product (“GDP”) annually, or an estimated $26.3 trillion, and optics and photonics comprise a substantial amount of this market. The optics and photonics market, the value of light-enabled products and services, is estimated to be between $7 trillion and $10 trillion annually, and represents roughly 11% of the world’s economy. Within this end-market, it is estimated that global annual revenue for photonics-enabled products and services had exceeded $2 trillion in 2019. Photonics touches most sectors of our economy including consumer electronics (barcode scanners, DVD players, TV remote controls), telecommunications (fiber optics, lasers, switches), health (eye surgery, medical instruments, and imaging), industrial (laser cutting and machining), Defense and Security (Infrared cameras, remote sensing, aiming) and entertainment (holography, cinema projection). We believe accelerating optics and photonics innovation will continue to drive economic growth and increase its share of the global GDP.

 

The most recent review from the Optics & Photonics 2020 Industry Report valued the 2019 photonics-enabled products and services at $2.02 trillion – an increase of 34% over the seven-year period, and a compound annual growth (CAGR) rate of 4.2%, from 2012 to 2019, shown below by end market.

 

The potential use of photonics in varied industries is fueling growth of the optics and photonics market. We believe sectors including telecom, transportation, healthcare, energy, aerospace, security, defense & space exploration, consumer, retail, electronics, food & agriculture, artificial intelligence software, and robotics are in the early stages of a dramatic transformation of scope and scale due to the unprecedented developments in advanced manufacturing of optics and photonics products, sub-systems, components, and materials. Continued mobility, intelligence, automation, sensing, and safety needs will accelerate in years to come, which will create a large market opportunity for such enabling businesses at the forefront of optics and photonics. The global optics and photonics sectors have experienced demand increasing use of photonics in various applications.

 

The Optics & Photonics 2020 Industry Report estimated revenue growth for top five areas based on CAGR from 2012 to 2019. These areas are listed below, as examples of verticals that we intend to focus on:

 

  Sensing, monitoring, and control (+10%), autonomous systems and the internet-of-things continued to create demand for a wide variety of photonic sensors. Self-driving cars, drones, and other robotics systems utilize a wide range of photonic sensors and imaging systems, some of which are increasingly benefiting from embedded artificial intelligence. Developments in the emerging field of quantum technology should drive major advances in metrology, sensing, communications, and computing, creating what we believe will be a multitude of new opportunities in photonics.
     
  Advanced manufacturing (+8%), gains in this segment were led by lasers for materials processing while robotics and vision technologies maintained their momentum as did implementation of 3D printing/additive manufacturing. Photonics-based production tools including lasers, optical metrology, and machine vision combined with adoption of rapid prototyping and Industry 4.0 are driving big manufacturing changes in industries like aerospace and automobiles.
     
  Semiconductor processing (+8%), driven by demand for optical processing and metrology equipment. Opto-electronics and mobility, integrated photonics circuits are beginning to address applications that were typically addressed by integrated electronic circuits. POC Biosensing, terabit internet, lidar based radar, and telecom are areas that are being disrupted due to reduced cost, size, weight, and power consumption while still improving performance and reliability. Design, develop, and manufacturing processes are similar to micro-electronics. Integrated photonics is envisioned to play the role in industry 4.0 what electronic integrated circuits did in industry 3.0.

 

 

4
 

 

 

  BioMedical (+13%), growth in diagnostic imaging, digital pathology, in vitro diagnostics, and point-of-care diagnostics led broad- based gains across this segment. Food safety testing also saw a significant uptick. Looking ahead, cost-effective photonics-based diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices are achieving higher market penetration.
     
  Defense, safety, and security (+10%), driven by gains in more than 30 sub-segments combined with substantial upswings in video surveillance, perimeter security and sensing, and investment in equipment for directed energy systems. Infrared systems, hyperspectral imaging, and laser-based countermeasures are all deployed, while laser weapons are emerging as a real near-term possibility. We believe there may be increased demand for aiming, scoping, and targeting using optics and photonics.

 

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the advanced manufacturing sector

 

This fourth industrial revolution (“Industry 4.0”), which encompasses the internet-of-things and smart manufacturing, marries physical production and operations with digital technology, machine learning / artificial intelligence and big data to create a more holistic and connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management. As industry 4.0 continues to bring changes in manufacturing, technological advancements leading to innovative photonics-enabled products, and photonics are improving manufacturing performance with photonics-enabled technology. We expect Industry 4.0 to transform production by driving faster, more flexible and more efficient processes which will be monetized by companies through the production of higher- quality goods at reduced costs.

 

Beyond the traditional industrial automation, new transforming products from unmanned aircrafts and driverless cars, smart robots in the operating rooms and artificial intelligence of organ and tissue imaging, to augmented and virtual reality increasingly require optics and photonics imagers, sensors, and detectors. We expect this trend to be especially pronounced in the United States, which has seen automation as a way to be globally competitive in spite of rising wages.

 

Optics and photonics are an integral aspect of the ongoing advancement of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices. Optics and photonics can reduce cost, size, weight, and power consumption in all spheres of technology that is making us smarter. These includes our content, its context, inter-connection for exchange, and various types of content - from imaging to detection and sensing. Mr. Kapoor has operated extensively across this advancing ecosystem of customers, suppliers, and business operators, which is at the overlapping intersection on contextual technology, content technology, connected technology, and imaging, detecting, and sensing technology. The advanced technologies, which are beneficiaries and drivers of this ecosystem include artificial intelligence, quantum computing, internet-of-things, driverless cars, robotics, 3D printing, and other new technologies.

 

Our Management Team, and Board

 

Al Kapoor – Chairman & Chief Executive Officer: Al Kapoor has engaged in finding, acquiring, and growing optics and photonics companies since 1997 as a technology entrepreneur immediately after graduating Harvard Business School. Shortly thereafter he found and acquired his first advanced manufacturing company in Rochester New York, renamed it Syntec Optics, transformed it into a defense, medical and consumer optics and photonics leader, and accelerated growth with add-on acquisitions. This deep technical and business experience has led to diverse relationships in the optics and photonics ecosystem – suppliers, customers, end-users, venture capitalists, private equity managers, entrepreneurs, and executives. Al runs an app called PioneeringMinds with a fortnightly newsletter on future industries with circulation of over 100,000 to executives around the country. He continues to invest in optics and photonics, from driverless cars, robotics, virtual reality, sensors, to terabit internet. He is also on the advisory council for MIT’s program to train and educate the workforce for new disruptions in the area of integrated photonics. Al has been invited to the White House on several occasions to participate in innovation policy discussions. Al studied various disciplines of engineering and business at 5 universities earning an MBA from Harvard University and MS from Iowa State University.

 

 

5
 

 

Robert O. Nelson II – Chief Financial Officer: Robert O. Nelson II has 20+ years of finance, tax, and technology experience. Robert has successfully supported public & private corporations, including optics and photonics companies, in design and transformation of their general accounting, financial close, consolidation, budgeting, and forecasting functions. He has worked in domestic and international areas, advising clients in finance and tax technology optimization projects, tax accounting, tax compliance, and IP planning. Robert has built a proven management track record of successful business transformation. Drawing upon steady leadership, determination, and strategic insight, Robert has leveraged financial and operational best practices as well as sound judgment in guiding teams through the intricacies of aligning organizational performance with corporate strategy. Most recently, as Vice President of Financial Systems at AMG (NASDAQ: AMG), he has worked with the executive management team on enhancing financial operations, business systems, regulatory reporting and business process improvements. Previously, Robert played a key role in SEC compliance for a spin-out of an optics and photonics division from a public company, which now has an over $1B valuation. During his tenure as a consultant, he provided guidance and consultation to CFOs and finance departments on internal control, regulatory reporting, taxation, financial due diligence and systems implementations. While at Deloitte, Robert instructed at many of Deloitte’s national technical training sessions covering international and domestic tax concepts and enterprise performance management solutions. Robert is a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Master of Science in Taxation from Bentley University’s McCallum Graduate School of Business and a Master of Science in Information Systems from Boston University’s Graduate School of Management.

 

Skylar M. Jacobs – Chief Operating Officer: Skylar M. Jacobs compliments an experienced Sponsor Team with his eight years of execution experience working with technology entrepreneurs and meeting their specific growth and capital needs. Most recently, as Vice President of Business Development and Operations at PainQx, a medical device company developing proprietary AI algorithms to translate neural activity into actionable health measures, Skylar developed a non-dilutive funding pipeline, but more importantly, developed and executed a fundraising strategy across high-net-worth individuals, family offices, venture funds, and strategic partners for eventual M&A activities. Prior to PainQx, Skylar started his career in investment consulting at Life Science Nation helping scientist entrepreneurs connect with investors and develop their fundraising campaigns. Skylar spent several years developing strategies and partnering opportunities for healthcare companies including Cascade Prodrug, Meenta, Andaman7, and SpringTide Partners, a Healthcare IT focused venture fund. Skylar also worked on business strategies for CureMatch, an AI-driven oncology diagnostic company, and with one of the world’s first CRO marketplaces, Assay Depot, rebranded as Scientist.com. Skylar received a B.S. in Molecular Biology with minors in Business and Literature from the University of California, San Diego.

 

Kent R. Weldon – Director: Kent R. Weldon has three decades of experience in finding, structuring, and acquiring companies. He is an advisory partner to Thomas H. Lee Partners, previously serving as managing director, starting at the firm in 1991. Thomas H. Lee Partners has raised over $25B in capital since 1974. Prior to joining Thomas H. Lee Partners, Mr. Weldon worked at Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated in the Financial Institutions Group. Mr. Weldon also worked at Wellington Management Company, an institutional money management firm. Mr. Weldon’s prior directorships include Acosta Sales and Marketing, Bargain Hunt, CTI Foods, Give and Go Prepared Foods Corp., iHeartMedia, Inc., CMP Susquehanna Corp., FairPoint Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: FRP), Fisher Scientific International Inc. (NYSE: TMO), Michael Foods, Nortek, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTK), Phillips Pet Food & Supplies, and Progressive Moulded Products; Mr. Weldon holds a B.A., summa cum laude, in Economics and Arts and Letters Program for Administrators from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

 

Mark D. Norman – Director: Mark D. Norman is a Managing Partner at FM Capital and serves on the boards of the following FM Capital portfolio companies: AutoPay, Gatik, GuardKnox, Lunewave, Motorq, NextDroid and Optimus Ride. Mark has significant experience leading both early stage and global businesses in the automotive manufacturing, service and mobility industries. He started washing cars at the local Chrysler dealership in high school and ultimately was named CEO of Chrysler Canada (NYSE: STLA (merged with Stellantis)). From there, he was recruited to become CEO of Flexcar, a nascent car-sharing company. He successfully negotiated the sale of Flexcar to rival Zipcar (NASDAQ: ZIP), where as president, he led the company’s expansion into over 25 major cities and more than 300 college campuses, creating the world’s largest carsharing network. Mark and the team managed the company’s IPO on the NASDAQ and subsequent sale to Avis Budget Group (NASDAQ: CAR).

 

Brian F. Hughes – Director: Brian F. Hughes serves on the board of Bentley Systems (NASDAQ: BSY) and is also currently involved in multiple SPAC and de-SPAC processes. He is the former head of venture capital and private equity practice at KPMG. He possesses diverse and deep experience in public accounting, with a unique specialization as a lead client services partner. He has led multiple successful IPOs with additional significant experience with acquisitions and divestitures. Client work has included supporting entrepreneurs with high-growth companies throughout the entire life cycle: from the development stage, through subsequent rounds of financings and other capital formation transactions, on to an IPO or acquisition by a larger market participant.

 

6
 

 

James M. Jenkins – Director: James M. Jenkins specializes in securities law matters for initial and secondary public offerings, private placements, mergers and acquisitions, and securities law compliance for SPACs. James was the practice leader of HSE Law’s Securities practice, and the Partner in Charge of HSE’s New York City office. Professional Affiliations: Member, New York State Bar Association, General Counsel to Transcat (Nasdaq: TRNS), 2001 – Present, Board of Directors, Lakeland Industries, Inc. (Nasdaq: LAKE), 2012-2015, 2016 – Present, Chair, Governance Committee, 2016 – Present; Member, 2012-2015, Member, Compensation Committee, 2012-2015, 2016 – Present, Member, Audit Committee, 2012-2015, 2016 – Present, General Counsel to Jerash Holdings, Inc., 2016-2020, General Counsel to IEC Electronics, Inc. (NYSE/MKT: IEC), 2015-2020, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to iVEDiX, Inc., 2013-2020, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary to Finger Lakes Technologies Group, Inc., 2013-2020.

 

Our Execution Team - In addition to our management and board of directors, we intend to form an execution team with a combined experience of over 100 years. The team will consist of a finance manager working in conjunction with a controller, a compliance manager, and two industry researchers. The controller will maintain the financial statements and accounts, the finance manager will oversee the audit conducted by our independent outside accountants, the compliance manager will maintain records on the Trust account and listings of our securities, and two industry researchers will track and analyze public and private company data including acquisition history. The execution team will have no fiduciary obligations to present business opportunities to us.

 

Business Combination Criteria

 

Our business combination criteria will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic sector, but given the experience of our management team, we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the advanced manufacturing industry, with a focus on optics and photonics, with an enterprise value of approximately $350 million to $750 million. Our management team will look to identify business combination targets which are in need of strategic growth capital, will benefit from becoming a publicly listed company, may require creative business approaches to unlock additional value, or may need to repurchase debt, target strategic acquisitions or require working capital.

 

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

 

  Services & end markets. We intend to pursue targets within a space that has many varied offerings based on diversity of manufacturing processes, wavelength of light used, materials, and whether the offering is a component, sub-system or OEM.
     
  Diversity of sectors. Our strategy is to acquire a participant with potential in the wide range of end-market. We intend to build sustainable value with a company that provides us a platform of diverse sectors, R&D spend, vertical integration, and design-for-manufacturability. We intend to focus on active or passive optics and photonics as entry point as the industry overall is quite fragmented.
     
  Proprietary pipeline and deal flow. We intend to find and acquire companies off the radar screen of other acquirers with deal flow from a deep professional network & research of new sciences and technologies. Deals will be assessed for social disruption in their sectors using proprietary models.
     
  Geography. We intend to initially focus on well-established optics and photonics capabilities in the United States markets.
     
  Barriers to entry and differentiation. We intend to focus on businesses that provide differentiated industrial solutions and ability to pivot or extend to optics and photonics and that possess high barriers to entry and a certain degree of technological differentiation and manufacturing complexity embedded in their platform; have defensible proprietary technology and intellectual property rights that are significantly differentiated and superior to attract good talent.
     
  Scalability and growth. We intend to focus on businesses that are scaled or have ability to scale within their large addressable market with R&D and capex; and are on a promising organic growth path, driven by a sustainable competitive advantage, with opportunities for acceleration by add-on acquisitions.
     
  Financial and regulatory processes and controls. We intend to focus on businesses that have robust compliance, financial controls and reporting processes in place and that we believe are ready for the regulatory requirements of a public entity, or have the potential to timely implement appropriate public company reporting, compliance and financial controls under the guidance of our management team.

 

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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 our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe the sourcing, valuation, diligence, and execution capabilities of our management team will provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business that will benefit from our expertise.

 

  Strong Management Team. We will leverage the extensive experience of our management team, all of whom have been involved at various levels in acquisitions, financings, and advisory transactions, totaling billions in transaction value, and have significant experience investing in a variety of economic cycles, with a track record of identifying high-quality assets with opportunities for optimization. We believe our management team’s ability to originate, effectively diligence, and creatively and thoughtfully structure transactions will generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors. We believe we will benefit from our management team’s successful track record in technology and business services industry, including experiences serving as corporate executives and board members for various companies, both public and private.
     
  Broad Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships. We believe the capabilities and relationships associated with our management team will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of attractive business combination opportunities that would be difficult for other market participants to replicate.
     
  Underwriting, Execution, and Structuring Capabilities. Our management team will apply to our acquisition targets a rigorous analytical review and diligence process that its individual members apply or have applied in their current or past professional experiences. The sensitivity of financial and operational drivers to external factors is a key component of evaluating investment opportunities and pricing risk. We believe our investment discipline will allow us to identify opportunities where our management team can create stockholder value, which may include operational or capital structure improvements, as well as the introduction of new technologies and/or products to drive growth.
     
  Public Company Operating Expertise. As a result of serving as executive officers and directors of publicly traded companies, our management team has substantial experience in navigating the challenges of operating as a public company. We anticipate that one or more members of our management team or board, would remain on the board of the company post business combination. In addition, some of the potential acquisition targets we consider may operate within a regulated industry. We believe that the expertise within our management team around technology and business services industries will be advantageous when evaluating certain acquisition targets.

 

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Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we will, by resolution of our board, if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of up to 21 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares.  Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,250,000, or up to $1,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months).  We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.

 

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

 

Our Initial Business Combination Process

 

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

 

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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. However, subject to any pre-existing contractual or fiduciary obligations, our sponsor and officers and directors will offer all suitable business combination opportunities within the technology industry (and other related sectors, as discussed elsewhere in this prospectus) to us before any other person or company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus).

 

Members of our management team are employed by or otherwise work with our sponsor or with other entities. Our sponsor and these other entities and their respective affiliates are 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.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them and our sponsor in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our sponsor and our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest” for additional information.

 

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Risks

 

We are a newly formed company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 34 of this prospectus.

 

Summary of Risk Factors

 

An investment in shares of our units involves a high degree of risk. If any of the factors enumerated below or in the section entitled “Risk Factors” occurs, our business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the market price of our securities could decline, and you may lose some or all of your investment. Some of the more significant risks relating to this offering and an investment in our units include:

 

  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 COVID-19 pandemic.
     
  Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.
     
  If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors, and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public stockholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed initial business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A common stock.
     
  Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.
     
  If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
     
  If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 21 months), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may receive only $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
     
  We may seek business combination opportunities in industries outside of our management’s area of expertise.
     
  Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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  Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
     
  We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
     
  We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
     
  The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
     
  Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
     
  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 May 20, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 founder shares. On September 27, 2021 our sponsor forfeited 718,750 shares for no consideration. On November 1, 2021, we effected a 1 1/3 for 1 forward stock split on our founder shares and as a result our sponsor owns 4,791,667 shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per share and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B common stock.
     
  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.

 

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Corporate Information

 

Our executive offices are located at 1111 Lincoln Road, Suite 500, Miami Beach, FL 33139 and our telephone number is (786) 750-2820.

 

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

 

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

 

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year: (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering; (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion; or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to emerging growth company will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which: (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.

 

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The Offering

 

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

 

Securities offered   12,500,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
       
   

one share of Class A common stock; and

 

    one-half of a redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share.
       
Nasdaq symbols  

Units: “OLITU”

 

Class A common stock: “OLIT”

 

Warrants: “OLITW”

       
Trading commencement and separation
of Class A common stock and warrants
  The units are expected to begin trading on November 9, 2021. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd business day following the date of this prospectus unless Imperial Capital informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and warrants.
       
Separate trading of the Class A common
stock and warrants is prohibited until we
have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K
  In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed 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, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
       
Units:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering   0
     
Number outstanding after this offering   12,500,000(1)

 

 

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Common stock:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering   4,791,667 shares of Class B common stock (2)
     
Number outstanding after this offering   16,666,667 shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock(1)(3)
     
Warrants:    
     
Number outstanding before this offering   0
     
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering   6,170,500(1)
     
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement   12,420,500(1)(4)

 

 

(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of 625,000 founder shares.
   
(2) Includes up to 625,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
   
(3) Comprised of 12,500,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units to be sold in this offering, and 4,166,667 shares of Class B common stock (or founder shares). The Class B common stock is 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.”
   
(4) Comprised of 6,250,000 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering and 6,170,500 private placement warrants to be sold in the private placement.

 

Warrant Terms:    
     
Exercisability  

Each whole warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock.

 

No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.

 

We structured each unit to contain one-half 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 that contain one whole warrant exercisable for one share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units that each contain one warrant exercisable for one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.

 

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Exercise price   $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (A) 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 sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our sponsor or its affiliates, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (B) 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 (C) the volume weighted average trading price of our common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
     
Exercise period  

The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement).

 

We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within 90 business days 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.

 

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

 

The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; provided, however, that the private placement warrants issued to the underwriters will not be exercisable more than five years after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

 

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Redemption of warrants   Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the 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 sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
       
   

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

 

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are 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. 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 (A) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (B) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last 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 — Redeemable Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.

 

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Founder shares   On May 20, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 founder shares. On September 27, 2021 our sponsor forfeited 718,750 shares for no consideration. On November 1, 2021, we effected a 1 1/3 for 1 forward stock split on our founder shares and as a result our sponsor owns 4,791,667 shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per share. 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. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares after this offering. As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own 25% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. Up to 625,000 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our initial stockholders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that our initial stockholders will maintain ownership of 25% of our common stock after this offering. We will effect a stock dividend or share contribution prior to this offering should the size of the offering change, in order to maintain such ownership percentage.
       
   

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

     
   

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: (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) 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 certificate of incorporation: (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), 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;

 

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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 to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 4,166,668, or approximately 33.3%, (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) or only one share (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 12,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination; and 

    the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
       
Transfer restrictions on founder shares   Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign, or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination; or (ii) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, 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 (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations, and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing 60 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will no longer be subject to such transfer restrictions. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

 

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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, 25% 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 or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination or any private placement-equivalent units issued to our sponsor, its affiliates, or certain of our officers and directors upon conversion of working capital loans made to us). 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 issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

     
Voting rights   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, with each share of common stock entitling the holder to one vote.
     
Private placement warrants   Our sponsor, Imperial Capital and I-Bankers have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,170,500 warrants (or 6,920,500 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which Imperial Capital will purchase 500,000 warrants and I-Bankers will purchase 125,000 warrants (575,000 warrants and 143,750 warrants, respectively, if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,170,500, or $6,920,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants: (i) may not (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned, or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $127,500,000 (or $146,625,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), the proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants (and the underlying securities) will expire worthless.

 

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Transfer restrictions on private
placement warrants and underlying
securities
  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 the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Following such period, the private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will be transferable, assignable, or salable, except that the private placement warrants will not trade.
       
Proceeds to be held in trust account   Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $127,500,000 or $10.20 per unit ($146,625,000, or $10.20 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $1,170,500 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. These proceeds include $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.

 

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    Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination; (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation: (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity; and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
     
Extension of time to complete business
combination
 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we will, by resolution of our board, if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of up to 21 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,250,000, or up to $1,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Such payment would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loan will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loan. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loan out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do not complete a business combination. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months). We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.

 

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Anticipated expenses and funding
sources
  Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $375,000 of interest annually assuming an interest rate of 0.25% per year (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option); however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:  
       
   

the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $830,500 in working capital after the payment of approximately $340,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and 

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

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.

 

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    We anticipate structuring our initial business combination either: (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses; or (ii) in such a way so that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders, or for other reasons. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% of net assets test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
     
Permitted purchases of public shares and
public warrants by our affiliates
  If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination. See “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.  

 

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

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 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 underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares held by them and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination or otherwise.

 

We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements.

 

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Manner of conducting redemptions   We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination; or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirements. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.
     
    If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our certificate of incorporation:
     
    conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
    file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
       
   

Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon.

 

Whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above. Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

 

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

 

If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will:

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

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.

 

Our initial stockholders will count towards this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers, and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 4,166,668, or approximately 33.3%, (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) or only one share (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 12,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination. We intend to give approximately 30 days’ (but not less than 10 days’ nor more than 60 days’) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorums and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

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    We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public stockholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates delivered, or shares tendered electronically, by public stockholders who elected to redeem their shares.
     
    Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
       
Limitation on redemption rights of
stockholders holding 15% or more of the
shares sold in this offering, if we hold
stockholder vote
  Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against an initial business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.

 

28
 

 

Redemption rights in connection with
proposed amendments to our certificate
of incorporation
  Our certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules. Our certificate of incorporation provides that we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 25% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Our sponsor, executive officers, and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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Release of funds in trust account on
closing of our initial business
combination
  On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination.” We will use the remaining funds to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination, and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies, or for working capital.
     
Redemption of public shares and
distribution and liquidation if no initial
business combination
 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 15-month period (or up to 21-month period), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 15-month time period (or up to 21-month period).

 

Our sponsor, officers, and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). 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 allotted 15-month time period (or up to 21-month period).

 

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    The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
     
Limited payments to insiders   There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, non-cash payments, monies in respect of any payment of a loan, or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers, or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
       
    Repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
   

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

    Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), 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 of the underlying warrants. The terms of such working capital loans by our sponsor or its affiliates, or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.  
     
    Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, or directors, or their affiliates.

 

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Audit Committee   We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors to, among other things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee.”
     
Indemnity   Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality, or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of: (i) $10.20 per public share; and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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Summary Financial Data

 

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

 

   June 30, 2021 
   Actual   As Adjusted 
Balance Sheet Data:          
Total assets(1)  $124,995   $128,355,500 
Total liabilities(2)  $99,995   $4,375,000 
Value of common stock subject to possible conversion/tender(3)   -   $127,500,000 
Stockholder’s equity(4)  $25,000   $(3,519,500)

 

 

(1) The “as adjusted” calculation equals $127,500,000 of cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $830,500 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $25,000 of actual stockholders’ equity on June 30, 2021.
   
(2) The “as adjusted” calculation equals $4,375,000 of deferred underwriting commissions assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised.
   
(3) The “as adjusted” calculation equals the value of shares subject to possible redemption.
   
(4) The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “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 ($10.20 per share).

 

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the issuance of the units we are offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, 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” total assets amount includes $127,500,000 to be held in the trust account (or $146,625,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) 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 from interest earned on the funds in the trust account 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 either immediately prior to or 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.

 

If no initial business combination is completed within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, officers, and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such 15-month time period (or up to 21-month period).

 

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RISK FACTORS

 

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

 

RISKS RELATED TO THE CORONAVIRUS (“COVID-19”) PANDEMIC

 

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 COVID-19 pandemic.

 

The significant outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted 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. 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. 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 that 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.

 

RISKS RELATED TO VOTING ON THE INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, as well as any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions), in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 4,166,668, or approximately 33.3%, (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) or only one share (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 12,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination. Our initial stockholders will own shares representing 25% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own shares representing approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into two classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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RISKS RELATED TO THE REDEMPTION OF SHARES

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

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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 certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we 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. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share.

 

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

 

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.20 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of: (i) $10.20 per public share; and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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

 

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 21st month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

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

 

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

 

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RISKS RELATED TO PROCESS OF IDENTIFYING A TARGET AND CONSUMMATING AN INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

Due to our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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 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.

 

We also expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than we do, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share upon our liquidation. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 21 months), we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 21 months), assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 21 months); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share upon our liquidation. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

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If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our franchise and income taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $830,500 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $340,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $340,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team, or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team, nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), 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 of the underlying warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.20 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.

 

The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $127,500,000, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 180 days or less or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. Treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest of income (which we are permitted to use to pay our taxes and up to $100,000 of dissolution expenses) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $127,500,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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We may seek business combination opportunities in industries outside of our management’s area of expertise.

 

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

 

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

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 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 75,079,500 and 15,833,333 (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, including the private placement warrants, but not the issuance of 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 common or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our certificate of incorporation provides 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 certificate of incorporation. However, our certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to: (i) receive funds from the trust account; or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our executive officers, directors and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

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The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

  higher costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with different commercial and legal requirements of overseas markets;
     
  rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
     
  complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
     
  laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
     
  tariffs and trade barriers;
     
  regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
     
  longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
     
  tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
     
  currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
     
  rates of inflation;
     
  cultural and language differences;
     
  employment regulations;
     
  crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
     
  deterioration of political relations with the United States; and
     
  government appropriations of assets.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

  default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
     
  acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
     
  our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
     
  our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
     
  our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
     
  using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;
     
  limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
     
  increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation;
     
  limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy; and
     
  other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

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

 

Of the net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $127,500,000 (or $146,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be available to complete our initial business combination and pay related fees and expenses (which includes up to $4,375,000, or up to $5,031,250 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).

 

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

 

  solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
     
  dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.20. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

 

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If we have inadequate cash simultaneously to meet the closing requirements of an initial business combination and redeem all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption, we will return all shares submitted for redemption and continue to pursue an alternative transaction.

 

In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we would not be able to complete the business combination or redeem any such shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption would be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead will search for an alternate initial business combination.

 

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

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our certificate of incorporation will require the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 65% of the public warrants. In addition, our certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. Our initial stockholders will own shares representing approximately 25% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our certificate of incorporation.

 

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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our certificate of incorporation: (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

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

 

We have not selected any specific business combination target, but intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share,” and related risk factors, under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination 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.

 

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

RISKS RELATED TO THE TIMING OF COMPLETING AN INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION

 

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

 

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

 

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 $10.20 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus). In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.20 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.20 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to The Redemption of Shares — If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.20 per share” and related risk factors.

 

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

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, 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.

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR BOARD, MANAGEMENT TEAM, AND SPONSOR

 

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

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of: (i) $10.20 per share; and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account, as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

 

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.

 

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

 

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

 

Past performance by the members of our management team or entities with which they are or have been affiliated may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.

 

Past performance by the members of our management team in their other endeavors or the other entities with which they are or have been affiliated is not a guarantee of future success. We cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or that any business combination we consummate will be successful. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team’s performance, or the performance of any other entities with which our management team is or has been affiliated, as indicative of our future performance or how an investment in our company will perform or the returns our company will, or is likely to, generate going forward. None of our management team has had experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies in the past.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Subject to any pre-existing contractual or fiduciary obligations, our sponsor and officers and directors shall offer all suitable business combination opportunities within the advanced manufacturing industry (and other related sectors, as discussed elsewhere in this prospectus) to us before any other person or company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus).

 

Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties.

 

Accordingly, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

In particular, our sponsor and its affiliates, as well as other entities affiliated with our officers and directors, may also invest in companies or businesses within the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics or optics sectors, and related sectors. As a result, there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates.

 

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

 

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

 

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 May 20, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 founder shares. On September 27, 2021 our sponsor forfeited 718,750 shares for no consideration . On November 1, 2021, we effected a 1 1/3 for 1 forward stock split on our founder shares and as a result our sponsor owns 4,791,667 shares (up to 625,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per share. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, Imperial Capital and I-Bankers have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,170,500 warrants (or 6,920,500 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which Imperial Capital will purchase 500,000 warrants and I-Bankers will purchase 125,000 warrants (575,000 warrants and 143,750 warrants, respectively, if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,170,500, or $6,920,500 if the underwriters’ 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 or in connection with a tender offer. 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Our certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action: (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination); (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery; (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction; or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may make it more costly for a stockholder to bring a claim, and it may also limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders cannot waive 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 certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

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

 

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RISKS RELATED TO SPECIAL PURPOSE ACQUISITION COMPANIES (“SPACS”), GENERALLY

 

Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class B 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 warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 108.4% (or $10.84) per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(0.84) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. 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.

 

The value of the founder shares following completion of our initial business combination is likely to be substantially higher than the nominal price paid for them, even if the trading price of our common stock at such time is substantially less than $10.00 per share.

 

Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $5,570,500, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $5,545,500 purchase price for the private placement warrants (excluding 500,000 and 125,000 private placement warrants to be purchased by Imperial Capital and I-Bankers, respectively). Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 4,166,667 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $41,666,670. Even if the trading price of our common stock was as low as $1.34 per share, and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be approximately equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares have lost significant value. Accordingly, our management team, which owns interests in our sponsor, may have an economic incentive that differs from that of the public stockholders to pursue and consummate an initial business combination rather than to liquidate and to return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders, even if that business combination were with a riskier or less-established target business. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to redeem your shares prior to or in connection with the 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.

 

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

 

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 June 30, 2021, we had cash of $25,000 and a working capital deficiency of $74,995. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of financing plans and our initial business combination. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

 

Changes in the market for directors and officer’s 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 officer’s 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 are likely to continue into the future.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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RISKS RELATED TO BEING PUBLICLY TRADED

 

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 have been approved to have our units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on November 9, 2021. Following the date, the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $50 million) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 stockholders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million or we would be required to have a minimum market value of listed securities (generally $75 million) and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 or 400 round lot holders of our securities, in each case depending on the particular Nasdaq market we are listed on following our initial business combination. 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 and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

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

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on 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, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.

 

RISKS RELATED TO CERTAIN LAWS AND REGULATIONS

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation: (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus); or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.20 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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

 

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

 

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Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant standards used. Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which: (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $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 with other public companies difficult or impossible.

 

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

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

 

RISKS RELATED TO TAX CONSIDERATIONS

 

An investment in this offering involves uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

An investment in this offering involves uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, the Internal Revenue Service could challenge the allocation an investor makes with respect to allocating the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A common stock and one-half of a redeemable warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock included in each unit. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our shares of Class A common stock suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered a “qualified dividend” for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

 

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

 

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

 

RISKS RELATED TO OUR SECURITIES

 

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

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our reasonable best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 90 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available.

 

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

 

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

 

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. First, if a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 90th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if our Class A common stock is at any time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Third, if we call the public warrants for redemption, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) by (B) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported last 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 exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

 

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

 

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 65% 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 65% 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.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Unlike some other blank check companies, if

 

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

 

(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 the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) 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 greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, and the value of the sponsor’s founder shares will be significantly greater than the amount our sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock to materially decline.

 

We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.005 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into shares of Class A common stock. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $123,125,000, which is the amount we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account after payment of $4,375,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs, any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, as well as the value of our public and private warrants.

 

Class A common stock held by public stockholders  12,500,000 shares 
Class B common stock held by our sponsor  4,166,667 shares 
Total common stock  16,666,667 shares 
Total funds in trust at the initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions)  $123,125,000 
Public stockholders’ investment per share of Class A common stock(1)  $10.00 
Our sponsor’s investment per share of Class B common stock(2)  $1.34 
Implied value per share of Class A common stock upon the initial business combination(3)  $7.39 

 

(1) While the public stockholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only.

(2) Our sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the Company, inclusive of the founder shares and the sponsor’s $5,545,500 investment in the private placement warrants, is $5,570,500. For purposes of this table, the full investment amount is ascribed to the founder shares only. Calculated by dividing our sponsor’s total investment in the equity of the Company by the total number of founder shares (assuming no exercise of the over-allotment option).

(3) All founder shares held by our initial stockholders will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock upon completion of our initial business combination. Calculated by dividing the total funds in trust at the initial business combination (less deferred underwriting commissions) by the total common stock (assuming no redemptions and no exercise of the over-allotment option).

 

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Based on these assumptions, each share of Class A common stock would have an implied value of $7.39 per share upon completion of our initial business combination, representing a 26.1% decrease from the initial implied value of $10.00 per public share. While the implied value of $7.39 per share of Class A common stock upon completion of our initial business combination would represent a dilution to our public stockholders, this would represent a significant increase in value for our initial stockholders relative to the price they paid for each founder share. At $7.39 per share of Class A common stock, the 4,166,667 shares of Class A common stock that the initial stockholders would own upon completion of our initial business combination (after automatic conversion of the sponsor’s 4,166,667 founder shares) would have an aggregate implied value of $30,781,250. As a result, even if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our initial stockholders will be significantly greater than the amount our initial stockholders paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our initial stockholders could potentially recoup their entire investment in our company even if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock after the initial business combination is as low as $1.34 per share. As a result, our initial stockholders are likely to earn a substantial profit on their investment in us upon disposition of their shares of Class A common stock even if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock decline after we complete our initial business combination even if the value of the public shares declines significantly. Our initial stockholders may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our initial stockholders had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public stockholders paid for their public shares.

 

This dilution of implied value would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our shares of Class A common stock.

 

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

 

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 6,250,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 7,187,500 shares of Class A common stock, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement, private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 6,170,500 shares of Class A common stock (or up to 6,920,500 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $11.50 per share. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 4,791,667 founder shares (up to 625,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor or its affiliates, or any of our officers or directors, makes any working capital loans, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

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

 

The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, (i) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights.

 

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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 representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

    the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
     
  prior offerings of those companies;
     
  our prospects for acquiring an operating business;
     
    a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
     
    our capital structure;
     
  an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
     
  general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
     
  other factors as were deemed relevant.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may engage the underwriter or one of its 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 underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that will released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause the underwriter 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 underwriter or one of its 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 underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with the underwriter or its affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to the underwriter or its affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriter is also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The fact that the underwriter or its 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.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

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

 

  our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
     
    our ability to complete our initial business combination;
     
    our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;
     
    our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
     
    our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements;
     
    our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
     
    our pool of prospective target businesses;
     
    the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential acquisition opportunities;
     
    our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
     
    the lack of a market for our securities;
     
    the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
     
    the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
     
    our financial performance following this offering.

 

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

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

 

We are offering 12,500,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.

 

Gross proceeds          
Gross proceeds from units offered to public (1)  $125,000,000   $143,750,000 
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement   

6,170,500

    6,920,500 
Total gross proceeds  $131,170,500   $150,670,500 
Offering expenses (2)          

 

  

Without Over-

Allotment

Option

   Over-Allotment Option Fully Exercised 
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred underwriting commissions) (3)   $2,500,000   $2,875,000 
Legal fees and expenses   120,000    120,000 
Printing and road show expenses    5,500    5,500 
Accounting fees and expenses   60,000    60,000 
SEC/FINRA expenses    44,250    47,063 
Nasdaq listing and filing fees   75,000    75,000 
Miscellaneous expenses (4)       35,250    32,437 
Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commission)   $340,000   $340,000 
Proceeds after offering expenses (including underwriting commission)   $128,330,500   $147,455,500 
Total proceeds held in trust (including deferred underwriting commissions) (3)    $127,500,000   $146,625,000 
Percentage of public offering proceeds held in trust   102.00%   102.00%
Net offering proceeds not held in trust account   $830,500   $830,500 

 

The following table shows the use of the approximately $830,500 of net proceeds not held in the trust account. (5)

 

   Amount   % of Total 
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6)  $250,000    30.10%
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements   75,000    9.03%
Directors’ and officers’ insurance premiums   300,000    36.12%
Printing   5,500    0.66%
Reimbursement of UW Expenses   35,000    4.21%
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses (including Nasdaq continued listing fees and franchise taxes net of anticipated interest income)   165,000    19.87%
Total   830,500    100%

  

 

(1) Includes gross proceeds from this offering of $125,000,000 (or $143,750,000, if the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in full).

 

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(2) A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of July 2, 2021, we had not drawn down any of the funds available to us under the promissory note with our sponsor. Amounts to be borrowed will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $340,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). In the event that offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, they will be repaid using a portion of the $830,500 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account and set aside for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses.
   
(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, $4,375,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or $5,031,250, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
   
(4) Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates.
   
(5) These expenses are estimates only and do not include interest which may be available to us from the trust account, which is limited to amounts to pay our taxes and up to $100,000 to pay liquidation expenses if we are unable to complete a business combination within the required timeframe. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify an initial business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses.
   
(6) Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.

 

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $127,500,000 (or $146,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be placed in a trust account in the United States, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.

 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we will, by resolution of our board, if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of up to 21 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares.  Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,250,000, or up to $1,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Such payment would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loan will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loan. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loan out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do not complete a business combination. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months).  We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.

 

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We estimate that the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $375,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.25% per year; however, we can provide no assurance regarding this amount. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise and income tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest to occur of: (a) the completion of our initial business combination, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law.

 

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering.

 

We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective business combination, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of an initial business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

 

Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor will agree to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of July 2, 2021, we had not drawn down any of the funds available to us under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $340,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). In the event that offering expenses are more than as allocated, they will be repaid using a portion of the $830,500 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

 

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

 

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

 

We may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of the underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) and the agreement for our initial business combination may require as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights so that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement or any net worth or cash requirements, we would not proceed with the redemption of our public shares or the initial business combination, and instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

A public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus) and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus), subject to applicable law and as further described herein and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

 

Our sponsor, 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. In addition, our initial stockholders 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 the prescribed time frame. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquires public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

 

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

 

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DILUTION

 

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

 

At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book value was $(74,995), or approximately $(0.02) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 12,500,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 14,375,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2021 would have been $(3,519,500) or $(0.84) per share (or $(4,175,750) or $(0.87) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (including as decreased by the value of the 12,500,000 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash, or 14,375,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(0.82) per share (or $(0.85) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public stockholders from this offering will be $10.84 per share (or 108.4%). The immediate dilution to new investors if the underwriter exercises its over-allotment option in full would be $10.87 per share (or 108.7%).

 

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

 

   No exercise of
over-allotment option
  

Exercise of over-

allotment option in full

 
Public offering price      $10.00        $10.00 
Net tangible book value before this offering  $(0.02)       $(0.02)    
Decrease attributable to public stockholders and sale of the  private placement warrants  $(0.82)        $(0.85)    
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering       $(0.84)         $(0.87)
Dilution to public stockholders      $10.84       $10.87 
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders       108.4%       108.7%

  

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $127,500,000 because holders of up to approximately 100% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholders meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes), divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.

 

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

 

   Shares Purchased   Total Consideration   Average Price Per 
   Number   Percentage   Amount   Percentage   Share 
Initial Stockholders(1)   4,166,667    25.00%  $25,000    0.02%  $0.01 
Public Stockholders  12,500,000   75.00%  $125,000,000   99.98%  $10.00 
   16,666,667   100.0%  $125,025,000   100.000%     

 

 

(1) Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

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

 

   Without Over-allotment   With Over-allotment 
Numerator:          
Net tangible book value deficit before this offering  $(74,995)  $(74,995)
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of expenses (1)   128,330,500    147,455,500 
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value   99,995    99,995 
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions   (4,375,000)   (5,031,250)
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2)   (127,500,000)   (146,625,000)
   $(3,519,500)  $(4,175,750)
Denominator:          
Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering(3)   4,791,667    4,791,667 
Shares of Class B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised   (625,000)   - 
Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered   12,500,000    14,375,000 
Less: Shares subject to redemption   (12,500,000)   (14,375,000)
    4,166,667    4,791,667 

 

 

(1) Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $340,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,500,000 (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions). See “Use of Proceeds.”
   
(2) If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
   
(3) On May 20, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 founder shares. On September 27, 2021 our sponsor forfeited 718,750 shares for no consideration. On November 1, 2021, we effected a 1 1/3 for 1 forward stock split on our founder shares and as a result our sponsor owns 4,791,667 shares (up to 625,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per share.

 

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CAPITALIZATION

 

The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option:

 

   June 30, 2021 
   Actual   As Adjusted 
Advances from related party (1)  $58,995   $- 
Deferred underwriting commissions   -    4,375,000 
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value subject to redemption, 0 and 12,500,000 shares are subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively (2)   -    127,500,000 
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 and 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding   -    - 
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized, 4,791,667 and 4,166,667 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively (3)   479    417 
Additional paid-in capital   24,521    - 
Accumulated deficit   -    (3,519,917)
Total stockholders’ equity  $25,000   $(3,519,500)
Total capitalization  $83,995   $128,355,500 

 

 

(1) Our sponsor is anticipated to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. However, as of June 30, 2021, we had not drawn down any of the funds available to us under the promissory note with our sponsor.
   
(2) All of the 12,500,000 shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in the offering contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such public shares in connection with our liquidation, if there is a stockholder vote or tender offer in connection with our initial business combination and in connection with certain amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with SEC and its guidance on redeemable equity instruments, which has been codified in ASC 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require common stock subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. Given that the 12,500,000 shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in the offering will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A common stock classified as temporary equity will be the allocated proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20. Our Class A common stock is subject to ASC 480-10-S99. If it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, we have the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. We have elected to recognize the changes immediately. The accretion or remeasurement will be treated as a deemed dividend (i.e., a reduction to retained earnings, or in absence of retained earnings, additional paid-in capital).
   
(3) Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL

CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

Overview

 

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.

 

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

 

  may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;
     
  may subordinate the rights of holders of our common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock;
     
  could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of our common stock is issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
     
  may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
     
  may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock and/or warrants.

 

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

 

  default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
     
  acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
     
  our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
     
  our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
     
  our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

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

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2021, we had $25,000 in cash and $99,995 in deferred offering costs. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

 

Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events

 

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

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2021, we had $25,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of $74,995. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

 

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through a capital contribution from our sponsor of $25,000 for the founder shares and up to $300,000 in loans available from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $340,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,500,000 ($2,875,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 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 $6,170,500 (or $6,920,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $128,330,500 (or $147,455,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $127,500,000 (or $146,625,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $4,375,000 (or $5,031,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 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. The remaining approximately $830,500 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $340,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $340,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.

 

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We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay franchise and income taxes. We estimate our annual franchise tax obligations, based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding after the completion of this offering, to be $200,000, which is the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation per annum, which we may pay from funds from this offering held outside of the trust account or from interest earned on the funds held in our trust account and released to us for this purpose. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

 

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $830,500 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

 

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such working capital loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (which, for example, would result in the holders being issued 1,500,000 warrants if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted), 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 terms of such working capital loans by our sponsor or its affiliates, or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

 

We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $250,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $300,000 for directors and officers insurance; $75,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $40,500 for underwriter expenses and costs associated with printing; and approximately $165,000 for working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves (including Nasdaq continued listing fees and taxes net of anticipated interest income).

 

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

 

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

 

Controls and Procedures

 

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

 

The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

 

Related Party Transactions

 

On May 20, 2021, our sponsor purchased 4,312,500 founder shares. On September 27, 2021 our sponsor forfeited 718,750 shares for no consideration. On November 1, 2021, we effected a 1 1/3 for 1 forward stock split on our founder shares and as a result our sponsor owns 4,791,667 shares (up to 625,000 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.005 per share. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 25% of the outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. 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.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

 

Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor is anticipated to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of July 2, 2021, we had not drawn down any of the funds available to us under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans will be non-interest bearing, unsecured and will be due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $340,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). In the event that offering expenses are more than as allocated, they will be repaid using a portion of the $830,500 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

 

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Our sponsor, Imperial Capital and I-Bankers have agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,170,500 warrants (or 6,920,500 warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), of which Imperial Capital will purchase 500,000 warrants and I-Bankers will purchase 125,000 warrants (575,000 warrants and 143,750 warrants, respectively, if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $6,170,500, or $6,920,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. The private placement warrants will be identical to the units sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants, (i) may not (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) will be entitled to registration rights. The holders will be permitted to transfer the private placement warrants held by them to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as our sponsor. 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, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. These holders, and holders of units issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

 

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

 

As of July 2, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus, as we have conducted no operations to date.

 

JOBS Act

 

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

 

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

 

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

Our Company

 

We currently intend to concentrate our efforts in identifying high quality businesses in the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics or optics products, services, and end markets, and related products, services, and end-markets. Within this focus, we will seek to pursue opportunities with businesses that have potential to utilize advanced manufacturing technology to provide cutting edge optics and photonics solutions and services to customers in a diverse set of market verticals where our sponsor’s operational, strategic or managerial expertise can assist in maximizing value.

 

We believe there are disruptive forces in society creating increased demand for optics and photonics imagers, sensors, and detectors. Society is trending towards data everywhere, more intelligent automation, and light-based security. We believe we will be able to provide significant value due to our ability to drive growth, global scaling and profitability in businesses along with our understanding of complex business situations and structures.

 

OmniLit Sponsor, LLC

 

Our sponsor, OmniLit Sponsor, LLC, is an affiliate of Al Kapoor, our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Kapoor has extensive experience identifying, evaluating, and executing acquisitions, and has led multiple operating companies across the advanced manufacturing industry. Of note, Mr. Kapoor has built Syntec Optics, a full-service and integrated optics and photonics solution provider over the last 20+ years through a combination of strategic acquisitions, operational improvements and focused end market expansion and diversification. Syntec Optics is now a leading solution provider of high technology and strategically sourced optics and photonics components to many Fortune 500 Companies in sensitive product areas such as Aerospace, Defense and Healthcare, among others. Over the course of Mr. Kapoor’s career, he has developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships, including deep networks in optics and photonics that we believe will serve to identify and vet potential combination targets.

 

Management Team

 

Alongside Mr. Kapoor, our management team will include Robert O. Nelson II, Chief Financial Officer & Skylar M. Jacobs, Chief Operating Officer. We intend to complement our management team and sponsor with our board of directors with mergers and acquisitions background in private equity, hedge fund, banking, legal, and accounting.

 

We intend to leverage the significant operational and investment experience of our sponsor and board of directors to identify acquisition opportunities at the intersection of advanced manufacturing and optics and photonics.

 

We believe that our sponsor and board of directors have several attributes that will create shareholder value against the backdrop of these trends.

 

Deep industry relationship: Mr. Kapoor has spent his career building businesses with disruptive technologies in optics and photonics. This experience has created numerous relationships with experts and thought leaders, presenting us with unique abilities to identify and evaluate opportunities across multiple sectors. Mr. Kapoor also led a global not-for-profit effort to foster entrepreneurship that expanded his relationships to entrepreneurs, public companies’ executives, venture capitalists, growth equity and debt providers across various industries. Mr. Kapoor currently writes a newsletter titled “Pioneering Minds” on future industries with circulation of over 100,000 to executives.

 

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Diverse operating experience: Mr. Kapoor and our board of directors have expertise in operating manufacturing businesses and building industry leading companies over an extended time period. As a public entity, we believe we can offer a wide range of advantages to stakeholders. These include, but are not limited to, utilizing our team’s collective skills and experience to catalyze accelerated and profitable growth, broader access to debt equity capital providers, liquidity alternatives for employees and investors, public currency for potential acquisitions, and improved branding in the marketplace.

 

Proven process to source, acquire, and operate: Mr. Kapoor started his career by sourcing, acquiring, and operating private manufacturing companies that were transformed into advanced manufacturing businesses in optics and photonics. We believe this managerial and investment history will assist us in identifying and acting on acquisition opportunities across our target universe.

 

Proprietary deal flow: Mr. Kapoor has built relationships with industry leaders and is a trusted operating partner, both of which contribute to deal flow and investment opportunities and marketplace credibility. Our network of entrepreneurs, investors, customers, suppliers, and executives helps us in target screening and evaluation, creating a tactical advantage in M&A. Our sponsor uses a proprietary model to screen companies with their ability for positive social disruption. It involves an assessment of factors including: 1.) science used, 2.) chosen technology concept, 3.) business model deployed, 4.) regulatory environment, and 5.) positive societal transformation. Once the opportunities meet the screening criteria, they are prioritized by size, ease of likely M&A execution and intrinsic factors. As a result, our sponsor has a unique ability to attract, identify, evaluate and execute unique acquisition opportunities.

 

Rigorous underwriting criteria: Mr. Kapoor and the board of directors have decades of science, technology, finance, and business education experience that provides a rigorous framework for identifying and approaching potential acquisition targets and evaluating technologies that may powerfully reshape financial statements and outcomes.

 

We believe that the combination of these components will enable us to execute a differentiated strategy and create long-term value for shareholders. Our vision is to allow shareholders to benefit from the same strategies that have made our founders successful while leveraging the commercial, financial and tactical advantages of a public company listing. We believe our experience will enable us to help the target’s management team navigate operational, financial and strategic opportunities and challenges to build a high-growth and financially successful business. We believe these competitive advantages will allow us to deliver on our founders’ shared vision to create a world class publicly traded business that serves the diverse optics and photonics markets.

 

Business and Investment Strategies

 

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, our investment strategy will focus our efforts in the advanced manufacturing industry, specifically the photonics and optics products, services, and end-markets, and related products, services, and end-markets. Our initial business combination and value creation strategy will be to identify, acquire and, after our initial business combination, implement an operating strategy with a view of creating value for our stockholders through operational improvements, capital infusion, or future acquisitions. We intend to source initial business combination opportunities through our management team’s broad network of investors in the advanced manufacturing industry, board members, company executives, lawyers, accountants, and brokers.

 

We believe that technology and globalization are creating enormous opportunities for disruption and value creation in advanced manufacturing. Many of these technologies can be transformative for varied markets but require the right expertise and global connections to capture opportunities within public markets. Within the broader market space of advanced manufacturing, we intend to concentrate on sourcing business combination opportunities that serve, or can be transformed to supply solutions to, the optics and photonics market.

 

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Our investment thesis is rooted in the following core beliefs that will influence the types of investment opportunities that we will target.

 

We believe that businesses involved in the design, development, manufacturing, operation, and distribution of optics and photonics assets will benefit from strong tailwinds in years to come and may represent attractive acquisition opportunities.

 

Optics and Photonics Industry Report 2020 estimated that the manufacturing sector contributes 30% of global gross domestic product (“GDP”) annually, or an estimated $26.3 trillion, and optics and photonics comprise a substantial amount of this market. The optics and photonics market, the value of light-enabled products and services, is estimated to be between $7 trillion and $10 trillion annually, and represents roughly 11% of the world’s economy. Within this end-market, it is estimated that global annual revenue for photonics-enabled products and services had exceeded $2 trillion in 2019. Photonics touches most sectors of our economy including consumer electronics (barcode scanners, DVD players, TV remote controls), telecommunications (fiber optics, lasers, switches), health (eye surgery, medical instruments, and imaging), industrial (laser cutting and machining), Defense and Security (Infrared cameras, remote sensing, aiming) and entertainment (holography, cinema projection). We believe accelerating optics and photonics innovation will continue to drive economic growth and increase its share of the global GDP.

 

The most recent review from the Optics & Photonics 2020 Industry Report valued the 2019 photonics-enabled products and services at $2.02 trillion – an increase of 34% over the seven-year period, and a compound annual growth (CAGR) rate of 4.2%, from 2012 to 2019, shown below by end market.

 

The potential use of photonics in varied industries is fueling growth of the optics and photonics market. We believe sectors including telecom, transportation, healthcare, energy, aerospace, security, defense & space exploration, consumer, retail, electronics, food & agriculture, artificial intelligence software, and robotics are in the early stages of a dramatic transformation of scope and scale due to the unprecedented developments in advanced manufacturing of optics and photonics products, sub-systems, components, and materials. Continued mobility, intelligence, automation, sensing, and safety needs will accelerate in years to come, which will create a large market opportunity for such enabling businesses at the forefront of optics and photonics. The global optics and photonics sectors have experienced demand increasing use of photonics in various applications.

 

The Optics & Photonics 2020 Industry Report estimated revenue growth for top five areas based on CAGR from 2012 to 2019. These areas are listed below, as examples of verticals that we intend to focus on:

 

    Sensing, monitoring, and control (+10%), autonomous systems and the internet-of-things continued to create demand for a wide variety of photonic sensors. Self-driving cars, drones, and other robotics systems utilize a wide range of photonic sensors and imaging systems, some of which are increasingly benefiting from embedded artificial intelligence. Developments in the emerging field of quantum technology should drive major advances in metrology, sensing, communications, and computing, creating what we believe will be a multitude of new opportunities in photonics.
  Advanced manufacturing (+8%), gains in this segment were led by lasers for materials processing while robotics and vision technologies maintained their momentum as did implementation of 3D printing/additive manufacturing. Photonics-based production tools including lasers, optical metrology, and machine vision combined with adoption of rapid prototyping and Industry 4.0 are driving big manufacturing changes in industries like aerospace and automobiles.
  Semiconductor processing (+8%), driven by demand for optical processing and metrology equipment. Opto-electronics and mobility, integrated photonics circuits are beginning to address applications that were typically addressed by integrated electronic circuits. POC Biosensing, terabit internet, lidar based radar, and telecom are areas that are being disrupted due to reduced cost, size, weight, and power consumption while still improving performance and reliability. Design, develop, and manufacturing processes are similar to micro-electronics. Integrated photonics is envisioned to play the role in industry 4.0 what electronic integrated circuits did in industry 3.0.

 

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    BioMedical (+13%), growth in diagnostic imaging, digital pathology, in vitro diagnostics, and point-of-care diagnostics led broad- based gains across this segment. Food safety testing also saw a significant uptick. Looking ahead, cost-effective photonics-based diagnostic and therapeutic medical devices are achieving higher market penetration.
  Defense, safety, and security (+10%), driven by gains in more than 30 sub-segments combined with substantial upswings in video surveillance, perimeter security and sensing, and investment in equipment for directed energy systems. Infrared systems, hyperspectral imaging, and laser-based countermeasures are all deployed, while laser weapons are emerging as a real near-term possibility. We believe there may be increased demand for aiming, scoping, and targeting using optics and photonics.

 

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the advanced manufacturing sector

 

This fourth industrial revolution (“Industry 4.0”), which encompasses the internet-of-things and smart manufacturing, marries physical production and operations with digital technology, machine learning / artificial intelligence and big data to create a more holistic and connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management. As industry 4.0 continues to bring changes in manufacturing, technological advancements leading to innovative photonics-enabled products, and photonics are improving manufacturing performance with photonics-enabled technology. We expect Industry 4.0 to transform production by driving faster, more flexible and more efficient processes which will be monetized by companies through the production of higher- quality goods at reduced costs.

 

Beyond the traditional industrial automation, new transforming products from unmanned aircrafts and driverless cars, smart robots in the operating rooms and artificial intelligence of organ and tissue imaging, to augmented and virtual reality increasingly require optics and photonics imagers, sensors, and detectors. We expect this trend to be especially pronounced in the United States, which has seen automation as a way to be globally competitive in spite of rising wages.

 

Optics and photonics are an integral aspect of the ongoing advancement of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices. Optics and photonics can reduce cost, size, weight, and power consumption in all spheres of technology that is making us smarter. These includes our content, its context, inter-connection for exchange, and various types of content - from imaging to detection and sensing. Mr. Kapoor has operated extensively across this advancing ecosystem of customers, suppliers, and business operators, which is at the overlapping intersection on contextual technology, content technology, connected technology, and imaging, detecting, and sensing technology. The advanced technologies, which are beneficiaries and drivers of this ecosystem include artificial intelligence, quantum computing, internet-of-things, driverless cars, robotics, 3D printing, and other new technologies.

 

Business Combination Criteria

 

Our business combination criteria will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic sector, but given the experience of our management team, we expect to focus on acquiring a business combination target within the advanced manufacturing industry, with a focus on optics and photonics, with an enterprise value of approximately $350 million to $750 million. Our management team will look to identify business combination targets which are in need of strategic growth capital, will benefit from becoming a publicly listed company, may require creative business approaches to unlock additional value, or may need to repurchase debt, target strategic acquisitions or require working capital.

 

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

 

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  Services & end markets. We intend to pursue targets within a space that has many varied offerings based on diversity of manufacturing processes, wavelength of light used, materials, and whether the offering is a component, sub-system or OEM.
  Diversity of sectors. Our strategy is to acquire a participant with potential in the wide range of end-market. We intend to build sustainable value with a company that provides us a platform of diverse sectors, R&D spend, vertical integration, and design-for-manufacturability. We intend to focus on active or passive optics and photonics as entry point as the industry overall is quite fragmented.
  Proprietary pipeline and deal flow. We intend to find and acquire companies off the radar screen of other acquirers with deal flow from a deep professional network & research of new sciences and technologies. Deals will be assessed for social disruption in their sectors using proprietary models.
  Geography. We intend to initially focus on well-established optics and photonics capabilities in the United States markets.
  Barriers to entry and differentiation. We intend to focus on businesses that provide differentiated industrial solutions and ability to pivot or extend to optics and photonics and that possess high barriers to entry and a certain degree of technological differentiation and manufacturing complexity embedded in their platform; have defensible proprietary technology and intellectual property rights that are significantly differentiated and superior to attract good talent.
  Scalability and growth. We intend to focus on businesses that are scaled or have ability to scale within their large addressable market with R&D and capex; and are on a promising organic growth path, driven by a sustainable competitive advantage, with opportunities for acceleration by add-on acquisitions.
  Financial and regulatory processes and controls. We intend to focus on businesses that have robust compliance, financial controls and reporting processes in place and that we believe are ready for the regulatory requirements of a public entity, or have the potential to timely implement appropriate public company reporting, compliance and financial controls under the guidance of our management team.

 

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

 

Competitive Strengths

 

We believe the sourcing, valuation, diligence, and execution capabilities of our management team will provide us with a significant pipeline of opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business that will benefit from our expertise.

 

  Strong Management Team. We will leverage the extensive experience of our management team, all of whom have been involved at various levels in acquisitions, financings, and advisory transactions, totaling billions in transaction value, and have significant experience investing in a variety of economic cycles, with a track record of identifying high-quality assets with opportunities for optimization. We believe our management team’s ability to originate, effectively diligence, and creatively and thoughtfully structure transactions will generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for investors. We believe we will benefit from our management team’s successful track record in technology and business services industry, including experiences serving as corporate executives and board members for various companies, both public and private.

 

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  Broad Sourcing Channels and Leading Industry Relationships. We believe the capabilities and relationships associated with our management team will provide us with a differentiated pipeline of attractive business combination opportunities that would be difficult for other market participants to replicate.
  Underwriting, Execution, and Structuring Capabilities. Our management team will apply to our acquisition targets a rigorous analytical review and diligence process that its individual members apply or have applied in their current or past professional experiences. The sensitivity of financial and operational drivers to external factors is a key component of evaluating investment opportunities and pricing risk. We believe our investment discipline will allow us to identify opportunities where our management team can create stockholder value, which may include operational or capital structure improvements, as well as the introduction of new technologies and/or products to drive growth.
  Public Company Operating Expertise. As a result of serving as executive officers and directors of publicly traded companies, our management team has substantial experience in navigating the challenges of operating as a public company. We anticipate that one or more members of our management team or board, would remain on the board of the company post business combination. In addition, some of the potential acquisition targets we consider may operate within a regulated industry. We believe that the expertise within our management team around technology and business services industries will be advantageous when evaluating certain acquisition targets.

 

Initial Business Combination

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we will, by resolution of our board, if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months up to twice (for a total of up to 21 months to complete a business combination), subject to the sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. In connection with any such extension, public stockholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares.  Pursuant to the terms of our certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees must deposit into the trust account $1,250,000, or up to $1,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Such payment would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loan will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not repay such loan. Furthermore, the letter agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loan out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do not complete a business combination. We will only be able to extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by an additional three months twice (for a total of six months).  We will issue a press release announcing each extension, at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we will issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline, announcing whether the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account in order to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination, but our sponsor will not be obligated to extend such time.

 

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

 

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Our Initial Business Combination Process

 

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

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. However, subject to any pre-existing contractual or fiduciary obligations, our sponsor and officers and directors will offer all suitable business combination opportunities within the advanced manufacturing industry (and other related sectors, as discussed elsewhere in this prospectus) to us before any other person or company until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 21 months from the closing of this offering, if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination, as described in more detail in this prospectus).

 

Members of our management team are employed by or otherwise work with our sponsor or with entities affiliated with it or with other entities. Our sponsor and these other entities and their respective affiliates are 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.

 

Our sponsor and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them and our sponsor in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our sponsor and our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Conflicts of Interest” for additional information.

 

Our Management Team

 

Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any member of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the initial business combination process.

 

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We believe our management team’s operating and transaction experience and relationships with companies will provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships. This network has grown through the activities of our management team sourcing, acquiring and financing businesses, our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Management” for a more complete description of our management team’s experience.

 

Status as a Public Company

 

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As a public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares of Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our shares of Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.

 

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

 

While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.

 

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

 

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

 

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We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.

 

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 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 ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of the prior June 30th; or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30th.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of $123,955,000, after payment of $4,375,000 of deferred underwriting commissions (or $142,424,250 after payment of up to $5,031,250 of deferred underwriting commissions if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.

 

Effecting Our Initial Business Combination

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Sources of Target Businesses

 

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

 

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the initial business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

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

 

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

 

Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the cost