S-1/A 1 d374956ds1a.htm S-1/A S-1/A
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 6, 2023

Registration No. 333-267399

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-1

(Amendment No. 4)

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Four Leaf Acquisition Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   6770   88-1178935

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

4546 El Camino Real B10 #715,

Los Altos, California 94022

Telephone: (650) 720-5626

(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrant’s Principal Executive Offices)

 

 

Angel Orrantia

Chief Executive Officer

4546 El Camino Real B10 #715,

Los Altos, California 94022

Telephone: (650) 720-5626

(Name, Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Agent For Service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

David K. Cheng

David R. Brown

Conrad R. Adkins

 

Gregory W. Sutton

Stuart Newman

Louis D. Tambaro

Nixon Peabody LLP   Offit Kurman, P.A.
1 Embarcadero Center, 32nd floor   590 Madison Ave., 6th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94111   New York , NY 10022
Telephone: 415-984-8200   Telephone: 212.545.1900

 

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

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

 

 

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

 

 

 


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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS    SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED March 6, 2023

$65,000,000

Four Leaf Acquisition Corporation

6,500,000 Units

 

 

Four Leaf Acquisition Corporation is a newly organized blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any 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. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry, we intend to focus our search on companies in the IoT space or adjacent spaces. “IoT” refers to the “Internet of Things,” that is, physical objects (or groups of objects) with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks, sometimes called “smart devices.” We will also consider adjacent spaces such as devices, components or software that are used in IoT applications. We intend to target companies in both developing markets (e.g., China and India), and the developed markets (e.g., United States and Europe), however, we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operations consolidated through a variable interest entity, or a VIE, structure.

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 redeemable warrant. Each redeemable warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. We have granted EF Hutton, a division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, or “EF Hutton”, as the representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 975,000 (over and above the 6,500,000 units referred to above) solely 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 12 months (or up to 18 months from the consummation of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination as described in more detail in this prospectus), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination. Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000 or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Our public stockholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.

Our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, is controlled by Mr. Alvin Wang, a resident of the People’s Republic of China, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the PRC or China, and a member of our Board of Directors, who holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests of our sponsor. Following completion of this offering, our sponsor will own approximately 19.2% of our outstanding shares. Additionally, Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, is a PRC national.

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,645,000 placement warrants (or 5,083,750 placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,645,000 (or $5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each placement warrant will be identical to the public warrants included in the units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The placement warrants will be sold in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.

Our initial stockholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 1,868,750 shares of our Class B common stock (up to 243,750 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, as described herein.

Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We have applied to list our units on the Nasdaq Global Market, or “Nasdaq”, under the symbol “FORLU”. We expect that our units will be listed on the Nasdaq Global Market on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless EF Hutton, the representative of the underwriters, inform us of their 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 “FORL” and “FORLW,” respectively.

Although we currently do not have any PRC subsidiaries or operations, as noted above, Mr. Alvin Wang, one of our directors, is located in and has significant ties to the PRC, which may make us a less attractive partner to potential target companies outside the PRC than to a non-PRC related special purpose acquisition company. As a result, we are more likely to acquire a company based in the PRC in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 or any target company that consolidates financial results of PRC operating entities through a VIE structure in the PRC instead of direct holdings. As a result, this may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC, in particular, due to the relevant PRC laws and regulations against foreign ownership of and investment in certain assets and industries, known as restricted industries, including but not limited to value-added telecommunications services such as internet content providers. Furthermore, this may also limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC relative to other special purpose acquisition companies that are not subject to such restrictions, which could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC relative to such other companies. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — We will not conduct an initial business combination with any target company that conducts operations through VIEs, which may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC and make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC” on page 86.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, Chinese laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in the combined company’s principal operations in the PRC, significant depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or a complete hindrance of the combined company’s ability to offer its securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a PRC-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. The PRC government also recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in the PRC with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cyber security review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s


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operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political, and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For a detailed description of risks associated with being based in or acquiring a company that does business in the PRC, see “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC” on page 85.

If we acquire a company based in the PRC, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distributions, dividends or transfers of funds among and between the holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in PRC companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law of China, or the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of China, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries is subject to regulations on private lending and must be permitted thereunder. Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi (yuan) into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Consequently, in order for the combined company to pay dividends to its stockholders, the combined company would need to rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we are to acquire a China-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary will be subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of China and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any. See “Prospectus Summary — Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in the PRC (Post-Business Combination)” and “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in the PRC to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment” on pages 91-92.

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the AHFCAA, which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the delisting of one’s securities and prohibition of trading such securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed a Statement of Protocol, or the SOP, with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China, then China-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to China-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering. Marcum LLP has access to our books and records which are currently and will be maintained in the United States prior to the consummation of a business combination.

In addition, we affirmatively exclude any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. This could limit or restrict our access to the U.S. capital markets and the trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange under the HFCA Act or AHFCAA. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Though we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC” on pages 98-100.

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 46 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      $ 65,000,000  

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

   $ 0.50      $ 3,250,000  

Proceeds, before expenses, to Four leaf Acquisition Corporation

   $ 9.50      $ 61,750,000  

 

(1)

Includes $0.35 per unit, or $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the representative of 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 representative of the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, as described in this prospectus. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. In addition, we will issue EF Hutton and/or its designees 65,000 shares of Class A common stock (74,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), which we refer to herein as the “representative shares” as underwriter compensation in connection with this offering. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Underwriting” beginning on page 165 for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the placement warrants described in this prospectus, $66,950,000 or $76,992,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.30 per unit in either case) will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as trustee.

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                 , 2023.

 

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

EF HUTTON

division of Benchmark Investments, LLC

            , 2023


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

SUMMARY

     1  

THE OFFERING

     19  

SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS

     40  

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

     44  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     45  

RISK FACTORS

     46  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     102  

DIVIDEND POLICY

     107  

DILUTION

     108  

CAPITALIZATION

     110  

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

     111  

PROPOSED BUSINESS

     118  

MANAGEMENT

     156  

PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS

     168  

CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     171  

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

     174  

MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS

     189  

UNDERWRITING

     198  

LEGAL MATTERS

     207  

EXPERTS

     207  

CHANGE IN ACCOUNTANTS

     207  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     208  

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     F-1  

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

No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.

This prospectus includes estimates regarding market and industry data and forecasts which are based on publicly available information, industry reports and publications, reports from government agencies and management’s estimates based on third-party data. Third-party industry publications and forecasts generally state that the information contained therein has been obtained from sources generally believed to be reliable. We have not independently verified such third-party information. Industry and market data could be inaccurate because of the method by which sources obtained their data and because information cannot be verified with complete certainty due to the limits on the availability and reliability of raw data, the voluntary nature of the data gathering process and other limitations and uncertainties. Such data and estimates are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors.”

 

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SUMMARY

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under the section of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.

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

 

   

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

 

   

“extension option” are to our option to extend the period of time to consummate our business combination from 12 months up to two times by an additional three months each time, for a total of 18 months, at $0.10 per unit per extension ($650,000 or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), up to an aggregate of $0.20 per unit ($1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline;

 

   

“equity-linked securities” are 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;

 

   

“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;

 

   

“placement warrants” are to the warrants being purchased separately by our sponsor in the private placement and to the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of extension option loans and working capital loans;

 

   

“private placement” is to the private placement of 4,645,000 placement warrants (or up to 5,083,750 placement warrants depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised) being purchased by our sponsor which will occur simultaneously with the completion of this offering at a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $4,645,000 or a total purchase price of $5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full);

 

   

“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, including warrants that may be acquired by our sponsor or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and to any placement warrants that are sold to third parties that are not initial purchasers or executive officers or directors (or permitted transferees) following the consummation of our initial business combination;

 

   

“representative” are to EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, who is the representative of the underwriters in this offering.

 

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“representative shares” are to the 65,000 shares of Class A common stock issued to the representative or its designee (74,750 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full).

 

   

“sponsor” are to ALWA Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company which is an affiliate of certain of our officers and directors;

 

   

“VIE” refers to a variable interest entity which, for the purpose of this prospectus, is a PRC-based operating entity that has entered into a series of contractual arrangements with a wholly-foreign-owned-entity, or WFOE, in the PRC in order to allow for the WFOE to control the PRC-based operating entity or VIE and allow for the consolidation of the VIE’s financial results with those of the WFOE and its offshore holding company under US GAAP with the offshore holding company as the primary beneficiary. A VIE structure is often used by PRC operating entities for an offshore listing especially given the PRC legal restrictions on foreign ownership in certain sectors or matters.

 

   

“warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which includes the public warrants as well as the placement warrants to the extent they are no longer held by the initial purchasers of the placement warrants or their permitted transferees; and

 

   

“we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Four Leaf Acquisition Corporation

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

Our Company

We are a newly organized, blank check company formed on March 3, 2022 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. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have generated no operating revenues to date and do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after we consummate our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We intend to target companies in both developing markets (e.g., China and India), and the developed markets (e.g., United States and Europe), however, we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure.

Although we may pursue an acquisition in any industry or geography, we intend to focus on an acquisition capitalizing on the burgeoning Internet of Things, or “IoT” and adjacent technologies that target the IoT market (e.g. devices, components, software, communication protocols). The IoT market has seen substantial growth as the instrumentation of the internet coupled with advances in artificial intelligence, or “AI,” machine learning, and automation continue to accelerate the proliferation of products and services. The world-wide explosion in smartphone utilization, 5G proliferation, Web 3.0 adoption, improved internet access, are culminating in new market opportunities with massive disruptive potential across a number of industries.

According to industry sources, the global IoT market size in 2021 was valued at USD $384.70 billion. The market is projected to grow from USD $478.36 billion in 2022 to USD $2,465.26 billion by 2029 with a compound annual growth rate, or “CAGR”, of 26.4% during this forecast period.1 Industrial IoT includes smart and highly collaborative robots, machines, equipment, scheduling systems, and logistics. Consumer IoT includes smart phones, wearables, fashion items, appliances, and automation systems.

 

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Fortune Business Insights, last accessed April 6, 2022 <https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/>

 

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In addition to market forces, IoT markets are receiving support from government and regulatory agencies. Various countries are providing both monetary and regulatory support for research and development activities related to standardization of IPv6, 5G deployments, and increased use of cloud computing platforms. When combined with the market forces, governmental support is accelerating industry innovation and standardization. Rapid adoption and advances in AI, machine learning, cloud computing, mobile applications, automation throughout global supply chains, clean energy solutions, and autonomous vehicles will continue to drive sustained growth and accelerate the digital transformation of the enterprise and the home leading to significant value creation. The development and application of these new technologies are expected to create massive opportunities within new and existing sectors, such as technology, media and telecom, medicine and healthcare, transportation, and traditional industries. Coupling automation technologies, AI and machine learning, with advances in sensor technologies, communication protocols and dramatically increased bandwidths, produce a perfect storm of innovation across enterprise and consumer markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic, in combination with growing geopolitical and macroeconomic complexity and uncertainty, are fueling volatility, creating financial market dislocations and increasing the availability of attractive assets. The traditional model of globalization is evolving under the pressures of geopolitical competition and instability. Nonetheless, we believe global interconnection via trade remains and will continue to be a powerful driver of economic growth. For companies to operate in this new environment, they will need to re-examine their market access strategies to navigate new barriers and restrictions, reengineer their supply chains for greater resilience, and structure their organizations to leverage the best talent globally. Our management team possesses the skills and expertise needed to unlock growth and value in this dynamic environment.

Given the worldwide scenario, it is our intent to invest in an IoT company that is focused on the consumer or other large market, which given current developments, has proven to offer extraordinary growth and expansion. We are looking to acquire a company offering a highly differentiated technical advantage and capable of navigating the complexities of the global economy. We will target companies benefiting from the disruptive impact of emerging technologies and the continuing growth in both developing markets (e.g., China and India), and the developed markets (e.g., United States and Europe).

We intend to drive long-term growth and build a successful public company through disciplined strategic execution and a commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility and strong corporate governance.

Management Team

With recognized operating capabilities developed at leading large-scale global technology companies, as well as entrepreneurial insight and expertise, we believe our founders’ diverse and complementary backgrounds can have a transformative impact on a target business.

We will seek to capitalize on the diverse industry experience of our Chief Executive Officer, Angel Orrantia. Mr. Orrantia is a proven technology executive with a history of investing, acquiring, and building successful companies, while generating attractive stockholder returns. Over the past decade, Mr. Orrantia has created returns for investors while managing secular disruption and cyclical industry risk. Mr. Orrantia has operated and completed transformational cross-border transactions on a global basis.

Our broader management team, which includes Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, and Robert de Neve, our Chief Strategy Officer, is comprised of industry leaders with deep roots in Silicon Valley, India, China and broader Asia. Our management team includes proven leaders with a diverse set of experiences and complementary skills, as investors, entrepreneurs, senior executives and transactional professionals. This group will leverage their extensive network for access to global acquisition opportunities and proven executives to augment the management team of potential acquisitions.

We believe our management team has a competitive advantage as a result of their experience leading global technology companies, with strengths in corporate strategy and transactions, public company operations and

 

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applying innovative technologies to enable business growth and industry transformations. We believe our combined experience uniquely qualifies us to offer public investors and target company stakeholders a differentiated approach to accelerating growth in key global markets, extending the management team, enhancing operating efficiency and operating successfully as a public company.

Notwithstanding our founders’ and management team’s past experiences, past experience or performance is not a guarantee of either: (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (ii) that we will provide an attractive return to our stockholders from any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team, directors, director nominees or founders’ as indicative of our future performance. See “Risk Factors — Past performance our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.” For a complete list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers and the company, please refer to “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

Business Strategy

Our business strategy will leverage a purpose-built model to focus on areas of growth by capitalizing on long-term trends and technology disruption driven by the ongoing instrumentation of the internet, dramatically increased bandwidths, and advances in AI and automation. We have chosen to domicile the company in Delaware, so that we can more efficiently access acquisition opportunities globally.

We will seek to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that complements the experiences and skills of our founders and can benefit from their operational expertise. We will capitalize on the management team’s relationship networks for access to high quality potential targets. The selection process will leverage our founders’ industry skills and experience to add value to a target company. We will apply the capabilities of our management team to enhance growth and profitability of the potential targets, including through access to key global markets and technology development ecosystems, as well as through strategic acquisitions and operational transformations. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their network of relationships to discuss our acquisition criteria and we will begin a disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing potential acquisition targets.

Acquisition Criteria

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 initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.

 

   

Size: We intend to focus on companies that alone, or through a strategic combination with another company, have an enterprise valuation between $200 million and $300 million. We believe at this scale we can most effectively apply the experience and resources of the management team to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.

 

   

Location: We are searching for attractive target acquisition opportunities globally, with particular emphasis on companies in Asia and North America.

 

   

Focus: We plan to target companies in the Consumer IoT and consumer facing Industrial IoT sectors globally. Within those broader sectors, we will concentrate on companies that are aligned to the secular trends of automation, digitization, and broader technology adoption and positioned for strong growth that can be enhanced through partnership with our management team.

 

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Management Capability: We plan to target companies with strong management teams that are capable of scaling to operate successfully on a global basis as a public company. Our management team is committed to providing support, guidance and, where necessary, additional management talent to assist the target company in executing its value creation strategy and achieving its vision.

 

   

Differentiation: We are looking for potential acquisitions that have powerful competitive advantages, strong innovation capabilities and an adaptive management team committed to a positive culture grounded in strong values, including the importance of diversity and inclusion and serving the interests of a broader set of stakeholders.

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, or the SEC.

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

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. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business, debt issued by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. 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 to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing.

Status as a Public Company

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner. As an existing public company, we offer a partner 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 partner business may, for example, exchange their capital stock, shares or other equity interests in the partner business for shares of our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of shares of our Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe partner 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, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the partner business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering,

 

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as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the partner business would then have greater access to capital, 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 founding team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential partner 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.

Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business Combination

We will have until 12 months from the consummation of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000 or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our public stockholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions. Our sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

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 income taxes payable on the interest and other income 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless

 

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such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

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% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. If our securities are not listed on Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% requirement even if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination.

Our 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), meetings with key employees, 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and 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

 

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business combination. Each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

Certain of our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will not materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

Our officers and directors may become an officer or director of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, even before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination.

Potential Legal and Operational Risks Associated with Acquiring a Company that does Business in the PRC

Our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, is controlled by Mr. Alvin Wang, a PRC national, and a member of our Board of Directors, who holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests of our sponsor. Following completion of this offering, our sponsor will own approximately 19.2% of our outstanding shares. Additionally, Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, is a PRC national.

Although we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or operations, we could potentially acquire a company based in the PRC in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 or any target company that consolidates financial results of PRC operating entities through a VIE structure in the PRC instead of direct holdings.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, PRC laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in its principal operations in China, significant depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or a complete hindrance of the combined company’s ability to offer its securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. The PRC government also

 

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recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in the PRC with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cyber security review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For a detailed description of risks associated with being based in or acquiring a company that does business in China, see “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC” on page 85.

If we acquire a company based in in the PRC, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distributions, dividends or transfers of funds among and between the holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in Chinese companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of the PRC, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries is subject to regulations on private lending and must be permitted thereunder. Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi (yuan) into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Consequently, in order for the combined company to pay dividends to its stockholders, the combined company would need to rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we acquire a PRC-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of the PRC and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any. See “Prospectus Summary — Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in the PRC (Post-Business Combination)” and “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in the PRC to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment” on page 91.

Pursuant to the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the SOP with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to

 

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select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China, then PRC-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to China-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA. This is a rapidly-evolving area, and the PCAOB is required to re-assess its determinations at the end of 2022.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations.

In addition, we affirmatively exclude any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. This could limit or restrict our access to the U.S. capital markets and the trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange under the HFCA Act. Additionally, in June 2021, the Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if signed into law, would reduce the time period for the delisting of foreign companies under the HFCA Act to two consecutive years instead of three years. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S., will be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Though we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC” on pages 98-100.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware; however, Mr. Alvin Wang, a member of our Board of Directors, and Ms. Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, are both PRC nationals and reside in the PRC for a significant portion of their time. In addition, Mr. Wang holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests in our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, and therefore has direct influence over our sponsor. Consequently, it may be difficult to effect service of process on Mr. Wang and Ms. Kou, and any judgment obtained in the United States against Mr. Wang or Ms. Kou may not be collectible within the United States.

It may be difficult to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in the PRC. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedure Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedure Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between different jurisdictions, and PRC courts will not recognize or enforce these foreign judgments

 

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if PRC courts believe the foreign judgments violate the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest after review. However, currently, China does not have treaties or reciprocity arrangement providing for recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments ruled by courts in the United States. Thus, it is uncertain whether a PRC court would enforce a judgment ruled by a court in the United States.

Subject to specified time limitations and legal procedures, Chinese courts may enforce a United States judgment in a civil matter which, subject to certain exceptions, is non-appealable, including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and including a monetary or compensatory judgment in a non-civil matter, provided that:

 

   

the judgments are obtained after due process before a court of competent jurisdiction, according to the laws of the state in which the judgment is given and the rules of private international law currently prevailing in the PRC;

 

   

the prevailing law of the foreign state in which the judgments were rendered allows the enforcement of judgments of Chinese courts (however, the Chinese courts may waive this requirement following a request by the attorney general);

 

   

adequate service of process has been effected and the defendant has had a reasonable opportunity to be heard and to present his or her evidence;

 

   

the judgments are not contrary to public interest of the PRC, and the enforcement of the civil liabilities set forth in the judgments does not violate the basic legal principles of PRC laws or impair the security or sovereignty of the PRC;

 

   

the judgments were not obtained by fraud and do not conflict with any other valid judgment in the same matter between the same parties;

 

   

an action between the same parties in the same matter is not pending in any Chinese court at the time the lawsuit is instituted in the foreign court; and

 

   

the obligations under the judgment are enforceable according to the laws of the PRC and according to the law of the foreign state in which the relief was granted.

We have appointed the Corporation Trust Company as our agent to receive service of process in any action against us in any United States federal or state court arising out of this offering or any purchase or sale of securities in connection with this offering.

If a foreign judgment is enforced by a Chinese court, it generally will be payable in Chinese currency, which can then be converted into non-Chinese currency and transferred out of the PRC. Under existing Chinese law, a foreign judgment payable in foreign currency may be paid in Chinese currency at the rate of exchange in force on the date of the payment. Current Chinese exchange control regulations also permit a judgment debtor to make payment in foreign currency. The conversion of Chinese currency into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Chinese currency has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Chinese currency against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. Judgment creditors may bear the risk of unfavorable exchange rates.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we begin our business combination process with a PRC-based target, we expect to retain legal counsel in the PRC, who will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the enforceability of civil liabilities and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s

 

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assessment above. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Investors may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in the PRC based upon U.S. laws, including the federal securities laws or other foreign laws against the combined company and the officers and directors of the company and the combined company if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China” on page 101.

Furthermore, there could be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts against the combined company or the officers and directors to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. federal securities laws, and they still may be fruitless. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based and primarily operating outside of the United States, it is possible that substantially all or a significant portion of combined company’s assets may be located outside of the United States and some of the combined company’s officers and directors may reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon these officers and directors who reside outside of the United States. Even with the proposed service of process, it may also be difficult to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the officers and directors.

Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering, Searching for a Target Company or a Business Combination

Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the Business Combination

We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or operations, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in the PRC, excluding any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 or any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure, and be subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with its operations in the PRC.

The Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Companies by Foreign Investors (the “M&A Rules”), adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition is by a foreign investor (e.g., the offshore special purpose vehicle) of equity in a “PRC domestic company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition is by a foreign investor of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” We do not believe that either the equity or asset deal provisions of the M&A Rules will be implicated in any of our initial business combination process with a PRC-based target for the reason that any acquisition will be conducted through a WFOE established by means of direct investment, which would hold the shares of the PRC-based target. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a China-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices, we do not believe the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will be required in the context of our business combination with a PRC-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities in order for us to complete a business combination with a PRC-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.

 

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In addition, on December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comment Provisions of the State Council on the Administration of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments) and Administrative Measures for the Filing of Overseas Securities Offering and Listing by Domestic Companies (Draft for Comments), or the Draft Rules. The Draft Rules, if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring Chinese businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of initial public offering application in the case of an initial public offering (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a special purpose acquisition company listing or “back-door” listing. It is our management’s understanding that the Draft Rules, if enacted as it is, will subject a PRC-based target to the new filing system if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with such target. The PRC-based target and the combined company may be subject to additional compliance requirements in the future if a final rule is adopted with material changes from the Draft Rules. Though we believe that none of the situations that would clearly prohibit overseas listing and offering applies to us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to receive clearance of such filing requirements in a timely manner, or at all.

On December 27, 2021, the National Development and Reform Commission, or the NDRC, and the Ministry of Commerce, or the MOFCOM, promulgated Special Administrative Measures (Negative List) for the Access of Foreign Investment (2021 Version), effective as of January 1, 2022, or the Negative List. Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but, for the first time, it declares the PRC’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange and certain foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.

On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions on Strictly Cracking Down on Illegal Securities Activities According to Law, or the Opinions, which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by PRC-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by PRC-based overseas-listed companies.

Uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the Opinions stated above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China” on pages 94-96.

Furthermore, pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in the PRC must be stored in the PRC, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity

 

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review by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC. In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On December 28, 2021, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures for Cybersecurity Review, or the New Measures. The New Measures amend the Measures for Cybersecurity Review (Draft Revision for Comments), or the Draft Measures, released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review and clarify that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PRC Personal Information Protection Law, or the PIPL, which took effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in the PRC involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, it is our management’s understanding that such target business might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL as discussed above, and that such target business would need to go through the cybersecurity review process before effecting a business combination if it is deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator purchasing internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security, or a network platform operator with personal information of more than one million users. Since the New Measures is new, the implementation and interpretation thereof are not yet clear. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — The CSRC and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers.” It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a PRC-based entity. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless” on pages 93-94.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we engage in our initial business combination process with a PRC-based target, we expect to retain legal experts in the PRC and the U.S. that are experienced with structuring offshore transactions with U.S. public companies. Additionally, we expect that the PRC legal expert will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the business combination and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. We plan to consult with PRC government officials when possible to assist us with complying with these structuring considerations and changing developments.

Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering and Searching for a Target Company

Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the rules and regulations listed above from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC and CAC) for

 

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consummating this offering or searching for a target company by our officers and directors, and our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, have been compliant with the regulations or policies that have been issued by the PRC governmental authority (including the CSRC and CAC), given that: (a) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Delaware rather than in the PRC, and currently we conduct no business in the PRC; (b) PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) currently have not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules or whether our, including our officers’ and directors’, searching for a target company are subject to similar rules; and (c) our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, currently only conduct organizational activities for the purpose of this offering and will, following the closing of this offering, conduct searching activities for the purpose of an initial business combination, which we believe currently are not subject to the regulations or policies that have been issued by the CAC as of the date of this prospectus.

There can be no assurance, however, that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us. In addition, the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities may promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering or our searching activities or they may intervene or influence our search for a target company for an initial business combination at any time. If we incorrectly conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required or the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering or our searching activities, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules and any required approval processes with PRC governmental authorities could be time-consuming and may delay this offering or a potential business combination. These governmental authorities may impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the value of our securities we are registering for sale, if we do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals or if we fail to comply with the above-mentioned regulations or other relevant rules or any other intervention or influence applies to our business or our searching activities.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in the PRC regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.

Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in the PRC (Post-Business Combination)

We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. As of the date of this prospectus, no transfers, dividends, or distributions have been made by us.

If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange may make capital contributions or extend loans to its PRC subsidiaries through intermediate holding companies subject to compliance with relevant PRC foreign exchange control regulations. After the business combination, the combined company’s ability to pay dividends, if any, to the stockholders and to service any debt it may incur will depend upon dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, PRC companies are

 

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subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to offshore entities. In particular, under the current PRC laws and regulations, dividends may be paid only out of distributable profits. Distributable profits are the net profit as determined under Chinese accounting standards and regulations, less any recovery of accumulated losses and appropriations to statutory and other reserves required to be made. A PRC company is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year to fund certain statutory reserve funds (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital). As a result, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to the combined company. Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment in foreign currencies on current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approval from State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, or its local branches. However, where Renminbi (yuan) is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of the PRC to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required.

The PRC government may take measures at its discretion from time to time to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account or capital account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy their foreign currency demands, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company may not be able to pay dividends or repay loans in foreign currencies to their offshore intermediary holding companies and ultimately to the combined company. We cannot assure you that new regulations or policies will not be promulgated in the future, which may further restrict the remittance of Renminbi into or out of the PRC. We cannot assure you, in light of the restrictions in place, or any amendment to be made from time to time, that the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will be able to satisfy their respective payment obligations that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the remittance of dividends outside of the PRC. See “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC – PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in PRC to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment” on page 91-92.

Furthermore, the transfer of funds among PRC subsidiaries is subject to the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Private Lending Cases (2020 Revision, or the Provisions on Private Lending Cases), which was issued by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on August 6, 2015 and amended on August 19, 2020 and December 29, 2020, respectively, to regulate the financing activities between natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organizations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases do not apply to the disputes arising from relevant financial services such as loan disbursement by financial institutions and their branches established upon approval by the financial regulatory authorities to engage in lending business. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that private lending contracts will be deemed invalid under the circumstance that: (i) the lender swindles loans from financial institutions for relending; (ii) the lender relends the funds obtained by means of a loan from another profit-making legal person, raising funds from its employees, or illegally taking deposits from the public; (iii) the lender who has not obtained the lending qualification according to the law lends money to any unspecified object of the society for the purpose of making profits; (iv) the lender lends funds to a borrower when the lender knows or should have known that the borrower intended to use the borrowed funds for illegal or criminal purposes; (v) the lending is in violation of public orders or good morals; or (vi) the lending violates mandatory provisions of laws or administrative regulations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that the People’s Court shall support the interest rates not exceeding four times of the market interest rate quoted for one-year loan at the time the private lending contracts were entered into. It is our management’s understanding that the Provisions on Private Lending Cases does not prohibit using cash generated from one subsidiary to fund another subsidiary’s operations.

 

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Implications of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

The HFCA Act was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states that if the SEC determines that an issuer’s audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm have not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit such issuer’s securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States and the exchange would delist such issuer’s securities. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections, and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor.

Pursuant to the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the SOP with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China, then China-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to China-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA. This is a rapidly-evolving area, and the PCAOB is required to re-assess its determinations at the end of 2022.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering. Marcum LLP has access to our books and records which are currently and will be maintained in the U.S. prior to the consummation of a business combination. In addition, we affirmatively exclude any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection and we may suffer adverse consequences including the delisting of our securities and prohibition of trading our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. Consequently, it would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the company’s business, financial condition and prospects. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Though

 

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we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC” on pages 98-100.

Corporate Information

Our executive offices are located at 4546 El Camino Real B10 #715, Los Altos, CA 94022, and our telephone number is (650) 720-5626. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be www.fourleaf.investments.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act”, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some 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 $1.235 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 Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which: (1) the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30; or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million. Market value is calculated 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. Please see “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.”

 

Securities offered

6,500,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

   

one share of Class A common stock; and

 

   

one redeemable warrant.

 

Proposed Nasdaq symbols

Units: “FORLU”

 

  Class A Common Stock: “FORL”

 

  Warrants: “FORLW”

 

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants

The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We expect the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus (or if such day is not a business day, the following business day) unless EF Hutton, as the representative of the underwriters, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the 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.

 

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

 

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

In no event will the Class A common stock and warrants be traded separately until we have filed 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

 

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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 and the private placement

0

 

Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement

6,500,000(1)(2)

Common stock:

 

Number outstanding before this offering and the private placement

1,868,750 shares of Class B common stock(3)(4)

 

Number outstanding after this offering and the private placement

6,565,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,625,000 Class B common stock (1)(4)(5)

Warrants:

 

Number outstanding before this offering and the private placement

0

 

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

11,145,000(6)

 

(1)

Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our founders of 243,750 founder shares.

(2)

Represents 6,500,000 public units.

(3)

Includes up to 243,750 shares of Class B common stock that are subject to forfeiture by our founders depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.

(4)

The shares of common stock included in the units are Class A common stock. Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”

(5)

Includes 1,625,000 founder shares, 6,500,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the public units and 65,000 representative shares issuable to the representative upon the consummation of this offering.

(6)

Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. Represents 6,500,000 public warrants included in the public units and 4,645,000 placement warrants. Each placement warrant will be identical to the public warrants included in units sold in this offering, except as described in this prospectus. The placement warrants are not subject to forfeiture but will be subject to transfer restrictions as described in “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Warrants (including securities contained therein)”).

 

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Exercisability

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

 

Exercise price

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

 

Exercise period

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

   

30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, or

 

   

12 months from the closing of this offering;

 

  provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). 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, or blue sky, laws.

 

 

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a 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

 

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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 by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

 

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

 

Redemption of warrants

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

 

   

in whole and not in part;

 

   

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

   

upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption given after the warrants become exercisable, 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 commencing once the warrants become exercisable and 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 all applicable state securities 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

 

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applicable state securities laws for 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: (x) 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 (y) 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.

 

Founder shares

On May 31, 2022, our sponsor purchased 2,156,250 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.011 per share. Subsequently, on August 26, 2022, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 287,500 shares for no consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 1,868,750 founder shares, or an effective purchase price of $0.013 per share (up to 243,750 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). On August 26, 2022, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of Stephen Markscheid and Rahul Mewawalla. The 50,000 founder shares in the aggregate that were transferred will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised.

 

 

Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to 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 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the placement warrants and underlying Class A common stock and the representative shares). As such, our initial stockholders will collectively own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the

 

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representative shares and assuming the initial stockholders and do not purchase any units in this offering).

 

  Neither our sponsor nor any of our officers or directors have expressed an intention to purchase any units in this offering. Up to 243,750 founder shares will be subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised so that our initial stockholders will maintain ownership of 20% of our common stock after this offering (excluding the placement warrants and underlying Class A common stock and the representative shares). 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, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

 

   

our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

 

   

pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering

 

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(including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination, subject to certain restrictions as set forth in the section of this prospectus titled “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities”. 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 present and entitled to vote at the meeting to approve the initial business combination voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. As a result, in addition to the initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 2,405,001, or 37.0%, of the 6,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised, the initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering or units or shares in the after-market and the representative shares are voted in favor of the 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: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and 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. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

 

Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked

 

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securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares 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 or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us). 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. In no event will the Class B common stock convert into Class A common stock at a rate of less than one-to-one.

 

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.

 

Placement warrants

Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,645,000 placement warrants (or up to 5,083,750 placement warrants depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,645,000 (or up to $5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Each placement warrant will be identical to the public warrants included in the units sold in this offering. However, the holder of the placement warrants will be entitled to registration rights. In addition, the placement warrants and the underlying securities may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. A portion of the purchase price of the private warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing $66,950,000 (or $76,992,500 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account.

 

Transfer restrictions on placement warrants

The placement warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus

 

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entitled “Principal Stockholders — Restrictions on Transfers of Founder Shares and Placement Warrants”)

 

Representative shares

We will issue 65,000 shares of Class A common stock (74,750 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) to the representative or its designee, for nominal consideration. The holders of the representative shares have agreed: (i) that they will not transfer, assign or sell any such shares without our prior consent until the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) to waive their redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, as described in more detail in this prospectus. The representative shares are deemed to be underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110.

 

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 placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants, $66,950,000, or $10.30 per unit ($76,992,500, or $10.30 per unit, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be placed into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as trustee. These proceeds include $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.

 

 

Except with respect to interest and other income earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income tax obligations and $100,000 of interest for our dissolution expenses, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of this offering, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, 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 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of

 

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our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders. If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). 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, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000, or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

 

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 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We will disclose in each quarterly and annual report filed with the SEC prior to our initial business combination whether the proceeds deposited in the trust account are invested in U.S. government treasury obligations or money market funds or a combination thereof. Assuming an interest rate of 4.74% per year, based on the closing rate for 3-month treasury bills on March 2, 2023, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,173,430 per year (assuming no exercise of the underwriter’s 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 placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,020,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $700,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and

 

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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 our initial business combination with one or more target businesses that together have 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 securities are not listed on the Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% requirement even if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq at the time 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, an initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

 

  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.

 

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  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% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of 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, our sponsor, directors, officers, their affiliates may privately negotiate to purchase public shares and public warrants from stockholders who would have otherwise elected to have their shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules for a per share pro rata portion of the trust account. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are no higher than the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. However, our sponsor, directors, officers and their respective affiliates have not consummated any such purchases or acquisitions, have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Our sponsor, directors, officers and any of their respective affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such public shares or public warrants or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase could include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such public shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to

 

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exercise its redemption rights. Any public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates following public announcement of a proposed initial business combination would not be voted in favor of approving the initial business combination. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. In addition, our sponsor and its affiliates would waive any redemption rights with respect to any public shares that they purchase in any such privately negotiated transactions. The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition for the initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our public shares may result in the completion of the 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 the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. To the extent that our sponsor or its affiliates purchase any public shares as contemplated above, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the special meeting that will disclose:

 

   

the amount of such public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates, along with the purchase price;

 

   

the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates;

 

   

the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates on the likelihood that the initial business combination will be approved;

 

   

the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates; and

 

   

the number of public shares for which we have received redemption requests in connection with the business combination.

 

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 taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the

 

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limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.30 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. Additionally, the holders of the representative shares have agreed to waive their redemption rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

   

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

 

   

file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business

 

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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 at least 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.

 

  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

 

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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 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, subject to certain restrictions as set forth in the section of this prospectus titled “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.” For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted present and voting at the meeting to approve the business combination, 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 2,405,001, or 37.0%, of the 6,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, the initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering and the representative shares are voted in favor of the 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. The quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

  We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either deliver their stock 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 second amended and restated 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

 

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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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. 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.

 

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

Our second amended and restated 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 sale of the placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 50% 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 at least 50% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules.

 

  Under our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (excluding the representative shares and assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our second amended and restated 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation: (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow holders to redeem their shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering; 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 representative of the underwriters the deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 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 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above 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 specified time period.

 

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  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 if we are forced to liquidate. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate and, in such event, the deferred fees 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, directors or any affiliate of our sponsor, officers, directors prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers, 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 $440,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

   

payment to an affiliate of our sponsor of $10,000 per month, up until the completion of our initial business combination or liquidation, for secretarial and administrative support;

 

   

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

 

   

repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to provide for the extension option or 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. Our sponsor shall have the option to convert amounts loaned for exercise of the extension option into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant upon consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination.

 

  Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or our 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) $10.30 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 $10.30 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 OF RISK FACTORS

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 36 of this prospectus.

Such risks include, but are not limited to:

 

   

we are a newly formed company with no operating history and no revenues;

 

   

our ability to continue as a “going concern”;

 

   

we may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame;

 

   

you will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances;

 

   

our ability to extend the time period within which to complete our initial business combination up to a period of 18 months without first seeking stockholder approval;

 

   

our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us;

 

   

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 $10.30 per share;

 

   

subsequent to completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges;

 

   

conflicts of interest of our sponsor, officers and directors;

 

   

we may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business;

 

   

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

 

   

the absence of a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete a business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree;

 

   

we may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you;

 

   

we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants;

 

   

our competitors have advantages over us in seeking business combinations;

 

   

we may be unable to obtain additional financing;

 

   

our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our common stock;

 

   

we may issue additional equity and/or debt securities to complete our initial business combination;

 

   

our sponsor controls a substantial interest in us;

 

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if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, who controls a substantial interest in us, has agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote;

 

   

the ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure, and will increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful;

 

   

lack of protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies;

 

   

possibility of losing the ability to redeem all shares equal to or in excess of 15% of our common stock if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules;

 

   

Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange;

 

   

we will likely only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services;

 

   

We may be subject to the excise tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the event of a liquidation or in connection with redemptions of our common stock after December 31, 2022;

 

   

we are not registering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise such warrants;

 

   

shares being redeemed and warrants becoming worthless;

 

   

events which may result in the per-share amount held in our trust account dropping below $10.30 per public share;

 

   

our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor;

 

   

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;

 

   

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

 

   

we may seek acquisition opportunities in companies that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise;

 

   

impact of COVID-19 and related risks;

 

   

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;

 

   

we may be deemed a “foreign person” under the regulations relating to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate; and

 

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changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, tax consequences to business combinations may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operation in the PRC

We may also be subject to additional risks if we enter into a business combination a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, including, but not limited to, the following:

 

   

The Chinese government may seek to exercise significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of our business and may intervene in or influence our search for a target company or completion of our initial business combination at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of our securities;

 

   

Stockholders may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments, or bringing actions in the PRC against us or our management based on laws of jurisdictions other than the PRC; and

 

   

We will not conduct an initial business combination with any target company that conducts operations through VIEs, which may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC and make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC;

 

   

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for certain acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue a business combination with a PRC-based business;

 

   

Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be quick with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC;

 

   

The PRC’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as sudden or unexpected changes in any government policies, laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business or business combination. Specifically, the PRC government may intervene or influence our search for a target company for an initial business combination at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the securities we are registering for sale;

 

   

In the event we successfully consummate a business combination with a target business with primary operations in the PRC, we will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments following the consummation of our initial business combination.

 

   

PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in the PRC to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment

 

   

The PRC government may exert substantial interventions and influences on our combined company’s operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject our combined company to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.

 

   

The CSRC and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in PRC-based issuers. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a PRC-based entity. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

 

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Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC.

 

   

Though we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC.

 

   

Investors may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in the PRC based upon U.S. laws, including the federal securities laws or other foreign laws against the combined company and the officers and directors of the company and the combined company if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC.

 

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

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

 

     December 31, 2022
Actual
     As Adjusted(1)  

Balance Sheet Data:

     

Working capital deficit

   $ (686,436    $ 942,316  

Total assets

   $ 716,730      $ 67,988,694  

Total liabilities

   $ 698,036      $ 2,371,378  

Value of common stock subject to possible redemption

   $ —      $ 66,950,000  

Stockholder’s equity (deficit)

   $ 18,694      $ (1,332,684

 

(1)

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering and the sale of the placement warrants, 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 the $66,950,000 to be held in the trust account, plus $1,020,000 in cash to be held outside the trust account, plus $18,694 of net assets remaining after the settlement of deferred offering costs and liabilities at December 31, 2022. If our initial business combination is not consummated within the specified time period, the funds held in the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 12 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000, or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. Our public stockholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions.

 

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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 in the IoT industry or adjacent industries;

 

   

our ability to complete our initial business combination in the IoT industry or adjacent industries;

 

   

our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses in the IoT industry or adjacent industries;

 

   

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 in the IoT industry or adjacent industries;

 

   

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

 

   

the changes in the marketplace for directors’ and officers’ liability insurance impacting the ease and expense for our negotiation and completion of an initial business combination;

 

   

our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

 

   

the lack of a market for our securities;

 

   

our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to changes in laws or regulations, including changes imposing additional requirements on business combination transactions involving SPACs and private operating companies and the application of the 1% U.S. federal excise tax under the IR Act (as defined herein);

 

   

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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RISK FACTORS

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

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

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

At December 31, 2022, we had cash of $1,280 and a working capital deficit of $686,436. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

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 applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, 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 any founder shares held by them, 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, subject to certain restrictions as set forth in the section of this prospectus titled “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities”. As a result, in addition to our founder shares, we would need only 2,405,001, or 37.0%, of the 6,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised and the representative shares are voted in favor of the initial business combination). Our founder shares will represent 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering, assuming

 

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no exercise of over-allotment option. 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.

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.

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 and the status of debt and equity markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic, together with resulting voluntary and U.S. federal and state and non-U.S. governmental actions, including, without limitation, mandatory business closures, public gathering limitations, restrictions on travel and quarantines, has meaningfully disrupted the global economy and markets. Although the long-term economic fallout of COVID-19 is difficult to predict, it has and is expected to continue to have ongoing material adverse effects across many, if not all, aspects of the regional, national and global economy. The COVID-19 outbreak has, and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could, result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. In particular, the preventative measures in China as a result of the Chinese government’s “Zero-COVID” policy have significantly limited the operational capacities of many Chinese companies and many locations in China remain subject to full or partial lockdowns. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

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

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, we will only redeem our

 

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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. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition, each as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us.

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

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

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 of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time. 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.

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

 

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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.

In the event we decide to extend the period of time to complete our initial business combination up to two times by an additional three months each time, at $0.10 per extension, for a total of $0.20 aggregate in trust, for a maximum total of 18 months, investors will have no voting rights and no redemption rights in connection with such extensions.

Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we will be granted 12 months (or up to 18 months, as applicable) to complete an initial business combination with a target company. If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000 or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. If we decide to exercise this extension option and do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; (i) we will 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 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 (ii) investors will have no voting rights and no redemption rights in connection with the additional three-month extensions.

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 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering. 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 time frame 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.

 

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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 $10.30 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, while the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on us will depend on future developments, if the outbreak grows or resurges, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above 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 $10.30 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.30 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

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

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, their affiliates may purchase public shares and public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of the business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are no higher than the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. However, our sponsor, directors, officers and their respective affiliates have not consummated any such purchases or acquisitions, have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. None of our sponsor, directors, officers, or any of their respective affiliates will make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such public shares or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase could include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such public shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption

 

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rights. Any public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates following public announcement of a proposed initial business combination would not be voted in favor of approving the initial business combination. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. In addition, our sponsor and its affiliates would waive any redemption rights with respect to any public shares that they purchase in any such privately negotiated transactions.

The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition for the initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our public shares may result in the completion of the business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. In addition, to the extent that our sponsor or its affiliates purchase any public shares as contemplated above, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the special meeting that will disclose:

 

   

the amount of such public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates, along with the purchase price;

 

   

the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates;

 

   

the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates on the likelihood that the initial business combination will be approved;

 

   

the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates; and

 

   

the number of public shares for which we have received redemption requests in connection with the business combination.

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

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

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. 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 deliver their stock 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 — Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination — Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”

 

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

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

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

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we 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.

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.30 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We expect to encounter 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

 

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sale of the 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 and completing an initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.30 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 $10.30 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, the 18 months following the closing of this offering, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.30 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 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, the 18 months following the closing of this offering, 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 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, the 18 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 $10.30 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 $10.30 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the 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 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 placement warrants, only approximately $1,020,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, 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

 

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$700,000, 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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. 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 $10.30 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 $10.30 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

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 $10.30 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, 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. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.30 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 an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party 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

 

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business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of: (i) $10.30 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 $10.30 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.

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) $10.30 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 $10.30 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.

While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.30 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.

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 some or all amounts

 

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received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

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

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

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months from the closing of this offering, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such 12 months (or 18 months) before redemption from our trust account.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, we will distribute the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), pro rata to our public stockholders by way of redemption and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to windup, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the initial 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, beyond 18 months, from the closing of this offering before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and then only in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their shares of Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination and do not amend certain provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior thereto.

The price at which we issue any shares in connection with a business combination may be lower than the price you paid for the units in this offering or at a price lower than the trading price of our Class A common stock, irrespective of any increased stock price based on market responses to special purpose acquisition companies in general.

Our Class A common stock may trade at an increased price to our offering price prior to any proposed business combination due to heightened awareness of special purpose acquisition companies. Even prior to the announcement of any proposed transaction, we have observed shares of other such companies trade in anticipation of what the market believes is a pending transaction. The price at which we issue any shares may be lower than the price you paid for the units in this offering or at a price lower than the trading price of our Class A common stock at the time we commit to such issuance or at the closing of the business combination.

 

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

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

 

   

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

   

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

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

 

   

registration as an investment company with the SEC;

 

   

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

   

reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.

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

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, 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 $10.30 per share on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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

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

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

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

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 24th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our 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 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

 

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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.

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 resale of the placement warrants, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such Class A common stock, 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 costlier or difficult to complete. 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.

Because 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.

We will seek to complete an initial business combination with companies in the IoT industry or adjacent industry but may also pursue other business combination opportunities, except that we will not, under our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a

 

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reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

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

Although we intend to focus on identifying IoT companies, 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.

We may not be able to complete an initial business combination with a U.S. target company since such initial business combination may be subject to U.S. foreign investment regulations and review by a U.S. government entity such as the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and ultimately prohibited.

Mr. Alvin Wang, a PRC national and a member of our Board of Directors, holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests in our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, and therefore has direct influence over our sponsor. Our sponsor will own approximately 19.2% of our outstanding shares following this offering. Certain federally-licensed businesses in the United States are subject to rules or regulations that limit foreign ownership. In addition, CFIUS is an interagency committee authorized to review certain transactions involving foreign investment in the United States by foreign persons in order to determine the effect of such transactions on the national security of the United States. Because we may be considered a “foreign person” under such rules and

regulations, any proposed business combination between us and a U.S. business engaged in a regulated industry

or which may affect national security could be subject to such foreign ownership restrictions and/or CFIUS

review.

The scope of CFIUS was expanded by the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (“FIRRMA”) to include certain non-passive, non-controlling investments in sensitive U.S. businesses and certain acquisitions of real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. FIRRMA and subsequent implementing regulations that are now in force also subject certain categories of investments to mandatory filings. If our potential initial business combination with a U.S. business falls within the scope of foreign ownership restrictions, we may be unable to consummate a business combination with such business.

CFIUS has jurisdiction to review transactions that could result in control of a U.S. business directly or indirectly by a foreign person, certain non-controlling investments that afford the foreign investor non-passive rights in a “TID U.S. business” (defined as a U.S. business that (1) produces, designs, tests, manufactures, fabricates, or develops one or more critical technologies; (2) owns or operates certain critical infrastructure; or

 

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(3) collects or maintains directly or indirectly sensitive personal data of U.S. citizens), and certain acquisitions, leases, and concessions involving real estate even with no underlying U.S. business. Certain categories of acquisitions of and investments in a U.S. business also may be subject to a mandatory notification requirement.

If any future initial business combination with a U.S. target company falls within the scope of CFIUS review, CFIUS could decide to block or delay the business combination, impose conditions with respect to the business combination or request the President of the United States to order us to divest all or a portion of any U.S. target business of the business combination that we acquired without first obtaining CFIUS approval. The foreign ownership limitations, and the potential impact of CFIUS, may limit the attractiveness of a transaction with us or prevent us from pursuing certain initial business combination opportunities that we believe would otherwise be beneficial to us and our stockholders. As a result, the pool of potential targets with which we could complete an initial business combination may be limited and we may be adversely affected in terms of competing with other special purpose acquisition companies which do not have similar foreign ownership issues.

Moreover, the process and time required for CFIUS to conduct its review and any remedy imposed by CFIUS could be lengthy and may prevent us from completing our initial business combination within the requisite time period. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering. Consequently, since we only have a limited time to complete our initial business combination, our failure to obtain any required approvals within the requisite time period may require us to liquidate. 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 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above 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 $10.30 per share and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, our stockholders would miss the opportunity to benefit from an investment in a target company and the appreciation in value of such investment. Additionally, in the event of liquidation, our warrants will expire worthless.

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 stock exchange listing requirements, 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 $10.30 per share on the liquidation

 

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of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.30 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

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

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

We are not required to obtain a fairness opinion 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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.

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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 26,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 4,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 19,500,000 and 2,375,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and excluding the representative shares) authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount does not take into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or 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.

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

 

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combination (although our second amended and restated 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). The price at which we issue any shares may be lower than the price you paid for the units in this offering or at a price lower than the trading price of our Class A common stock at the time we commit to such issuance or at the closing of the business combination. 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our second amended and restated 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

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 $10.30 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 $10.30 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 $10.30 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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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 preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available 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 or at all.

We may be subject to the Excise Tax included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 in the event of a liquidation or in connection with redemptions of our common stock after December 31, 2022.

On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 5376) (the “IRA”), which, among other things, imposes a 1% excise tax on any domestic corporation that repurchases its stock after December 31, 2022 (the “Excise Tax”). The Excise Tax is imposed on the fair market value of the repurchased stock, with certain exceptions. Because we are a Delaware corporation and our securities will trade on Nasdaq following the date of this prospectus, we will be a “covered corporation” within the meaning of the IRA following this offering. While not free from doubt, absent any further guidance from Congress, the Excise Tax may apply to any redemptions of our common stock after December 31, 2022, including redemptions in connection with an initial business combination, unless an exemption is available. Issuances of securities in connection with our initial business combination transaction (including any PIPE transaction at the time of our initial business combination) are expected to reduce the amount of the Excise Tax in connection with redemptions occurring in the same calendar year, but the number of securities redeemed may exceed the number of securities issued. Consequently, the Excise Tax may make a transaction with us less appealing to potential business combination targets. Further, the application of the Excise Tax in the event of a liquidation is uncertain. Except for franchise taxes and income taxes, the proceeds placed in the trust account and the interest earned thereon shall not be used to pay for possible excise tax or any other fees or taxes that may be levied on us pursuant to any current, pending or future rules or laws, including without limitation any excise tax due under the IRA on any redemptions or stock buybacks by us.

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

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

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate 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,

 

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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 will likely 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.

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 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

 

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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 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except 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 (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.

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 second amended and restated 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires the approval of holders of at least 65% of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least a majority of the public warrants (which may include public warrants acquired by our sponsor

 

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or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market). In addition, our second amended and restated 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity.

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

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein and including to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 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 at least 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own approximately 20.6% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (including the representative shares and assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon

 

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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 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 $10.30 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 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 only receive approximately $10.30 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 $10.30 per share,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.30 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.

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 21% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (including the representative shares and assuming the initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, holders of our founder shares will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the company in which a business combination is submitted to our stockholders for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B

 

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common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. These provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding. 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. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

Our sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.013 per founder share. As a result, our sponsor, its affiliates and our management team stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders, and may have an incentive to recommend such an initial business combination to our stockholders.

As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our sponsor, its affiliates and our management team could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders. Thus, such parties may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if such parties had paid the full offering price for their founder shares, or if such a fee were not potentially payable.

Unlike many other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.

The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares shall convert into Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of all outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of the initial business combination, excluding the placement warrants and underlying Class A common stock, the representative shares, any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the business combination and any private placement-equivalent warrants and their underlying Class A common stock issued to our sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to us. This is different from most other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies in which the initial stockholder will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination. Additionally, the aforementioned adjustment will not take into account any shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with the business combination. Accordingly, the holders of the founder shares could receive additional shares of Class A common stock even if the additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued solely to replace those shares that were redeemed in connection with the business combination. The foregoing may make it more difficult and expensive for us to consummate an initial business combination.

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 6,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 7,475,000 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 an aggregate of 4,645,000 placement warrants (or up to 5,083,750 placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-

 

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allotment option is exercised in full). Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 1,868,750 founder shares. 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 makes any working capital loans, up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

The placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees, they 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.

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

Unlike most blank check companies, if

 

  (i)

we issue additional shares of 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 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 will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

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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Risks Relating to the Post-Business Combination Company

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

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

Our 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. 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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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the 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 placement warrants, $66,950,000 (or $76,992,500 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 $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), for the payment of deferred underwriting commissions).

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

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

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’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.

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

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

 

   

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

 

   

rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

   

complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

   

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

 

   

tariffs and trade barriers;

 

   

regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

   

longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

   

tax issues, including but not limited to tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

 

   

currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

   

rates of inflation;

 

   

cultural and language differences;

 

   

employment regulations;

 

   

crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;

 

   

deterioration of political relations with the United States; and

 

   

government appropriations of assets.

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

 

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

Following our initial business combination, our founding team may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the business combination partner will may assume the roles of executive officers and directors of our company. Such officers and directors may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If our new management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

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

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

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

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

Risks Relating to Our Management Team

Past performance by members of our management team or their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.

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

 

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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.

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 may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see the section of this prospectus entitled “Management — Directors and Officers.”

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in 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 (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business, and members of our management team may become

 

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an officer or director of other special purpose acquisition companies with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Exchange Act even before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have liquidated the trust account.

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

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

For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see the sections of this prospectus entitled “Management — 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.

The representative may have a conflict of interest if they render services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

We may elect to engage EF Hutton (who is the representative of the underwriters of this offering) to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. The representative shares held by the representative and/or its designees will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. Therefore, if the representative provides services to us in connection with our initial business combination, these financial interests may result in the representative having a conflict of interest when providing such services to us.

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 officers and 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

 

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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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, regarding the fairness to our stockholders from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, 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 31, 2022, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 2,156,250 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.011 per share. Subsequently, on August 26, 2022, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 287,500 shares for no consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 1,868,750 founder shares, or an effective purchase price of $0.013 per share (up to 243,750 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). On August 26, 2022, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of Stephen Markscheid and Rahul Mewawalla. The 50,000 founder shares in the aggregate that were transferred will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised, and vest only once a successful business combination has been completed. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering (excluding the placement warrants and underlying Class A common stock and the representative shares). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Our sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 4,645,000 placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per unit, for an aggregate purchase price of $4,645,000 (or up to 5,083,750 placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per unit for an aggregate purchase price of $5,083,750 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). Each placement warrant is exercisable to purchase one whole share of common stock at $11.50 per share. These securities 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 held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.

Risks Relating to Our Securities

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

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other

 

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provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, 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.

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 applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our Class A common stock and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing 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 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 amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). 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 and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders (with at least 50% of such round lot holders holding securities with a market value of at least $2,500) of our securities. 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

 

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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.

The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share.

The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our public stockholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than $10.30 per share.

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 best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. 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 foregoing, if a registration statement covering the issuance of the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. 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. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation

 

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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 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. However, there may be instances in which holders of our public warrants may be unable to exercise such public warrants but holders of our placement warrants may be able to exercise such placement warrants.

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 issuance of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Second, if a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available; if that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. 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 (x) 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 (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose means 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.

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

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

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then 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, LLC, 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 mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants (which may include public warrants acquired by our sponsor or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market). Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least a majority of the then 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.

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 commencing once the warrants become exercisable and 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 not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the

 

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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. 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 placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees.

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 representative 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.

 

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

Our second amended and restated 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other 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, subject to certain exceptions, 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and certain other 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; or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may limit or make costlier 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. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to certain exceptions. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. In addition, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act, 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

 

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courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.

General Risk Factors

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

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

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

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the rules adopted by the SEC, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile. Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company

 

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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 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, 2024. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

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 ability to consummate a business combination and lead to financial loss.

Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC

As set forth herein, we are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination, although we intend to focus our search for a target business on companies in the IoT space or adjacent spaces. “IoT” refers to the “Internet of Things,” that is, physical objects (or groups of objects) with sensors, processing ability, software, and other technologies that connect and exchange data with other devices and systems over the Internet or other communications networks, sometimes called “smart devices.” We will also consider adjacent spaces such as devices, components or software that are used in IoT applications. We intend to target companies in both developing markets (e.g., China and India), and the developed markets (e.g., United States and Europe). We affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure. Accordingly, in addition to the risk factors referred above, we have set forth some of the primary risks we have identified in seeking to consummate our initial business combination with a company having its primary operations in the PRC.

 

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We will not conduct an initial business combination with any target company that conducts operations through VIEs, which may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC and make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC.

Our sponsor and certain members of our board of directors and management have significant business ties to or are based in the PRC and we may consider a business combination with an entity or business with a physical presence or other significant ties to the PRC. Where PRC law prohibits direct foreign investment in certain companies located in the PRC, such companies may conduct operations through VIEs as a means of providing the economic benefits of foreign investment in such companies without investing directly. However, we will not conduct an initial business combination with any target company that conducts operations through VIEs. As a result, this may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC, in particular, due to the relevant PRC laws and regulations against foreign ownership of and investment in certain assets and industries, known as restricted industries, including but not limited to value-added telecommunications services such as internet content providers. Furthermore, this may limit the pool of acquisition candidates we may acquire in the PRC relative to other special purpose acquisition companies that are not subject to such restrictions and may make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC relative to such other companies. As a result, we may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target company.

The M&A Rules and certain other PRC regulations establish complex procedures for certain acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it more difficult for us to pursue a business combination with a China-based business.

The M&A Rules adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006 and amended in 2009, and some other regulations and rules concerning mergers and acquisitions established additional procedures and requirements that could make merger and acquisition activities by foreign investors more time-consuming and complex, including requirements in some instances that the MOFCOM be notified in advance of any change-of-control transaction in which a foreign investor takes control of a PRC domestic enterprise. Moreover, the Anti-Monopoly Law requires that the anti-monopoly enforcement agency of the State Council (currently the State Anti-Monopoly Bureau) shall be notified in advance of any concentration of undertaking if certain thresholds are triggered. In addition, the security review rules issued by the MOFCOM that became effective in September 2011 specify that mergers and acquisitions by foreign investors that raise “national defense and security” concerns and mergers and acquisitions through which foreign investors may acquire de facto control over domestic enterprises that raise “national security” concerns are subject to strict review by the MOFCOM, and the rules prohibit any activities attempting to bypass a security review, including by structuring the transaction through a proxy or contractual control arrangement. On July 1, 2015, the National Security Law of China took effect, which provided that China would establish rules and mechanisms to conduct national security review of foreign investments in China that may impact national security. On March 15, 2019, the PRC National People’s Congress approved the Foreign Investment Law, which came into effect on January 1, 2020, and reiterates that China will establish a security review system for foreign investments. On December 19, 2020, the NDRC and the MOFCOM jointly issued the Measures for the Security Review of Foreign Investments, or the New FISR Measures, which were made according to the National Security Law and the Foreign Investment Law and became effective on January 18, 2021. The New FISR Measures further expand the scope of national security review on foreign investment compared to the existing rules, while leaving substantial room for interpretation and speculation.

If in the future, we pursue a business combination with a PR-based business,complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the MOFCOM, any other relevant PRC governmental authorities or their respective local counterparts may delay or inhibit our ability to complete such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share.

 

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As a result of the M&A Rules implemented on September 8, 2006 relating to acquisitions of assets and equity interests of PRC companies by foreign investors, it is expected that acquisitions will take longer and be subject to economic scrutiny by the PRC government authorities such that we may not be able to complete a transaction.

On September 8, 2006, the MOFCOM, together with several other government agencies, promulgated a comprehensive set of regulations governing the approval process by which a PRC company may participate in an acquisition of its assets or its equity interests and by which a PRC company may obtain public trading of its securities on a securities exchange outside the PRC. Although there was a complex series of regulations in place prior to September 8, 2006 for approval of PRC enterprises that were administered by a combination of provincial and centralized agencies, the new regulations have largely centralized and expanded the approval process to the MOFCOM, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, the SAFE or its branch offices, the State Asset Supervision and Administration Commission, and the CSRC. Depending on the structure of the transaction as determined once a definitive agreement is executed, these regulations will require the Chinese parties to make a series of applications and supplemental applications to the aforementioned agencies, some of which must be made within strict time limits and depending on approvals from one or the other of the aforementioned agencies. The application process has been supplemented to require the presentation of economic data concerning a transaction, including appraisals of the business to be acquired and evaluations of the acquirer which will permit the government to assess the economics of a transaction in addition to the compliance with legal requirements. If obtained, approvals will have expiration dates by which a transaction must be completed. Also, completed transactions must be reported to the MOFCOM and some of the other agencies within a short period after closing or be subject to an unwinding of the transaction. It is expected that compliance with the regulations will be more time-consuming than in the past, will be more costly for the Chinese parties, and will permit the government much more extensive evaluation and control over the terms of the transaction. Subsequent to the promulgation of the Foreign Investment Law and the relevant implementation rules and regulations, some of the provisions have been replaced or repealed, but there is uncertainty in interpretation and implementation of the rules and regulations currently in effect. Therefore, a business combination we propose may not be able to be completed because the terms of the transaction may not satisfy aspects of the approval process and may not be completed, even if approved, if it is not consummated within the time permitted by the approvals granted.

Because the September 8, 2006 M&A Rules permit the government agencies to have scrutiny over the economics of an acquisition transaction and require consideration in a transaction to be paid within stated time limits, we may not be able to negotiate a transaction that is acceptable to our stockholders or sufficiently protect their interests in a transaction.

The regulations have introduced aspects of economic and substantive analysis of the target business and the acquirer and the terms of the transaction by the MOFCOM and the other governing agencies through submissions of an appraisal report, an evaluation report and the acquisition agreement, all of which form part of the application for approval, depending on the structure of the transaction. The regulations also prohibit a transaction at an acquisition price obviously lower than the appraised value of the PRC business or assets. The regulations require that in certain transaction structures, the consideration must be paid within strict time periods, generally not in excess of a year. In asset transactions there must be no harm to third parties and the public interest in the allocation of assets and liabilities being assumed or acquired. These aspects of the regulations will limit our ability to negotiate various terms of the acquisition, including aspects of the initial consideration, contingent consideration, holdback provisions, indemnification provisions and provisions relating to the assumption and allocation of assets and liabilities. Transaction structures involving trusts, nominees and similar entities are prohibited. Therefore, we may not be able to negotiate a transaction with terms that will satisfy our investors and protect our stockholders’ interests in an acquisition of a PRC business or assets.

 

 

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Substantial uncertainties exist with respect to the interpretation and implementation of the Foreign Investment Law and how it may impact our ability to pursue a business combination with a PRC-based business.

The Foreign Investment Law replaced the trio of prior laws regulating foreign investment in the PRC, namely, the Sino-Foreign Equity Joint Venture Enterprise Law, the Sino-Foreign Cooperative Joint Venture Enterprise Law and the Wholly Foreign-Invested Enterprise Law, together with their implementation rules and ancillary regulations, and became the legal foundation for foreign investment in the PRC from January 1, 2020. Meanwhile, the Implementation Regulation of the Foreign Investment Law and the Measures for Reporting of Information on Foreign Investment came into effect as of January 1, 2020, which clarified and elaborated on the relevant provisions of the Foreign Investment Law.

The Foreign Investment Law sets out the basic regulatory framework for foreign investments and proposes to implement a system of pre-entry national treatment with a negative list for foreign investments, pursuant to which (i) foreign entities and individuals are prohibited from investing in the areas that are not open to foreign investments, (ii) foreign investments in the restricted industries must satisfy certain requirements under the law, and (iii) foreign investments in business sectors outside of the negative list will be treated equally with domestic investments. The Foreign Investment Law also sets forth necessary mechanisms to facilitate, protect and manage foreign investments and proposes to establish a foreign investment information reporting system, through which foreign investors or foreign-invested enterprises are required to submit an initial report, report of changes, report of deregistration and an annual report relating to their investments to the MOFCOM or its local branches. As the Foreign Investment Law is still relatively new, it is unclear how the regulations will be interpreted and implemented by the relevant government authorities.

Changes in the policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government may be quick with little advance notice and could have a significant impact upon our ability to operate profitably in the PRC.

If we consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in the PRC, our combined company may conduct most of our operations and most of our revenue is generated in the PRC. Accordingly, economic, political and legal developments in the PRC would significantly affect our combined company’s business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Policies, regulations, rules, and the enforcement of laws of the PRC government can have significant effects on economic conditions in the PRC and the ability of businesses to operate profitably. Our combined company’s ability to operate profitably in the PRC may be adversely affected by changes in policies by the PRC government, including changes in laws, regulations or their interpretation, particularly those dealing with the Internet, including censorship and other restriction on material which can be transmitted over the Internet, security, intellectual property, money laundering, taxation and other laws that affect our combined company’s ability to operate its business.

The PRC’s economic, political and social conditions, as well as sudden or unexpected changes in any government policies, laws and regulations, could have a material adverse effect on our business or business combination. Specifically, the PRC government may intervene or influence our search for a target company for an initial business combination at any time, which could result in a material change in our operations and/or the value of the securities we are registering for sale.

Although the PRC’s economy has been transitioning from a planned economy to a more market-oriented economy since the late 1970s, the PRC government continues to play a significant role in regulating industry development by imposing industrial policies. The PRC government also exercises significant control over the PRC’s economic growth through allocating resources, controlling the incurrence and payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Changes in any of these policies, laws and regulations could adversely affect the economy in the PRC and could have a material adverse effect on our business, our searching activities or business combination.

 

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The PRC government has implemented various measures to encourage foreign investment and sustainable economic growth and to guide the allocation of financial and other resources. However, we cannot assure you that the PRC government will not repeal or alter these measures or introduce new measures that will have a negative effect on our business, including our officers’ and directors’ searching activities, and business combination. China’s social and political conditions may also change and become unstable. Any sudden changes to China’s political system or the occurrence of widespread social unrest could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our officers’ and directors’ searching activities, and business combination.

The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of a PRC company’s business and may intervene with or influence its operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could further limit our pool of candidate. Furthermore, the PRC government has also recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over securities offerings and other capital markets activities that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in PRC-based companies. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to consummate a business combination with a PRC-based target business and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or in extreme cases, become worthless. For a detailed description of risks associated potential approvals from the PRC government for a business combination, see the risk factors under the subheading “The CSRC and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a PRC-based entity. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless” on pages 93-94, and “Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with PRC businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC” on pages 94-96.

Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the rules and regulations listed above from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC and CAC) for consummating this offering or searching for a target company by our company, officers and directors, and our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, have been compliant with the regulations or policies that have been issued by the PRC governmental authority (including the CSRC and CAC), given that: (a) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Delaware rather than in the PRC, and currently the company conducts no business in the PRC; (b) PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) currently have not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules or whether our, including our officers’ and directors’, searching for a target company are subject to similar rules; and (c) our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, currently only conduct organizational activities for the purpose of this offering and will, following the closing of this offering, conduct searching activities for the purpose of an initial business combination, which we believe currently are not subject to the regulations or policies that have been issued by the CAC as of the date of this prospectus.

There can be no assurance, however, that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us. In addition, the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities may promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering or our searching activities or they may intervene or influence our search for a target company for an initial business combination at any time. If we incorrectly conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required or the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently

 

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determines that its approval is needed for this offering or our searching activities, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules and any required approval processes with PRC governmental authorities could be time-consuming and may delay this offering or a potential business combination. These governmental authorities may impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in the PRC, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the value of our securities we are registering for sale, if we do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals or if we fail to comply with the above-mentioned regulations or other relevant rules or any other intervention or influence applies to our business or our searching activities.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in the PRC regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.

If, after our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets will be located in the PRC and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations there, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political, social conditions and legal policies, developments and conditions in the PRC as well as litigation and publicity surrounding PRC-based companies listed in the United States.

If we effect our initial business combination with a business located in the PRC, a substantial portion of our operations may be conducted in the RPC, substantially all of our assets may be located in PRC and a significant portion of our net revenues may be derived from customers where the contracting entity is located in PRC. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations, prospects and any potential business combination and certain transactions we may undertake may be subject, to a significant extent, to economic, political, social conditions, and legal developments in the PRC. For example, as a result of recent proposed changes in the cybersecurity regulations in the PRC, certain Chinese technology firms would be required to undergo a cybersecurity review before being allowed to list on foreign exchanges. This may have the effect of further narrowing the list of potential businesses in the PRC that we intend to focus on for our initial business combination or the ability of the combined company to list in the United States.

The economies in Asia differ from the economies of most developed countries in many respects. For the most part, such economies have grown at a rate in excess of the United States; however, (1) such economic growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy, and (2) such growth may not be sustained in the future. If, in the future, such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.

Furthermore, the PRC’s economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, level of development, growth rate, control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has experienced significant growth in the past two to three decades, growth has been uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy. Demand for target services and products depends, in large part, on economic conditions in the PRC. Any slowdown in the PRC’s economic growth may cause our potential customers to delay or cancel their plans to purchase our services and products, which in turn could reduce our net revenues.

 

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The PRC government has significant oversight and discretion over the conduct of a PRC company’s business and may intervene with or influence its operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. Furthermore, the PRC government has also recently indicated an intent to exert more oversight and control over securities offerings and other capital markets activities that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based companies. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could significantly limit or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or in extreme cases, become worthless.

Additionally, we believe that litigation and negative publicity surrounding companies with operations in the PRC that are listed in the United States have negatively impacted stock prices for these companies. Various equity-based research organizations have published reports on PRC-based companies after examining their corporate governance practices, related party transactions, sales practices and financial statements, and these reports have led to special investigations and listing suspensions on U.S. national exchanges. Any similar scrutiny of our assets and operations, in the PRC, if any, regardless of its lack of merit, could result in a diversion of management resources and energy, potential costs to defend ourselves against rumors, decreases and volatility in the trading price of our securities, and increased directors’ and officers’ insurance premiums and could have an adverse effect upon our business, including our results of operations, financial condition, cash flows and prospects.

In the event we successfully consummate a business combination with a target business with primary operations in the PRC, we will be subject to restrictions on dividend payments following the consummation of our initial business combination.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC through a series of contractual arrangements. After such business combination, the combined company may rely on dividends and other distributions from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company to provide it with cash flow and to meet its other obligations. Current regulations in the PRC would permit the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries to pay dividends only out of their accumulated distributable profits, if any, determined in accordance with Chinese accounting standards and regulations. In addition, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries in the PRC will be required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profits each year to fund their respective statutory reserves (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of their respective registered capital). Such cash reserve may not be distributed as cash dividends.

In addition, if the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make payments to the combined company or its PRC subsidiaries, as applicable.

PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in the PRC to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment.

The PRC government imposes controls on the convertibility of the Renminbi into foreign currencies and, in certain cases, the remittance of currency out of the PRC. Under the expected corporate structure, the combined company, a Delaware holding company, may rely on dividend payments from its PRC subsidiaries to fund any cash and financing requirements it may have. Under existing PRC foreign exchange regulations, payments in foreign currencies of current account items, including profit distributions, interest payments and trade and service-related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approvals of the SAFE, by complying with certain procedural requirements. Specifically, under the existing exchange restrictions, without prior approvals of the SAFE, cash generated from the operations of PRC operating companies in the PRC may be used

 

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to pay dividends. However, approvals from or registration with appropriate government authorities are required where Renminbi is to be converted into foreign currencies and remitted out of the PRC to pay capital expenses such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies.

As a result, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will need to obtain the SAFE approval to pay off their debt in a currency other than Renminbi owed to any entities outside the PRC or to make other capital expenditure payments outside the PRC in a currency other than Renminbi.

In light of the flood of capital outflows in 2016 due to the weakening Renminbi, the PRC government has imposed more restrictive foreign exchange policies and stepped up scrutiny over major outbound capital movements including overseas direct investment. More restrictions and substantial vetting processes have been put in place by the SAFE to regulate cross-border transactions that fall under the capital account transactions. The PRC government may in the future at its discretion further restrict access to foreign currencies for current account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies from its PRC subsidiaries to satisfy its capital demands, the combined company may not be able to pay dividends in foreign currencies to its stockholders.

The PRC government may exert substantial interventions and influences on our combined company’s operations at any time. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject our combined company to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.

Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or PRC operations and a majority of our management are located outside th PRC, we may pursue a business combination with a company doing business in the PRC (excluding any target company whose financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and any target company that consolidates financial results of PRC operating entities through a VIE structure in the PRC instead of direct holdings). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the PRC government has exercised and continues to exercise substantial control over virtually every sector of the PRC economy through regulation and state ownership. Our combined company’s ability to operate in the PRC may be harmed by changes in its laws and regulations, including those relating to securities, taxation, environmental regulations, land use rights, property and other matters. The central or local governments of these jurisdictions may impose new, stricter regulations or interpretations of existing regulations that would require additional expenditures and efforts on our part to ensure our compliance with such regulations or interpretations. Accordingly, government actions in the future, including any decision not to continue to support recent economic reforms and to return to a more centrally planned economy or regional or local variations in the implementation of economic policies, could have a significant effect on economic conditions in the PRC or particular regions thereof, and could require us to divest ourselves of any interest we then hold in Chinese properties.

For example, the Chinese cybersecurity regulator announced on July 2, 2021, that it had begun an investigation of Didi Global Inc. (NYSE: DIDI) and two days later ordered that the company’s app be removed from smartphone app stores. On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council jointly released the Guidelines for Further Easing the Burden of Excessive Homework and Off-campus Tutoring for Students at the Stage of Compulsory Education, pursuant to which foreign investment in such firms via mergers and acquisitions, franchise development, and variable interest entities are banned from this sector.

As such, our combined company’s business segments may be subject to various government and regulatory interference in the provinces in which they operate at any time. The combined company could be subject to regulation by various political and regulatory entities, including various local and municipal agencies and government sub-divisions. Our combined company may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing

 

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and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply. If the PRC government initiates an investigation into us at any time alleging us violation of cybersecurity laws, anti-monopoly laws, and securities offering rules in the PRC in connection with this offering or future business combination, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to comply with the applicable rules, and our business operations will be affected materially and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

As the date of this prospectus, there are no PRC laws and regulations (including the CSRC, the CAC, or any other government entity) in force explicitly requiring that we obtain permission from PRC authorities for this offering or to issue securities to foreign investors, and we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanction or any regulatory objection to this offering from any relevant PRC authorities. However, it is uncertain when and whether our combined company will be required to obtain permission from the PRC government to list on U.S. stock exchanges in the future, and even when such permission is obtained, whether it will be denied or rescinded. Any new policies, regulations, rules, actions or laws by the PRC government may subject us or our combined company to material changes in operations, may cause the value of our securities significantly decline or be worthless, and may completely hinder our ability to offer or continue securities to investors.

The CSRC and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in PRC-based issuers. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a PRC-based entity. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Our initial business combination may be subject to PRC laws relating to the collection, use, sharing, retention, security, and transfer of confidential and private information, such as personal information and other data. These laws continue to develop, and the PRC government may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in PRC-based issuers in the future by adopting other rules and restrictions. Non-compliance could result in penalties or other significant legal liabilities.

Pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in the PRC must be stored in the PRC, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On December 28, 2021, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures. The New Measures amends the Draft Measures released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review, and make it clear that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PIPL, which is to take effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in the PRC involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, such target might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL, and the cybersecurity review before effecting a business combination.

 

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In addition, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions, which were available to the public on July 6, 2021. These Opinions emphasized the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities and the supervision on overseas listings by China-based companies. These Opinions proposed to take effective measures, such as promoting the construction of relevant regulatory systems, to deal with the risks and incidents facing PRC-based overseas-listed companies and the demand for cybersecurity and data privacy protection. As of the date of this prospectus, no official guidance and related implementation rules have been issued in relation to these recently issued opinions and the interpretation and implementation of the Opinions remain unclear at this stage. We cannot assure you that we will not be required to obtain the pre-approval of the CSRC and potentially other PRC governmental authorities to pursue any business combination with a PRC-based company.

If, for example, our potential initial business combination is with a target business operating in the PRC and if the New Measures mandates clearance of cybersecurity review and other specific actions to be completed by the target business, we may face uncertainties as to whether such clearance can be timely obtained, or at all, and incur additional time delays to complete any such acquisition. Cybersecurity review could also result in negative publicity with respect to our initial business combination and diversion of our managerial and financial resources. We may also be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities if the PRC government considers that the potential investments will result in a significant national security issue. In addition, due to limited business combination period that we have, we may avoid searching for a target and completing an initial business combination that will be subject to cybersecurity review. Therefore, we may avoid searching for a company which could be deemed as a network platform operator and possesses information of more than one million users.

Further, if the combined company, after business combination, is deemed to be a network platform operator which holds personal information of more than one million users, it will be subject to such cybersecurity review. The combined company could become subject to enhanced cybersecurity review or investigations launched by PRC regulators in the future and may incur increased costs necessary to comply with existing and newly adopted laws and regulations or penalties for any failure to comply.

Additionally, any failure or delay in the completion of the cybersecurity review procedures or any other non-compliance with the related laws and regulations may result in fines or other penalties, including suspension of business, website closure, and revocation of prerequisite licenses, as well as reputational damage or legal proceedings or actions, which may have material adverse effect on the combined company’s business, financial condition or results of operations and any such action could cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

As uncertainties remain regarding the interpretation and implementation of these laws and regulations, we cannot assure you that the combined company following a business combination will comply with such regulations in all respects and it may be ordered to rectify or terminate any actions that are deemed illegal by regulatory authorities. As a result, both you and we face uncertainty about future actions by the PRC government that could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless.

Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China.

The M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition by a foreign investor (e.g., the offshore special purpose vehicle) of equity in a “PRC domestic

 

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company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition by a foreign investor of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” We do not believe that either the equity or asset deal provisions of the M&A Rules will be implicated in any of our initial business combination process with a PRC-based target for the reason that any acquisition will be conducted through a WFOE established by means of direct investment, which would hold the shares of the PRC-based target. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a PRC-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and the local market practices, the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will not be required in the context of our business combination with a China-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities in order for us to complete a business combination with a China-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.

Moreover, except for emphasizing the need to strengthen the administration over illegal securities activities, and the need to strengthen the supervision over overseas listings by PRC companies, the Opinions, which was made available to the public on July 6, 2021, also provides that the State Council will revise provisions regarding the overseas issuance and listing of shares by companies limited by shares and will clarify the duties of domestic regulatory authorities.

On December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comments the Draft Rules, which if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring PRC businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including the VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of initial public offering application in the case of an initial public offering (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a special purpose acquisition company listing or “back-door” listing. The requested filing documents include but are not limited to: (1) a filing report and related undertakings; (2) regulatory opinions, filing or approval documents issued by the relevant authorities (if applicable); (3) security review opinions issued by the relevant authorities, if applicable; (4) a PRC legal opinion; and (5) a prospectus.

On December 27, 2021, the NDRC and the MOFCOM promulgated the Negative List, effective as of January 1, 2022 Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but it for the first time declares the PRC’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange and foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.

Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the M&A Rules, the Opinions, the Draft Rules or the Negative List from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) for consummating this offering by our company, given that: (a) the CSRC currently has not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules; and (b) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Delaware rather than the PRC and currently the company conducts no business in the PRC. However, there remains some

 

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uncertainty as to how the M&A Rules, the Opinions, the Draft Rules or the Negative List will be interpreted or implemented in the context of an overseas offering or if we decide to consummate the business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC. If the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, these governmental authorities may delay this offering or a potential business combination, impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in the PRC, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the trading price of our securities.

As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities.

Our company is a blank check company incorporated under the laws of the Delaware. We currently do not hold any equity interest in any PRC company or operate any business in the PRC. Therefore, we are not required to obtain any permission from any PRC governmental authorities to operate our business as currently conducted. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company’s business operations in the PRC through its subsidiaries, as applicable, are subject to relevant requirements to obtain applicable licenses from PRC governmental authorities under relevant PRC laws and regulations.

Enhanced scrutiny over acquisition transactions by the PRC tax authorities may have a negative impact on potential acquisitions we may pursue in the future.

The PRC tax authorities have enhanced their scrutiny over the direct or indirect transfer of certain taxable assets, including, in particular, equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by a non-resident enterprise. On February 3, 2015, the State Administration of Taxation, or SAT, issued the Bulletin on Issues of Enterprise Income Tax on Indirect Transfers of Assets by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Bulletin 7, which was formulated by SAT on the basis of summing up the experience accumulated and problems existing in the implementation of the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Circular 698, issued by the SAT, on December 10, 2009 by tax authorities for more than five years. Pursuant to this Bulletin, an “indirect transfer” of assets, including equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise, by non-PRC resident enterprises may be re-characterized and treated as a direct transfer of PRC taxable assets, if such arrangement does not have a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of avoiding payment of PRC enterprise income tax. As a result, gains derived from such an indirect transfer may be subject to PRC enterprise income tax. According to Bulletin 7, “PRC taxable assets” include assets attributed to an establishment in China, immoveable properties located in China, and equity investments in PRC resident enterprises, in respect of which gains from their transfer by a direct holder, being a non-PRC resident enterprise, would be subject to PRC enterprise income taxes. When determining whether there is a “reasonable commercial purpose” of the transaction arrangement, features to be taken into consideration include: whether the main value of the equity interest of the relevant overseas enterprise derives directly or indirectly from PRC taxable assets; whether the assets of the relevant overseas enterprise mainly consists of direct or indirect investment in China or if its income mainly derives directly or indirectly from China; whether the overseas enterprise and its subsidiaries directly or indirectly holding PRC taxable assets have a real commercial nature which is evidenced by their actual function and risk exposure; the duration of existence of the shareholders, business model and relevant organizational structure of the overseas enterprise; overseas income tax payable for the transaction of in direct transfer of PRC taxable assets; the replaceability of indirect investment and indirect transfer of taxable assets in the PRC with direct investment and direct transfer of taxable assets in the PRC by the transferor of equity and tax treaties or similar arrangements applicable in the PRC for income derived from indirect transfer of taxable assets in the PRC. In respect of an indirect offshore transfer of assets of a PRC establishment, the resulting gain is to be included with the enterprise income tax filing of the PRC establishment or place of business being transferred, and would consequently be subject to PRC enterprise income tax at a rate of 25%. Where the underlying transfer relates to the immoveable properties located in China or to equity investments in a PRC resident enterprise, which is not related to a PRC establishment or place of

 

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business of a non-resident enterprise, a PRC enterprise income tax of 10% would apply, subject to available preferential tax treatment under applicable tax treaties or similar arrangements, and the party who is obligated to make the transfer payments has the withholding obligation. Where the payer fails to withhold any or withholds insufficient tax, the transferor shall declare and pay such tax to the tax authority by itself within the statutory time limit. Late payment of applicable tax will subject the transferor to default interest. Bulletin 7 does not apply to transactions of sale of shares by investors through a public stock exchange where such shares were acquired from a transaction through a public stock exchange.

In October 2017, SAT issued an Announcement on Issues Relating to Withholding at Source of Income Tax of Nonresident Enterprises, or SAT Circular 37. Effective from December 2017, SAT Circular 37, among others, repealed the Circular 698 and amended certain provisions in Bulletin 7 and further clarifies the practice and procedure of the withholding of nonresident enterprise income tax. According to SAT Circular 37, where the non-resident enterprise fails to declare the tax payable pursuant to Article 39 of the Enterprise Income Tax, the tax authority may order it to pay the tax due within required time limits, and the non-resident enterprise shall declare and pay the tax payable within such time limits specified by the tax authority. However, if the non-resident enterprise voluntarily declares and pays the tax payable before the tax authority orders it to do so within required time limits, it shall be deemed that such enterprise has paid the tax in time.

If we decide to pursue an initial business combination with a PRC-based company, we may face uncertainties as to the reporting and other implications where PRC taxable assets are involved. We may be subject to filing obligations or taxed if we are the transferor in such transactions, and may be subject to withholding obligations if we are the transferee in such transactions, under Bulletin 7 and SAT Circular 37. For any transfer of our shares by investors who are non-PRC resident enterprises, our PRC subsidiary may be requested to assist in the filing under the SAT circulars. As a result, we may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with the SAT circulars or to request the relevant transferors from whom we purchase taxable assets to comply with these circulars, or to establish that we should not be taxed under these circulars, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

PRC regulations relating to offshore investment activities by PRC residents may limit our ability to inject capital in our Chinese subsidiaries and our Chinese subsidiaries’ ability to change their registered capital or distribute profits to the combined company or otherwise expose it or its PRC resident beneficial owners to liability and penalties under PRC laws.

In July 2014, SAFE promulgated the Circular on Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Control on Domestic Residents’ Offshore Investment and Financing and Roundtrip Investment Through Special Purpose Vehicles, or SAFE Circular 37. SAFE Circular 37 requires PRC residents (including PRC individuals and PRC corporate entities as well as foreign individuals that are deemed as PRC residents for foreign exchange administration purpose) to register with SAFE or its local branches in connection with their direct or indirect offshore investment activities. SAFE Circular 37 is applicable to our stockholders who are PRC residents and may be applicable to any offshore acquisitions that we make in the future.

Under SAFE Circular 37, PRC residents who make, or have prior to the implementation of SAFE Circular 37 made, direct or indirect investments in offshore special purpose vehicles, or SPVs, will be required to register such investments with SAFE or its local branches. In addition, any PRC resident who is a direct or indirect shareholder of an SPV, is required to update its filed registration with the local branch of SAFE with respect to that SPV, to reflect any material change, including, among other things, any major change of a PRC resident shareholder, name or term of operation of the SPVs, or any increase or reduction of the SPVs’ registered capital, share transfer or swap, merger or division. Moreover, any subsidiary of such SPV in the PRC is required to urge the PRC resident shareholders to update their registration with the local branch of SAFE. If any PRC shareholder of such SPV fails to make the required registration or to update the previously filed registration, the subsidiary of such SPV in the PRC may be prohibited from distributing its profits or the proceeds from any capital reduction, share transfer or liquidation to the SPV, and the SPV may also be prohibited from making additional capital contributions into its subsidiary in the PRC. On February 13, 2015, SAFE promulgated a Notice on Further Simplifying and Improving Foreign Exchange Administration Policy on Direct Investment, or SAFE Notice 13, which became effective on June 1, 2015. Under SAFE Notice 13, applications for foreign exchange registration

 

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of inbound foreign direct investments and outbound overseas direct investments, including those required under SAFE Circular 37, will be filed with qualified banks instead of SAFE or its branches. The qualified banks will directly examine the applications and accept registrations under the supervision of SAFE.

We cannot provide assurance that our stockholders that are PRC residents will at all times comply with, or in the future make or obtain any applicable registrations or approvals required by, SAFE Circular 37 or other related rules. Failure or inability of the combined company’s PRC resident stockholders to comply with the registration procedures set forth in these regulations may subject the combined company to fines and legal sanctions, restrict its cross-border investment activities, limit the ability of its wholly foreign-owned subsidiary in the PRC to distribute dividends and the proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, and the combined company may also be prohibited from injecting additional capital into the subsidiary. Moreover, failure to comply with the various foreign exchange registration requirements described above could result in liability under PRC law for circumventing applicable foreign exchange restrictions. As a result, the combined company’s business operations and the combined company’s ability to distribute profits to you could be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, as these foreign exchange regulations are still relatively new and their interpretation and implementation has been constantly evolving, it is unclear how these regulations, and any future regulation concerning offshore or cross-border transactions, will be interpreted, amended and implemented by the relevant government authorities. For example, we may be subject to a more stringent review and approval process with respect to our foreign exchange activities, such as remittance of dividends and foreign-currency-denominated borrowings, which may adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if we decide to acquire a PRC domestic company, we cannot assure you that we or the owners of such company, as the case may be, will be able to obtain the necessary approvals or complete the necessary filings and registrations required by the foreign exchange regulations. This may restrict our ability to implement our acquisition strategy and could adversely affect our business and prospects.

Though we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC.

The PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections on accounting firms in the PRC without the approval of the Chinese government authorities. The auditor and its audit work in the PRC may not be inspected fully by the PCAOB. Inspections of other auditors conducted by the PCAOB outside the PRC have at times identified deficiencies in those auditors’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. The lack of PCAOB inspections of audit work undertaken in the PRC prevents the PCAOB from regularly evaluating the PRC auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures.

Further, future developments in U.S. laws may restrict our ability or willingness to complete certain business combinations with companies. For instance, the HFCA Act would restrict our ability to consummate a business combination with a target business unless that business met certain standards of the PCAOB. Under the HFCA Act, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect an issuer’s public accounting firm for three consecutive years, the issuer may suffer adverse consequences including the delisting of its securities and prohibition of trading its securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. Consequently, it would substantially impair the investors’ ability to sell or purchase such issuer’s securities when the investors wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of such issuer’s securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the company’s business, financial condition and prospects. The HFCA Act also requires public companies to disclose, among other things, whether they are owned or controlled by a foreign government,

 

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specifically, those based in the PRC. Furthermore, the documentation we may be required to submit to the SEC proving certain beneficial ownership requirements and establishing that we are not owned or controlled by a foreign government in the event that we use a foreign public accounting firm not subject to inspection by the PCAOB or where the PCAOB is unable to completely inspect or investigate our accounting practices or financial statements because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction could be onerous and time consuming to prepare.

On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed the AHFCAA, which, if signed into law, would amend the HFCA Act and require the delisting of one’s securities and prohibition of trading such securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. if its auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspections for two consecutive years instead of three consecutive years.

Our financial statements are currently audited by Marcum LLP, which is subject to inspection by the PCAOB. And as a result, we affirmatively exclude any target of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 and thus, we may not be able to consummate a business combination with a favored target business due to these laws.

On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCA Act, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction.

On December 2, 2021, the SEC issued amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. The rules apply to registrants that the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report with an audit report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in a foreign jurisdiction.

Pursuant to the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the SOP with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in the PRC, then PRC-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to PRC-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering. Marcum LLP has access to our books and records which are currently and will be maintained by in the United States prior to the consummation of a business combination. In addition, we affirmatively exclude any

 

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target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. This could limit or restrict our access to the U.S. capital markets and the trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited under the HFCA Act.

The SEC may propose additional rules or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. For example, on August 6, 2020, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, or the PWG, issued the Report on Protecting United States Investors from Significant Risks from Chinese Companies to the then President of the United States. This report recommended the SEC implement five recommendations to address companies from jurisdictions that do not provide the PCAOB with sufficient access to fulfill its statutory mandate. Some of the concepts of these recommendations were implemented with the enactment of the HFCA Act. However, some of the recommendations were more stringent than the HFCA Act. For example, if a company was not subject to PCAOB inspection, the report recommended that the transition period before a company would be delisted would end on January 1, 2022.

The SEC has announced that the SEC staff is preparing a consolidated proposal for the rules regarding the implementation of the HFCA Act and to address the recommendations in the PWG report. It is unclear when the SEC will complete its rulemaking and when such rules will become effective and what, if any, of the PWG recommendations will be adopted. The SEC has also announced amendments to various annual report forms to accommodate the certification and disclosure requirements of the HFCA Act. There could be additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance that could impact us if our auditor is not subject to PCAOB inspection. The implications of these possible regulations in addition to the requirements of the HFCA Act are uncertain, and such uncertainty could cause the market price of our securities to be materially and adversely affected.

If the PCAOB is unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, we could be delisted or prohibited from being traded over the counter by an exchange pursuant to the HFCA Act or AHFCAA or other related additional regulatory or legislative requirements or guidance. If our securities are unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the our business, financial condition, and prospects.

Inspections of audit firms that the PCAOB has conducted have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct inspections or full investigations of our auditor, investors in our securities would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections or full investigations of auditors would may make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our stock to lose confidence in the audit procedures of our auditor and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.

Additionally, other developments in U.S. laws and regulatory environment, including but not limited to executive orders such as Executive Order (E.O.) 13959, “Addressing the Threat from Securities Investments That Finance Communist Chinese Military Companies,” may further restrict our ability to complete a business combination with certain China-based businesses.

 

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U.S. regulatory bodies may be limited in their ability to conduct investigations or inspections of the combined company’s operations within China.

The SEC, the U.S. Department of Justice, the PCAOB, and other U.S. authorities may have difficulties in bringing and enforcing actions against the combined company or its directors or executive officers in the PRC following the business combination. Shareholder claims that are common in the United States, including securities law class actions and fraud claims, generally are difficult to pursue as a matter of law or practicality in the PRC. For example, in the PRC, there are significant legal and other obstacles to obtaining information needed for shareholder investigations or litigation outside the PRC or otherwise with respect to foreign entities. Although the local authorities in the PRC may establish a regulatory cooperation mechanism with the securities regulatory authorities of another country or region to implement cross-border supervision and administration, such regulatory cooperation with the securities regulatory authorities in the United States has not been efficient in the absence of mutual and practical cooperation mechanism. According to Article 177 of the PRC Securities Law which became effective in March 2020, no overseas securities regulator is allowed to directly conduct investigation or evidence collection activities within the PRC. Accordingly, without the consent of the competent PRC securities regulators or other relevant authorities, no entity or individual may provide any documents and materials relating to securities business activities to foreign entities or government agencies.

Investors may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in the PRC based upon U.S. laws, including the federal securities laws or other foreign laws against the combined company and the officers and directors of the company and the combined company if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC.

There may be difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing actions in the PRC against us based on foreign laws. Our CFO resides in the PRC and one of our directors, Mr. Wang, resides in Hong Kong. Also, if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based and primarily operating outside of the United States, it is possible that substantially all or a significant portion of combined company’s assets may be located outside of the United States and some of the combined company’s officers and directors may reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon these officers and directors who reside outside of the United States. Even with the proposed service of process, it may also be difficult to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the officers and directors. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against the officers and directors predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedures Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Procedure Law based either on treaties between the PRC and the country where the judgment is made or on principles of reciprocity between jurisdictions. The PRC does not have any treaties or other forms of written arrangement with the United States that provide for the reciprocal recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. In addition, according to the PRC Civil Procedures Law, the PRC courts will not enforce a foreign judgment by us against the officers or directors or the future combined company if they decide that the judgment violates the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security, or the public interest. As a result, it is uncertain whether and on what basis a PRC court would enforce a judgment rendered by a court in the United States. Furthermore, there would be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts against the combined company or the officers and directors to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. Federal securities laws, and they still may be fruitless.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We are offering 6,500,000 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 placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.

 

     Without
Over-
Allotment
Option
     Over-
Allotment
Option Fully
Exercised
 

Gross proceeds

     

Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)

   $ 65,000,000      $ 74,750,000  

Gross proceeds from placement warrants offered in the private placement

     4,645,000        5,083,750  

Total gross proceeds

   $ 69,645,000      $ 79,833,750  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Offering expenses(2)

     

Underwriting commissions (1.5% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)

   $ 975,000      $ 1,121,250  

Legal fees and expenses

     350,000        350,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

     50,000        50,000  

SEC/FINRA Expenses

     28,411        28,411  

Reimbursable underwriter expenses

     160,000        160,000  

Nasdaq listing and filing fees

     55,000        55,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     30,000        30,000  

Miscellaneous

     26,589        26,589  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions)

   $ 700,000      $ 700,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Proceeds after offering expenses

   $ 67,970,000      $ 78,012,500  

Held in trust account

   $ 66,950,000      $ 76,992,500  

Not held in trust account

   $ 1,020,000      $ 1,020,000  

The following table 1, shows the use of the approximately $1,020,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(4)

 

     Amount      % of Total  

Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(5)

   $ 100,000        9.8

Director and Officer liability insurance premiums

   $ 250,000        24.5

Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations

     50,000        4.9

Payment for secretarial and administrative support ($10,000 per month until the completion of our business combination or liquidation)(6)

     120,000        11.8

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses

     500,000        49.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $
 
 
1,020,000
 
 
     100.0
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)

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

(2)

A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $440,000 as described in this prospectus. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $311,500 (of up to

 

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  $440,000 available to us) under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These amounts will be repaid upon the later of completion of this offering or October 31, 2023. In the event that offering expenses are more than as set forth in this table, they will be repaid using a portion of the $1,020,000 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)

Upon completion of our initial business combination, $2,275,000 (or $2,616,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting discounts 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.

(4)

These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our 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.

(5)

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.

(6)

Assumes that the extension option is not exercised and our initial business combination is completed within 12 months.

Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants, $66,950,000 (or $76,992,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 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 at Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC acting as trustee, and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate that the pre-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,173,430 per year, assuming an interest rate of 4.74% per year based on the closing rate for 3-month treasury bills on March 2, 2023; 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 tax obligations, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law.

The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for

 

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payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.

We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective business combination, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of an initial business combination. However, if our 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.

Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for secretarial and administrative support up until the completion of our initial business combination or liquidation. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had borrowed $311,500 under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of October 31, 2023 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the estimated $1,020,000 of offering proceeds not held in the trust account that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions). In March of 2023, the Company amended the Note to allow for the borrowing of an additional $40,000 (up to $440,000 in total) as well as adjusted the terms of the Note to provide that repayment occur on the later of the IPO, or October 31, 2023.

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 on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, their affiliates may purchase public shares and public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of the business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants our sponsor, directors,

 

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officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are no higher than the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. However, our sponsor, directors, officers and their respective affiliates have not consummated any such purchases or acquisitions, have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. None of our sponsor, directors, officers, or any of their respective affiliates will make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such public shares or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase could include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such public shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. Any public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates following public announcement of a proposed initial business combination would not be voted in favor of approving the initial business combination. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. In addition, our sponsor and its affiliates would waive any redemption rights with respect to any public shares that they purchase in any such privately negotiated transactions.

The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition for the initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our public shares may result in the completion of the business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. In addition, to the extent that our sponsor or its affiliates purchase any public shares as contemplated above, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the special meeting that will disclose:

 

   

the amount of such public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates, along with the purchase price;

 

   

the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates;

 

   

the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates on the likelihood that the initial business combination will be approved;

 

   

the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates; and

 

   

the number of public shares for which we have received redemption requests in connection with the business combination.

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.

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) 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.

 

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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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, following the closing of this offering, 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. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

 

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DILUTION

The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the 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 placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.

At December 31, 2022, our net tangible book deficit was $686,436, or approximately $(0.37) per share of common stock. For purposes of the dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed the number of shares included in the units offered hereby will be deemed to be 6,500,000 and the price per share in this offering will be deemed to be $10.00. After giving effect to the sale of 6,500,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 7,475,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book deficit at December 31, 2022 would have been $1,332,684 (or $1,577,556 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or approximately $(0.79) per share (or $(0.81) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate decrease in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 6,500,000 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash, or 7,475,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(0.42) per share (or $(0.44) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $10.79 per share or 107.9% to our public stockholders (or $10.81 per share or 108.1% if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).

The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the 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 deficit before this offering

     (0.37     (0.37

Decrease attributable to public stockholders

     (0.42     (0.44

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

   $ (0.79   $ (0.81

Dilution to public stockholders

   $ 10.79     $ 10.81  

Percentage of dilution to public stockholders

     107.9     108.1

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 $66,950,000 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 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
Share
 
     Number      Percentage     Amount      Percentage  

Initial Stockholders(1)

     1,625,000        19.8   $ 25,000        0.04   $ 0.015  

Public Stockholders

     6,500,000        79.4     65,000,000        99.96   $ 10.00  

Representative shares

     65,000        0.8     0        0   $ 0.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   
     8,190,000        100.0   $ 65,025,000        100.00  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

(1)

Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of an aggregate of 243,750 shares of Class B common stock held by our sponsor.

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 deficit before this offering

   $ (686,436    $ (686,436

Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the placement warrants, net of expenses(1)

     67,970,000        78,012,500  

Plus: Deferred offering costs excluded from tangible book value before this offering

     705,130        705,130  

Less: Overallotment liability

     (96,378      —    

Less: Deferred underwriting commissions

     (2,275,000      (2,616,250

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001(2)

     (66,950,000      (76,992,500
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ (1,332,684    $ (1,577,556
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Without
Over-allotment
     With
Over-allotment
 

Denominator:

     

Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering

     1,868,750        1,868,750  

Shares of Class B common stock forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised

     (243,750      —    

Representative shares

     65,000        74,750  

Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered

     6,500,000        7,475,000  

Less: Shares subject to redemption

     (6,500,000      (7,475,000
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
     1,690,000        1,943,500  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)

Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $700,000 and underwriting commissions of $975,000 (or $1,121,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”

(2)

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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.”

 

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at December 31, 2022, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of its over-allotment option:

 

     December 31, 2022  
     Actual      As Adjusted  

Notes payable to related party

   $ 311,500      $ 311,500

Deferred underwriting commissions

     —          2,275,000  

Overallotment liability

     —          96,378  

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 26,000,000 stock authorized, actual and as adjusted; 0 and 6,500,000 stock subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively

     —          66,950,000  

Stockholders’ equity

     

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 preference stock authorized, actual and as adjusted; 0 preference stock issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted

     —          —    

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 26,000,000 stock authorized, actual and as adjusted; 0 and 65,000 shares not subject to possible redemption (excluding 0 and 6,500,000 shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively

     —          7  

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 4,000,000 stock authorized, actual and as adjusted; 1,868,750 and 1,625,000 stock issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively

     187        163  

Additional paid-in capital

     24,813        —    

Accumulated deficit

     (6,306      (1,332,854
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity (deficit)

     18,694        (1,332,684
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 330,194      $ 68,300,194  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1)

Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination.

(2)

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 placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase 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;

 

   

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;

 

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

 

   

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

 

   

other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at December 31, 2022, we had $1,280 in cash and deferred offering costs of $705,130. 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

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 $440,000 in loans available from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Our management team’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

We estimate that the net proceeds from: (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $700,000, underwriting commissions of $975,000 (or up to $1,121,250 if the underwriters over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full); and (ii) the sale of the placement warrants for a purchase price of $4,645,000 (or $5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $67,970,000 (or $78,012,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of this amount, $66,950,000 (or up to $76,992,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes $2,275,000 (or up to $2,616,250 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 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining approximately $1,020,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, 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 $700,000, 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 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 use the approximately $1,020,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or 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 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 on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment up to $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.

We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $100,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $50,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $250,000 for director and officer liability insurance premiums; $120,000 for secretarial and administrative support; and approximately $500,000 for working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves.

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

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target

 

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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 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, 2024. 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.

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

 

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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 placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

Related Party Transactions

On May 31, 2022, our sponsor purchased 2,156,250 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or approximately $0.011 per share. Subsequently, on August 26, 2022, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 287,500 shares for no consideration, resulting in our sponsor holding an aggregate of 1,868,750 founder shares, or an effective purchase price of $0.013 per share (up to 243,750 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). On August 26, 2022, our sponsor transferred 25,000 founder shares to each of Stephen Markscheid and Rahul Mewawalla. The 50,000 shares in the aggregate that were transferred will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised. The founder’s shares 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. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% 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. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

Commencing on the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for secretarial and administrative support up until the completion of our initial business combination or liquidation. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

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, advisors 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 has agreed to loan us up to $400,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of December 31, 2022, we had outstanding borrowings of $311,500 under the promissory note with our sponsor. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the proceeds not held in the trust account. In March of 2023, the Company amended the Note to allow for the borrowing of an additional $40,000 (up to $440,000 in total) as well as adjusted the terms of the Note to provide that repayment occur on the later of the IPO, or October 31, 2023.

If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to

 

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18 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000 or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

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 $2,000,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. 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.

Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 4,645,000 private warrants (or up to 5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant (approximately $4,645,000 in the aggregate or $5,083,750 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our sponsor will be permitted to transfer the private warrants held by them to certain permitted transferees, including our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with or related to it or them, but the transferees receiving such securities will be subject to the same agreements with respect to such securities as the founders. Otherwise, these private warrants will not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of our business combination.

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 warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register 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.”

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

 

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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 report of independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

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

 

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

Our Company

We are a newly organized, blank check company formed on March 3, 2022 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. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have generated no operating revenues to date and do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after we consummate our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated or engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.

IoT Industry Attractiveness

Although we may pursue an acquisition in any industry or geography, we intend to focus on an acquisition capitalizing on the burgeoning IoT market and adjacent markets. The IoT market has seen substantial growth as the instrumentation of the internet coupled with advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation continue to accelerate the proliferation of products and services. The world-wide explosion in smartphone utilization, 5G proliferation, Web 3.0 adoption, improved internet access, are culminating in new market opportunities with massive disruptive potential across a number of industries.

According to industry sources, the global IoT market size in 2021 was valued at USD $384.70 billion. The market is projected to grow from USD $478.36 billion in 2022 to USD $2,465.26 billion by 2029 with a CAGR of 26.4% during this forecast period.2 Industrial IoT Includes smart and highly collaborative robots, machines, equipment, scheduling systems, and logistics. Consumer IoT Includes: smart phones, wearables, fashion items, appliances, and automation systems.

In addition to market forces, IoT markets and adjacent markets are receiving support from government and regulatory agencies. Various countries are providing both monetary and regulatory support for research and development activities related to standardization of IPv6, 5G deployments, and increased use of cloud computing platforms. When combined with the market forces, governmental support is accelerating industry innovation and standardization. Rapid adoption and advances in AI, machine learning, cloud computing, mobile applications, automation throughout global supply chains, clean energy solutions, and autonomous vehicles will continue to drive sustained growth and accelerate the digital transformation of the enterprise and the home leading to significant value creation. The development and application of these new technologies are expected to create massive opportunities within new and existing sectors, such as technology, media and telecom, medicine and healthcare, transportation, and traditional industries. Coupling automation technologies, AI and machine learning, with advances in sensor technologies, communication protocols and dramatically increased bandwidths, produce a perfect storm of innovation across enterprise and consumer markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic, in combination with growing geopolitical and macroeconomic complexity and uncertainty, are fueling volatility, creating financial market dislocations and increasing the availability of attractive assets. The traditional model of globalization is evolving under the pressures of geopolitical competition and instability. Nonetheless, we believe global interconnection via trade remains and will continue to be a powerful driver of economic growth. For companies to operate in this new environment, they will need to re-examine their market access strategies to navigate new barriers and restrictions, reengineer their supply chains for greater resilience, and structure their organizations to leverage the best talent globally. Our management team possesses the skills and expertise needed to unlock growth and value in this dynamic environment.

 

2 

Fortune Business Insights, last accessed April 6, 2022 <https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/>

 

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Given the worldwide scenario, it is our intent to invest in an IoT company, or a company that serves the IoT market that is focused on the consumer or other large market, which given current developments, has proven to offer extraordinary growth and expansion. We are looking to acquire a company offering a highly differentiated technical advantage and capable of navigating the complexities of the global economy. We will target companies benefiting from the disruptive impact of emerging technologies and the continuing growth in both developing markets (e.g., China and India), and the developed markets (e.g., United States and Europe).

We intend to drive long-term growth and build a successful public company through disciplined strategic execution and a commitment to environmental sustainability, social responsibility and strong corporate governance.

Management Team

With recognized operating capabilities developed at leading large-scale global technology companies, as well as entrepreneurial insight and expertise, we believe our founders’ diverse and complementary backgrounds can have a transformative impact on a target business.

We will seek to capitalize on the diverse industry experience of our Chief Executive Officer, Angel Orrantia. Mr. Orrantia is a proven technology executive with a history of investing, acquiring, and building successful companies, while generating attractive stockholder returns. Over the past decade, Mr. Orrantia has created returns for investors while managing secular disruption and cyclical industry risk. Mr. Orrantia has operated and completed transformational cross-border transactions on a global basis.

Our broader management team, which includes Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, and Robert de Neve, our Chief Strategy Officer, is comprised of industry leaders with deep roots in Silicon Valley, India, China and broader Asia. Our management team includes proven leaders with a diverse set of experiences and complementary skills, as investors, entrepreneurs, senior executives and transactional professionals. This group will leverage their extensive network for access to global acquisition opportunities and proven executives to augment the management team of potential acquisitions.

We believe our management team has a competitive advantage as a result of their experience leading global technology companies, with strengths in corporate strategy and transactions, public company operations and applying innovative technologies to enable business growth and industry transformations. We believe our combined experience uniquely qualifies us to offer public investors and target company stakeholders a differentiated approach to accelerating growth in key global markets, extending the management team, enhancing operating efficiency and operating successfully as a public company. Notwithstanding our founders’ and management team’s and their respective affiliates’ past experiences, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) that we will provide an attractive return to our stockholders from any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our founders’ and management’s performance as indicative of our future performance.

Business Strategy

Our business strategy will leverage a purpose-built model to focus on areas of growth by capitalizing on long-term trends and technology disruption driven by the ongoing instrumentation of the internet, dramatically increased bandwidths, and advances in AI and automation. We have chosen to domicile the Company in Delaware, so that we can more efficiently access acquisition opportunities globally.

We seek to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that complements the experiences and skills of our founders and can benefit from their operational expertise. We will capitalize on the

 

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management team’s relationship networks for access to high quality potential targets. The selection process will leverage our founders’ industry skills and experience to add value to a target company. We will apply the capabilities of our management team to enhance growth and profitability of the potential targets, including through access to key global markets and technology development ecosystems, as well as through strategic acquisitions and operational transformations. Upon completion of this offering, members of our management team will communicate with their network of relationships to discuss our acquisition criteria and we will begin a disciplined process of pursuing and reviewing potential acquisition targets.

Acquisition Criteria

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

 

   

Size: We intend to focus on companies that alone, or through a strategic combination with another company, have an enterprise valuation between $200 million and $300 million. We believe at this scale we can most effectively apply the experience and resources of the management team to accelerate growth and enhance profitability.

 

   

Location: We are searching for attractive target acquisition opportunities globally, with particular emphasis on companies in Asia and North America.

 

   

Focus: We plan to target companies in the Consumer IoT and consumer facing Industrial IoT sectors globally. We will also consider companies that provide products or services to the IoT industry. Within those broader sectors, we will concentrate on companies that are aligned to the secular trends of automation, digitization, and broader technology adoption and positioned for strong growth that can be enhanced through partnership with our management team.

 

   

Management Capability: We plan to target companies with strong management teams that are capable of scaling to operate successfully on a global basis as a public company. Our management team is committed to providing support, guidance and, where necessary, additional management talent to assist the target company in executing its value creation strategy and achieving its vision.

 

   

Differentiation: We are looking for potential acquisitions that have powerful competitive advantages, strong innovation capabilities and an adaptive management team committed to a positive culture grounded in strong values, including the importance of diversity and inclusion and serving the interests of a broader set of stakeholders.

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 SEC.

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. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business, debt issued by

 

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banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. 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 to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing.

Status as a Public Company

We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner. As an existing public company, we offer a partner 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 partner business may, for example, exchange their capital stock, shares or other equity interests in the partner business for shares of our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of shares of our Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe partner 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, that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.

Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the partner 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 have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the partner business would then have greater access to capital, 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 founding team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential partner 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.

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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

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

 

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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% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. If our securities are not listed on Nasdaq after this offering, we would not be required to satisfy the 80% requirement. However, we intend to satisfy the 80% requirement even if our securities are not listed on Nasdaq at the time of our initial business combination.

Our 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), meetings with key employees, 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

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.

Certain of our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will not materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would

 

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otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.

Our officers and directors may become an officer or director of another special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, even before we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination.

Financial Position

With funds available for an initial business combination initially in the amount of $65,695,000, after payment of $2,275,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $75,396,250 after payment of $2,616,250 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in each case before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt 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 placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase 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.

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the 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 or stock exchange listing requirements, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.

 

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Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business Combination

We will have until 12 months from the consummation of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from closing of this offering, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to two times by an additional three-month period each time (for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination). 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, LLC on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination, our sponsor, upon at least five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account for each three-month extension, $650,000, or $747,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($0.10 per unit in either case), up to an aggregate of $1,300,000 or $1,495,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our public stockholders will not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our extension of time to consummate an initial business combination from 12 months to 18 months described above or redeem their shares in connection with such extensions. The sponsor will receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Such notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, or, at the lender’s discretion, converted upon consummation of our business combination into additional warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

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. None of our sponsor, executive officers, directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination. We have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an 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

 

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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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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.

Potential target companies with whom we may engage in discussions after the closing of the offering may have had prior discussions with other blank check companies, bankers in the industry and/or other professional advisors including blank check companies with which our executive officers or board of directors were affiliated. Subsequent to the closing of this offering, we may pursue transactions with such potential targets (i) if such other blank check companies are no longer pursuing transactions with such potential targets, (ii) if we become aware that such potential targets are interested in a potential initial business combination with us and (iii) if we believe such transactions would be attractive to our stockholders.

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

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

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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not 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. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, an initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.

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% fair market value test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.

 

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

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

Lack of Business Diversification

For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

   

subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and

 

   

cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team

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

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

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

 

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Potential Legal and Operational Risks Associated with Acquiring a Company that does Business in the PRC

Our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, is controlled by Mr. Alvin Wang, a PRC national, and a member of our Board of Directors, who holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests of our sponsor. Following completion of this offering, our sponsor will own approximately 19.2% of our outstanding shares. Additionally, Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, is a PRC national.

Although we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or operations, we could potentially acquire a company based in the PRC in an initial business combination. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company may face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties after the business combination. In order to reduce or limit such risks, we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 or any target company that consolidates financial results of PRC operating entities through a VIE structure in the PRC instead of direct holdings.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, PRC laws and regulations are sometimes vague and uncertain, and therefore, these risks may result in a material change in its principal operations in China, significant depreciation of the value of the combined company’s securities, or a complete hindrance of the combined company’s ability to offer its securities to investors and cause the value of such securities to significantly decline or be worthless. The PRC government has significant authority to exert influence on the ability of a China-based company to conduct its business, make or accept foreign investments or list on a U.S. stock exchange. The PRC government has recently published new policies that significantly affected certain industries such as the education and internet industries, and we cannot rule out the possibility that it will in the future release regulations or policies regarding any industry that could adversely affect our potential business combination with a PRC operating business and the business, financial condition and results of operations of the combined company. The PRC government also recently initiated a series of regulatory actions and statements to regulate business operations in the PRC with little advance notice, including cracking down on illegal activities in the securities market, adopting new measures to extend the scope of cybersecurity reviews, and expanding the efforts in anti-monopoly enforcement. For example, according to the New Measures effective on February 15, 2022, network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad, and accordingly these companies may not be willing to list on a U.S. stock exchange or enter into a definitive business combination agreement with us. If we enter into a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, the combined company may face risks associated with regulatory approvals of the proposed business combination between us and the target, offshore offerings, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and cybersecurity and data privacy. The PRC government may also intervene with or influence the combined company’s operations as the government deems appropriate to further regulatory, political and societal goals. Any such action, once taken by the PRC government, could make it more difficult and costly for us to consummate a business combination with a target business operating in the PRC, result in material changes in the combined company’s post-combination operations and cause the value of the combined company’s securities to significantly decline, or in extreme cases, become worthless or completely hinder the combined company’s ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors. For a detailed description of risks associated with being based in or acquiring a company that does business in the PRC, see “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC” on page 85.

If we acquire a company based in in the PRC, to the extent that the combined company in the future seeks to fund the business through distributions, dividends or transfers of funds among and between the holding company and subsidiaries, any such transfer of funds within and among the subsidiaries will be subject to PRC regulations. Specifically, investment in Chinese companies is governed by the Foreign Investment Law, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of the PRC, and any transfer of funds among the PRC subsidiaries is subject to regulations on

 

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private lending and must be permitted thereunder. Additionally, the PRC government may impose controls on the conversion of Renminbi (yuan) into foreign currencies and the remittance of currencies out of the PRC. Consequently, in order for the combined company to pay dividends to its stockholders, the combined company would need to rely on payments made from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company and the distribution of such payments to the combined company as dividends from the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company. If we acquire a PRC-based operating company, the dividends and distributions from a PRC subsidiary are subject to regulations and restrictions on dividends and payments to parties outside of the PRC and the combined company may experience difficulties in completing the administrative procedures necessary to obtain and remit foreign currency for the payment of dividends from its subsidiaries, if any. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in China to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment” on page 91-92.

Pursuant to the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the SOP with the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China, then PRC-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to China-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA. This is a rapidly-evolving area, and the PCAOB is required to re-assess its determinations at the end of 2022.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations.

In addition, we affirmatively exclude any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in China, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection. This could limit or restrict our access to the U.S. capital markets and the trading of our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. may be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange under the HFCA Act. Additionally, in June 2021, the Senate passed the Accelerating Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which, if signed into law, would reduce the time period for the delisting of foreign companies under the HFCA Act to two consecutive years instead of three years. If the combined company’s auditor cannot be inspected by the PCAOB for two consecutive years, the trading of the securities on any U.S. national securities exchanges, as well as any over-the-counter trading in the U.S., will be prohibited and our securities may be delisted by such exchange. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Though we affirmatively exclude as an

 

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initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC” on pages 98-100.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities

We are incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware; however, Mr. Alvin Wang, a member of our Board of Directors, and Ms. Coco Kou, our Chief Financial Officer, are both PRC nationals and reside in the PRC for a significant portion of their time. In addition, Mr. Wang holds 83% of the outstanding membership interests in our sponsor, ALWA Sponsor LLC, and therefore has direct influence over our sponsor. Consequently, it may be difficult to effect service of process on Mr. Wang and Ms. Kou, and any judgment obtained in the United States against Mr. Wang or Ms. Kou may not be collectible within the United States.

It may be difficult to assert U.S. securities law claims in original actions instituted in the PRC. The recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments are provided for under the PRC Civil Procedure Law. PRC courts may recognize and enforce foreign judgments in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Civil Procedure Law based either on treaties between China and the country where the judgment is made or on reciprocity between different jurisdictions, and PRC courts will not recognize or enforce these foreign judgments if PRC courts believe the foreign judgments violate the basic principles of PRC laws or national sovereignty, security or public interest after review. However, currently, China does not have treaties or reciprocity arrangement providing for recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments ruled by courts in the United States. Thus, it is uncertain whether a PRC court would enforce a judgment ruled by a court in the United States.

Subject to specified time limitations and legal procedures, Chinese courts may enforce a United States judgment in a civil matter which, subject to certain exceptions, is non-appealable, including judgments based upon the civil liability provisions of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and including a monetary or compensatory judgment in a non-civil matter, provided that:

 

   

the judgments are obtained after due process before a court of competent jurisdiction, according to the laws of the state in which the judgment is given and the rules of private international law currently prevailing in the PRC;

 

   

the prevailing law of the foreign state in which the judgments were rendered allows the enforcement of judgments of Chinese courts (however, the Chinese courts may waive this requirement following a request by the attorney general);

 

   

adequate service of process has been effected and the defendant has had a reasonable opportunity to be heard and to present his or her evidence;

 

   

the judgments are not contrary to public interest of the PRC, and the enforcement of the civil liabilities set forth in the judgments does not violate the basic legal principles of PRC laws or impair the security or sovereignty of the PRC;

 

   

the judgments were not obtained by fraud and do not conflict with any other valid judgment in the same matter between the same parties;

 

   

an action between the same parties in the same matter is not pending in any Chinese court at the time the lawsuit is instituted in the foreign court; and

 

   

the obligations under the judgment are enforceable according to the laws of the PRC and according to the law of the foreign state in which the relief was granted.

We have appointed the Corporation Trust Company as our agent to receive service of process in any action against us in any United States federal or state court arising out of this offering or any purchase or sale of securities in connection with this offering.

 

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If a foreign judgment is enforced by a Chinese court, it generally will be payable in Chinese currency, which can then be converted into non-Chinese currency and transferred out of the PRC. Under existing Chinese law, a foreign judgment payable in foreign currency may be paid in Chinese currency at the rate of exchange in force on the date of the payment. Current Chinese exchange control regulations also permit a judgment debtor to make payment in foreign currency. The conversion of Chinese currency into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The Chinese currency has fluctuated against the U.S. dollar, at times significantly and unpredictably. The value of Chinese currency against the U.S. dollar and other currencies is affected by changes in China’s political and economic conditions and by China’s foreign exchange policies, among other things. Judgment creditors may bear the risk of unfavorable exchange rates.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we begin our business combination process with a PRC-based target, we expect to retain legal counsel in the PRC, who will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the enforceability of civil liabilities and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Investors may experience difficulties in effecting service of legal process, enforcing foreign judgments or bringing original actions in the PRC based upon U.S. laws, including the federal securities laws or other foreign laws against the combined company and the officers and directors of the company and the combined company if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China” on page 101.

Furthermore, there could be added costs and issues with bringing an original action in foreign courts against the combined company or the officers and directors to enforce liabilities based upon the U.S. federal securities laws, and they still may be fruitless. If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based and primarily operating outside of the United States, it is possible that substantially all or a significant portion of combined company’s assets may be located outside of the United States and some of the combined company’s officers and directors may reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult to effect service of process upon these officers and directors who reside outside of the United States. Even with the proposed service of process, it may also be difficult to enforce judgments obtained in U.S. courts based on the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws against the officers and directors.

Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the Business Combination

We are not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating an initial business combination. Though we currently do not have any PRC subsidiary or operations, we may consummate our initial business combination with a target with principal operations in the PRC, excluding any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 or any target company with China operations consolidated through a VIE structure, and be subject to certain legal and operational risks associated with its operations in the PRC.

The M&A Rules, adopted by six PRC regulatory agencies in 2006, and amended in 2009, require an offshore special purpose vehicle formed for the purpose of an overseas listing of securities in a PRC company to obtain the approval of the CSRC prior to the listing and trading of such special purpose vehicle’s securities on an overseas stock exchange. The scope of the M&A Rules covers two types of transactions: (a) equity deals where the acquisition is by a foreign investor (e.g., the offshore special purpose vehicle) of equity in a “PRC domestic company,” and (b) asset deals where the acquisition is by an offshore special purpose vehicle of the assets of a “PRC domestic company.” We do not believe that either the equity or asset deal provisions of the M&A Rules will be implicated in any of our initial business combination process with a PRC-based target for the reason that any acquisition will be conducted through a WFOE established by means of direct investment, which would hold the shares of the PRC-based target. To date, the CSRC has not issued any definitive rules or interpretations

 

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concerning whether offerings such as the indirect listing of a China-based entity as part of the business combination are subject to the CSRC approval procedures under the M&A Rules. As a result, based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices, we do not believe the CSRC’s approval under the M&A Rules will be required in the context of our business combination with a PRC-based target. However, substantial uncertainty remains regarding the scope and applicability of the M&A Rules to offshore special purpose vehicles and the above analysis is subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementation and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. We cannot assure you that relevant PRC governmental agencies, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as we do. It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from CSRC or other governmental authorities in order for us to complete a business combination with a PRC-based target pursuant to the M&A Rules. If we are required to obtain such approvals, we cannot assure we will be able to receive them in a timely manner, or at all.

In addition, on December 24, 2021, the CSRC released for public comment the Draft Rules, which if declared into effect, will implement a new regulatory framework requiring Chinese businesses to file with CSRC when pursuing overseas listings. The Draft Rules propose a new filing system for all Chinese companies (including VIE-structured companies) that are pursuing listings outside mainland China. An overseas listing is required to be filed with CSRC within three working days (i) following the submission of initial public offering application in the case of an initial public offering (or similar application in the case of a dual listing on another market), or (ii) following the submission of offering/registration applications (or following the first announcement of the transaction, as applicable) in the case of a special purpose acquisition company listing or “back-door” listing. It is our management’s understanding that the Draft Rules, if enacted as it is, will subject a PRC-based target to the new filing system if we decide to consummate our initial business combination with such target. The PRC-based target and the combined company may be subject to additional compliance requirements in the future if a final rule is adopted with material changes from the Draft Rules. Though we believe that none of the situations that would clearly prohibit overseas listing and offering applies to us, we cannot assure you that we will be able to receive clearance of such filing requirements in a timely manner, or at all.

On December 27, 2021, the NDRC and MOFCOM, promulgated the Negative List. Compared to the previous version, there are no specific industries added to the list but, for the first time, it declares the PRC’s jurisdiction over (and detailed regulatory requirements on) overseas listings made by Chinese businesses in the so-called “Prohibited Industries.” According to Article 6 of the Negative List, domestic enterprises engaging in businesses in which foreign investment is prohibited shall obtain approval from the relevant authorities before offering and listing their shares on an overseas stock exchange and foreign investors shall not be involved in the operation or management of the enterprise, and shareholding percentage restrictions under relevant domestic securities investment management regulations shall apply to such foreign investors. The intended scope of such jurisdiction was further clarified by NDRC officials on a press conference held on January 18, 2022.

On July 6, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council jointly issued the Opinions, which call for strengthened regulation over illegal securities activities and supervision on overseas listings by PRC-based companies and propose to take effective measures, such as promoting the development of relevant regulatory systems to deal with the risks and incidents faced by PRC-based overseas-listed companies.

Uncertainties still exist as to how the M&A Rules could be interpreted or implemented in the future, and the Opinions stated above are subject to any new laws, rules and regulations or detailed implementations and interpretations in any form relating to the M&A Rules. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Other PRC governmental authorities may take the view now or in the future that an approval from them is required for an overseas offering by a company affiliated with Chinese businesses or persons or a business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in China” on pages 94-98.

 

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Furthermore, pursuant to the PRC Cybersecurity Law, which was promulgated by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress on November 7, 2016 and took effect on June 1, 2017, personal information and important data collected and generated by a critical information infrastructure operator in the course of its operations in the PRC must be stored in the PRC, and if a critical information infrastructure operator purchases internet products and services that affects or may affect national security, it should be subject to cybersecurity review by the CAC. In April 2020, the CAC and certain other PRC regulatory authorities promulgated the Measures for Cybersecurity Review, which requires that operators of critical information infrastructure must pass a cybersecurity review when purchasing network products and services which do or may affect national security. On January 4, 2022, the CAC, in conjunction with 12 other government departments issued the New Measures. The New Measures amended the Draft Measures, released on July 10, 2021 and came into effect on February 15, 2022. The New Measures include data processing activities of network platform operators that affect or may affect national security into cybersecurity review and clarify that network platform operators with personal information of more than one million users must apply for cybersecurity review to the Cybersecurity Review Office when they go public abroad. The PRC Data Security Law, which took effect on September 1, 2021, imposes data security and privacy obligations on entities and individuals that carry out data activities, provides for a national security review procedure for data activities that may affect national security and imposes export restrictions on certain data and information. On August 20, 2021, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress promulgated the PIPL, which took effect on November 1, 2021. The PIPL sets out the regulatory framework for the handling and protection of personal information and the transmission of personal information overseas. If our potential future target business in the PRC involves collecting and retaining internal or customer data, it is our management’s understanding that such target business might be subject to the relevant cybersecurity laws and regulations, including the PRC Cybersecurity Law and the PIPL as discussed above, and that such target business would need to go through the cybersecurity review process before effecting a business combination if it is deemed as a critical information infrastructure operator purchasing internet products and counsel services that affects or may affect national security, a network platform operator that affect or may affect national security, or a network platform operator with personal information of more than one million users. Since the New Measures is new, the implementation and interpretation thereof are not yet clear. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — The CSRC and other Chinese government agencies may exert more oversight and control over offerings that are conducted overseas and foreign investment in China-based issuers.” It is possible that we may need to obtain approvals or permissions from the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body if we undertake a business combination with a PRC-based entity. If the CSRC or another PRC regulatory body subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering, we cannot predict whether we will be able to obtain such approval. As a result, we may have to spend additional resources and incur additional time delays to complete any such business combination or be prevented from pursuing certain investment opportunities, or even could significantly affect our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors and cause the value of our securities to significantly decline or be worthless” on pages 93-94.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. If we engage in our initial business combination process with a PRC-based target, we expect to retain legal experts in the PRC and the U.S. that are experienced with structuring offshore transactions with U.S. public companies. Additionally, we expect that the PRC legal expert will advise us and provide its opinion of counsel relating to the approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for the business combination and we cannot assure you that the PRC legal counsel will reach the same conclusion as our management’s assessment above. We plan to consult with PRC government officials when possible to assist us with complying with these structuring considerations and changing developments.

 

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Potential Approvals from the PRC Governmental Authorities for this Offering and Searching for a Target Company

Based on our understanding of the current PRC laws and regulations, no prior permission is required under the rules and regulations listed above from any PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC and CAC) for consummating this offering or searching for a target company by our officers and directors, and our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, have been compliant with the regulations or policies that have been issued by the PRC governmental authority (including the CSRC and CAC), given that: (a) our company is a blank check company newly incorporated in Delaware rather than in the PRC, and currently we conduct no business in the PRC; (b) PRC governmental authorities (including the CSRC) currently have not issued any definitive rule or interpretation concerning whether offerings like ours under this prospectus are subject to the M&A Rules or whether our, including our officers’ and directors’, searching for a target company are subject to similar rules; and (c) our officers and directors, in their capacity as officers and directors of the company, currently only conduct organizational activities for the purpose of this offering and will, following the closing of this offering, conduct searching activities for the purpose of an initial business combination, which we believe currently are not subject to the regulations or policies that have been issued by the CAC as of the date of this prospectus.

There can be no assurance, however, that the relevant PRC governmental authorities, including the CSRC, would reach the same conclusion as us. In addition, the CSRC or any other PRC governmental authorities may promulgate new rules or new interpretations of current rules which would require us to obtain CSRC or other PRC governmental approvals for this offering or our searching activities or they may intervene or influence our search for a target company for an initial business combination at any time. If we incorrectly conclude that such permissions or approvals are not required or the CSRC or another PRC governmental authority subsequently determines that its approval is needed for this offering or our searching activities, we may face approval delays, adverse actions or sanctions by the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities. In any such event, complying with the requirements of the above-mentioned regulations and other relevant rules and any required approval processes with PRC governmental authorities could be time-consuming and may delay this offering or a potential business combination. These governmental authorities may impose fines and penalties, limit our operations in China, or take other actions that could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects, as well as the value of our securities we are registering for sale, if we do not receive or maintain such permissions or approvals or if we fail to comply with the above-mentioned regulations or other relevant rules or any other intervention or influence applies to our business or our searching activities.

The above discussion is based on our management’s understanding of the current PRC laws, rules, regulations and local market practices and we cannot assure you that our management’s understanding is correct. We have been closely monitoring regulatory developments in the PRC regarding any necessary approvals from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities required for overseas listings, including this offering and a potential business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not received any inquiry, notice, warning, sanctions or regulatory objection to this offering from the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities.

Transfer of Cash to and from Our Post-Combination Organization If We Acquire a Company Based in the PRC (Post-Business Combination)

We are a blank check company with no subsidiaries and no operations of our own except organizational activities, the preparation of this offering and, following the closing of this offering, searching for a suitable target to consummate an initial business combination. As of the date of this prospectus, no transfers, dividends, or distributions have been made by us.

If we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in and primarily operating in the PRC, the combined company whose securities will be listed on a U.S. stock exchange may make capital contributions or extend loans to its PRC subsidiaries through intermediate holding companies subject to

 

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compliance with relevant PRC foreign exchange control regulations. After the business combination, the combined company’s ability to pay dividends, if any, to the stockholders and to service any debt it may incur will depend upon dividends paid by its PRC subsidiaries. Under PRC laws and regulations, PRC companies are subject to certain restrictions with respect to paying dividends or otherwise transferring any of their net assets to offshore entities. In particular, under the current PRC laws and regulations, dividends may be paid only out of distributable profits. Distributable profits are the net profit as determined under Chinese accounting standards and regulations, less any recovery of accumulated losses and appropriations to statutory and other reserves required to be made. A PRC company is required to set aside at least 10% of its after-tax profits each year to fund certain statutory reserve funds (up to an aggregate amount equal to half of its registered capital). As a result, the combined company’s PRC subsidiaries may not have sufficient distributable profits to pay dividends to the combined company. Furthermore, if certain procedural requirements are satisfied, the payment in foreign currencies on current account items, including profit distributions and trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, can be made without prior approval from State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE, or its local branches. However, where Renminbi (yuan) is to be converted into foreign currency and remitted out of the PRC to pay capital expenses, such as the repayment of loans denominated in foreign currencies, approval from or registration with competent government authorities or its authorized banks is required.

The PRC government may take measures at its discretion from time to time to restrict access to foreign currencies for current account or capital account transactions. If the foreign exchange control regulations prevent the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company from obtaining sufficient foreign currencies to satisfy their foreign currency demands, the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company may not be able to pay dividends or repay loans in foreign currencies to their offshore intermediary holding companies and ultimately to the combined company. We cannot assure you that new regulations or policies will not be promulgated in the future, which may further restrict the remittance of Renminbi into or out of the PRC. We cannot assure you, in light of the restrictions in place, or any amendment to be made from time to time, that the PRC subsidiaries of the combined company will be able to satisfy their respective payment obligations that are denominated in foreign currencies, including the remittance of dividends outside of the PRC. See “Risk Factors – Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC – PRC governmental control of currency conversion may limit the ability of our operating companies in China to utilize their revenues effectively and may affect the value of your investment” on page 91-92.

Furthermore, the transfer of funds among PRC subsidiaries is subject to the Provisions of the Supreme People’s Court on Several Issues Concerning the Application of Law in the Trial of Private Lending Cases (2020 Revision, or the Provisions on Private Lending Cases), which was issued by the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China on August 25, 2015 and amended on August 19, 2020 and December 29, 2020, respectively, to regulate the financing activities between natural persons, legal persons and unincorporated organizations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases do not apply to the disputes arising from relevant financial services such as loan disbursement by financial institutions and their branches established upon approval by the financial regulatory authorities to engage in lending business. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that private lending contracts will be deemed invalid under the circumstance that: (i) the lender swindles loans from financial institutions for relending; (ii) the lender relends the funds obtained by means of a loan from another profit-making legal person, raising funds from its employees, or illegally taking deposits from the public; (iii) the lender who has not obtained the lending qualification according to the law lends money to any unspecified object of the society for the purpose of making profits; (iv) the lender lends funds to a borrower when the lender knows or should have known that the borrower intended to use the borrowed funds for illegal or criminal purposes; (v) the lending is violations of public orders or good morals; or (vi) the lending violates mandatory provisions of laws or administrative regulations. The Provisions on Private Lending Cases set forth that the People’s Court shall support the interest rates not exceeding four times of the market interest rate quoted for one-year loan at the time the private lending contracts were entered into. It is our management’s understanding that the Provisions on Private Lending Cases does not prohibit using cash generated from one subsidiary to fund another subsidiary’s operations.

 

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Implications of the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

The HFCA Act was enacted on December 18, 2020. The HFCA Act states that if the SEC determines that an issuer’s audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm have not been subject to inspection by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit such issuer’s securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States and the exchange would delist such issuer’s securities. Our auditor is currently subject to PCAOB inspections, and PCAOB is able to inspect our auditor.

Pursuant to the HFCA Act, the PCAOB issued a Determination Report on December 16, 2021 which found that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms headquartered in (1) mainland China of the PRC because of a position taken by one or more authorities in mainland China and (2) Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region and dependency of the PRC, because of a position taken by one or more authorities in Hong Kong. In addition, the PCAOB’s report identified the specific registered public accounting firms which are subject to these determinations. On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed the SOP with the CSRC and the Ministry of Finance of PRC, taking the first step toward opening access for the PCAOB to inspect and investigate registered public accounting firms headquartered in mainland China and Hong Kong completely, consistent with U.S. law. Pursuant to the SOP, the PCAOB shall have independent discretion to select any issuer audits for inspection or investigation and has the unfettered ability to transfer information to the SEC. However, uncertainties still exist as to whether the applicable parties, including governmental agencies, will fully comply with the framework. Depending on the implementation of the SOP, if the PCAOB continues to be prohibited from conducting complete inspections and investigations of PCAOB-registered public accounting firms in China, then China-based companies will be delisted pursuant to the HFCA Act despite the SOP. Therefore, there is no assurance that the SOP could give relief to China-based companies against the delisting risk from the application of the HFCA Act or AHFCAA. This is a rapidly-evolving area, and the PCAOB is required to re-assess its determinations at the end of 2022.

Our independent accountant, Marcum LLP, is a United States accounting firm based in New York City and is subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Marcum LLP is not headquartered in mainland China or Hong Kong and was not identified in the Determination Report as a firm subject to the PCAOB’s determinations. As a special purpose acquisition company, our current business activities only involve preparation of this offering and will involve searching for targets and consummation of a business combination following this offering. Marcum LLP has access to our books and records which are currently and will be maintained in the U.S. prior to the consummation of a business combination. In addition, we affirmatively exclude any target company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021 at the time of our initial business combination.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that we decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business based in or primarily operating in the PRC, if there is any regulatory change which prohibits the independent accountants from providing audit documentations located in mainland China or Hong Kong to the PCAOB for inspection or investigation or the PCAOB expands the scope of the Determination Report so that the target company or the combined company is subject to the HFCA Act, as the same may be amended, you may be deprived of the benefits of such inspection and we may suffer adverse consequences including the delisting of our securities and prohibition of trading our securities on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. Consequently, it would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the company’s business, financial condition and prospects. See “Risk Factors — Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Target Business with its Primary Operations in the PRC — Though we affirmatively exclude as an initial business combination target any company of which financial statements are audited by an accounting firm that the United States the PCAOB is unable to inspect for two consecutive years beginning in 2021, we cannot assure you that certain existing or future U.S. laws and regulations may restrict or eliminate our ability to complete a business combination with certain companies, particularly those target companies in the PRC” on pages 98-100.

 

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

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

 

Type of Transaction

   Whether
Stockholder
Approval is
Required

Purchase of assets

   No

Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company

   No

Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company

   No

Merger of the company with a target

   Yes

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

 

   

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

 

   

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

 

   

the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control.

Permitted Purchases of our Securities

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, their affiliates may privately negotiate to purchase public shares and public warrants from stockholders who would have otherwise elected to have their shares redeemed in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules for a per share pro rata portion of the trust account. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. Any such privately negotiated purchases may be effected at purchase prices that are no higher than the per share pro rata portion of the trust account. However, our sponsor, directors, officers and their respective affiliates have not consummated any such purchases or acquisitions, have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. Our sponsor, directors, officers and any of their respective affiliates will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller of such public shares or public warrants or during a restricted period under Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase could include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of such public shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. Any public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates following public announcement of a proposed initial business combination would not be voted in favor of approving the initial business combination. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. In addition, our sponsor and its affiliates would waive any redemption rights with respect to any public shares that they purchase in any such privately negotiated transactions. The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to increase the

 

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likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition for the initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our public shares may result in the completion of the 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. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent the purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. To the extent that our sponsor or its affiliates purchase any public shares as contemplated above, we will file a Current Report on Form 8-K prior to the special meeting that will disclose:

 

   

the amount of such public shares purchased by our sponsor or its affiliates, along with the purchase price;

 

   

the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates;

 

   

the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor or its affiliates on the likelihood that the initial business combination will be approved;

 

   

the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor or its affiliates; and

 

   

the number of public shares for which we have received redemption requests in connection with the business combination.

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

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

Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.30 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly

 

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redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. 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.

Manner of Conducting Redemptions

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either: (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination; or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other 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 second amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

   

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

 

   

file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.

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

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

 

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

 

   

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

 

   

file proxy materials with the SEC.

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

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, 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, subject to certain restrictions as set forth in the section of this prospectus titled “Proposed Business — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities”. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock present and voting at the meeting to approve the business combination, 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 2,405,001, or 37.0% of the 6,500,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted, the over-allotment option is not exercised, the initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering or units or shares in the after-market and the representative shares are voted in favor of the 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 quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

Our second amended and restated 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.

 

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

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

Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with Redemption Rights

We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either deliver their stock certificates to our transfer agent up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination, 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 proxy materials 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. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have up to two days prior to the vote on the initial business combination to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.

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

The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the initial business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which

 

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stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the initial business combination is approved.

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

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

If our initial proposed initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering.

Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination

Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 12 months, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such specified 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 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 the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above 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 12 month time period, or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months.

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 12 months or if we decide to exercise the extension option, within 18 months, from the closing of this offering. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 12-month (or 18 month, if applicable) time period.

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation: (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months

 

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from the closing of this offering; or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we will only redeem our public shares so long as (after such redemption) our net tangible assets will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriters’ fees and commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.

We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,020,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.30. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.

Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in t