Authentic Equity Acquisition Corp. - Quarter Report: 2021 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021

OR

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from           to           

Commission File Number: 001-39903

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

32 Elm Place, 2nd Floor
Rye, NY 10580

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (646) 374-0919

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐

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.

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐

As of November 12, 2021, there were 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001, and 7,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001, issued and outstanding.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

Table of Contents

PART I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT

For the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2021

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

UNAUDITED CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed financial statements.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1-Description of Organization and Business Operations

Organization and General

Authentic Equity Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on September 29, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through September 30, 2021, relates to the Company’s formation, the initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) described below and the search for a target business with which to consummate an initial Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income on investments held in trust account from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined below). There was no activity from September 29, 2020 (inception) to September 30, 2020, therefore no comparative period reported on the unaudited condensed statement of operations or statement of changes in shareholders’ deficit.

Sponsor and Financing

The Company’s sponsor is Authentic Equity Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on January 14, 2021. On January 20, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including 3,000,000 additional Units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option (the “Over-Allotment Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $13.3 million, of which approximately $8.1 million was for deferred underwriting commissions (Note 5).

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 6,600,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”) to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 million, and incurred offering costs of approximately $18,000, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”). In addition, the Company consummated the sale of certain rights to General Electric Pension Trust (“GEPT” and such rights, the “GEPT Rights”) for gross proceeds of $824,500, which will allow GEPT to purchase up to $50.0 million of Forward Purchase Units (as defined in Note 5) immediately prior to an initial Business Combination, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the Forward Purchase Agreement (as defined in Note 5).

Trust Account

Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $230.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement were placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and the amount is invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (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, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.

Initial Business Combination

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, the Private Placement and the sale of the GEPT Rights, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company’s initial Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the signing of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company will only complete a 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.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Company will provide the holders of the Public Shares (the “Public Shareholders”), with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account ($10.00 per Public Share). The per-share amount to be distributed to Public Shareholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 5). These Public Shares are classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”). In such case, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transactions is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial shareholders (as defined below) agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of a Business Combination. Pursuant to the Company’s insider trading policy, insiders are required to: (i) refrain from purchasing shares during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (ii) clear all trades with the Company’s Chief Financial Officer prior to execution. In addition, the initial shareholders agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and Public Shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a Public Shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% or more of the Class A ordinary shares sold in the Initial Public Offering, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “initial shareholders”) agreed not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (a) that would modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within 24 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering, or January 20, 2023, (the “Combination Period”) or (b) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The initial shareholders agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the initial shareholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such Public Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 5) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the residual assets remaining available for distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be only $10.00 per share initially held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, except our independent registered public accounting firm, prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Liquidity and Going Concern

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had approximately $660,000 of cash in its operating account and a deficit of approximately $154,000.

The Company’s liquidity needs to date have been satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from the Sponsor to cover certain expenses in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, a loan of $96,500 from the Sponsor pursuant to the Note (see Note 4), and a portion of the proceeds from the consummation of the Private Placement and sale of the GEPT Rights not held in the Trust Account. The Company repaid the Note in full on January 20, 2021. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans (see Note 4). As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loan.

The Company may need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or its officers or directors. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor, or their affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, reducing overhead expenses, and extending the terms and due dates of certain accrued expenses and other liabilities. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through the Combination Period, which is the date the Company is required to cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up if it has not completed a business combination. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

Note 2-Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements are presented in U.S. dollars in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for financial information and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by GAAP. In the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed financial statements reflect all adjustments, which include only normal recurring adjustments necessary for the fair statement of the balances and results for the periods presented. Operating results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected through December 31, 2021 or any future period.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Revision to Previously Reported Financial Statements

In preparation of the Company’s unaudited condensed financial statements as of and for quarterly period ended September 30, 2021, the Company concluded it should revise its financial statements to classify all Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in temporary equity. In accordance with the SEC and its staff’s guidance on redeemable equity instruments, ASC 480, paragraph 10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of the Company require ordinary shares subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. The Company had previously classified a portion of its Class A ordinary shares in permanent equity, or total shareholders’ equity. Although the Company did not specify a maximum redemption threshold, its charter currently provides that, the Company will not redeem its public shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Previously the Company did not consider redeemable stock classified as temporary equity as part of net tangible assets. Effective with these financial statements, the Company revised this interpretation to include temporary equity in net intangible assets. Accordingly, effective with this filing, the Company presents all redeemable Class A ordinary shares as temporary equity and to recognize accretion from the initial book value to redemption value at the time of its Initial Public Offering and in accordance with ASC 480. The change in the carrying value of the redeemable shares of Class A ordinary shares at the Initial Public Offering resulted in a decrease of approximately $7.1 million in additional paid-in capital and an increase of approximately $25.0 million to accumulated deficit, as well as a reclassification of 3,208,087 shares of Class A ordinary shares from permanent equity to temporary equity. The Company will present this revision in a prospective manner in all future filings. Under this approach, the previously issued financial statement included as an exhibit to the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 20, 2021, and Form 10-Qs will not be amended, but historical amounts presented in the current and future filings will be recast to be consistent with the current presentation.

The impact of the revision to the unaudited condensed balance sheets as of March 31, 2021, and June 30, 2021, is a reclassification of $23.8 million and $28.1 million, respectively, from total shareholders’ equity to Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption. There is no impact to the reported amounts for total assets, total liabilities, cash flows (except non-cash items), net income (loss), or the net income (loss) per share. In connection with the change in presentation for the Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, the Company has revised its earnings per share calculation to allocate income and losses shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. This presentation contemplates a Business Combination as the most likely outcome, in which case, both classes of shares share pro rata in the income and losses of the Company.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

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

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Use of Estimates

The preparation of unaudited condensed financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the unaudited condensed financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any cash equivalents.

Investments Held in Trust Account

The Company’s portfolio of investments held in the Trust Account is comprised of U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less, or investments in money market funds that invest in U.S. government securities and generally have a readily determinable fair value, or a combination thereof. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of U.S. government securities, the investments are classified as trading securities. When the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are comprised of money market funds, the investments are recognized at fair value. Trading securities and investments in money market funds are presented on the balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities are included in net gain from investments held in Trust Account in the accompanying unaudited condensed statements of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in the Trust Account are determined using available market information.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation limit of $250,000, and investments held in Trust Account. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities which qualify as financial instruments under the FASB ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurements” equal or approximate the carrying amounts represented in the condensed balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature (except for derivative assets and liabilities - see Note 9).

Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value.

The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). These tiers consist of:

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

In some circumstances, the inputs used to measure fair value might be categorized within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In those instances, the fair value measurement is categorized in its entirety in the fair value hierarchy based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement.

Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering

Offering costs consisted of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the Initial Public Offering that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with derivative warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred and presented as non-operating expenses in the statements of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were charged against the carrying value of the Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. The Company classifies deferred underwriting commissions as non-current liabilities as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.

Derivative Assets and Liabilities

The Company does not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. The Company evaluates all of its financial instruments, including issued share purchase warrants and forward purchase units, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to ASC 480 and FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as assets/liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.

The warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the “Public Warrants”), the Private Placement Warrants and units that may be issued in connection with forward purchase agreement are recognized as derivative assets or liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, the Company recognizes the warrant instruments and forward purchase units as derivative assets or liabilities at fair value and adjusts the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The derivative assets or liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The fair value of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering were initially measured using a binomial lattice model and subsequently been measured at each measurement date based on the market price of such warrants. The fair value of warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement was initially measured using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model and subsequently using the market value of the public warrants when they were separately listed and traded. The fair value of the units that may be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement has been estimated using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model at each measurement date. The determination of the fair value of the warrant liability may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly. Derivative warrant assets and liabilities are classified as non-current as their liquidation is not reasonably expected to require the use of current assets or require the creation of current liabilities.

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company accounts for its Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of September 30, 2021, 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of the Company’s condensed balance sheets. There were no Class A ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020.

Effective with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount, which resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital (to the extent available) and accumulated deficit.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Income Taxes

FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020. Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.

There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s unaudited condensed financial statements. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.

Net Income per Ordinary Share

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period.

The calculation of diluted net income (loss) per ordinary share does not consider the effect of the warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants to purchase 18,100,000 Class A ordinary shares since their exercise is contingent upon future events and their inclusion would be anti-dilutive under the treasury stock method. As a result, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value. The diluted earnings per share calculation includes the Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture in relation to the over-allotment from the first day of the interim period in which the contingency on such shares was resolved.

The table below presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net income per share for each class of ordinary shares:

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on January 1, 2021, using a modified retrospective method for transition. Adoption of the ASU did not impact the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Company’s management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements.

Note 3-Initial Public Offering

On January 20, 2021, the Company consummated its Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 Units, including 3,000,000 Over-Allotment Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $13.3 million, of which approximately $8.1 million was for deferred underwriting commissions.

Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 8).

Note 4-Related Party Transactions

Founder Shares

On October 1, 2020, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for issuance of 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001, (the “Founder Shares”). In December 2020, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to the Class B ordinary shares resulting in an aggregate of 7,000,000 Founder Shares outstanding. The Sponsor subsequently transferred 25,000 Class B ordinary shares to each of the Company’s independent directors, which shares were not subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised. The Sponsor agreed to forfeit (a) up to 750,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters and (b) up to 1,250,000 Founder Shares depending on the number of units purchased under the Forward Purchase Agreement if such number is below 5,000,000. The forfeiture in the preceding clause (a) would be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option was not exercised in full by the underwriters, so that the Founder Shares would represent 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering plus the number of Class A ordinary shares that may be sold pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement. On January 20, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option; thus, 750,000 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture.

The Sponsor, the Company’s directors and executive officers and GEPT agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares or the Class B ordinary shares that may be issued to GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement, until the earlier to occur of: (a) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination and (b) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

Private Placement Warrants

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the Private Placement of 6,600,000 Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 million, and incurred offering costs of approximately $18,000.

Each whole Private Placement Warrant is exercisable for one whole Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement was added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. The Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor, GEPT or their permitted transferees.

The Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Private Placement Warrants until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Related Party Loans

On September 30, 2020, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover for expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan was non-interest bearing and payable upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. The Company borrowed approximately $97,000 under the Note and fully repaid the Note on January 20, 2021.

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of September 30, 2021 and December 31, 2020, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.

Administrative Support Agreement

Commencing on the effective date of the prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering, the Company agreed to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to the Company. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company incurred approximately $30,000 and approximately $84,000 in expense for these services, respectively. As of September 30, 2021, there was $10,000 in accounts payable - related party outstanding, as reflected in the accompanying condensed balance sheets.

Note 5-Commitments and Contingencies

Forward Purchase Agreement

In connection with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company entered into a forward purchase agreement (the “Forward Purchase Agreement”) with GEPT, pursuant to which, in exchange for $824,500 of proceeds paid to the Company simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, GEPT has the right, in its discretion, to purchase up to the lesser of (i) $50.0 million of units and (ii) a number of units equal to 19.99% of the pro forma equity outstanding at the time of the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, including but not limited to, any ordinary shares issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering, the Forward Purchase Agreement or any private placement or other offering or to any seller in the initial Business Combination (the “Forward Purchase Units”), with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share (the “Forward Purchase Shares”) and 0.425 of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (the “Forward Purchase Warrants”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit, in a private placement to occur immediately prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

If GEPT purchases the maximum number of Forward Purchase Units available to it under the Forward Purchase Agreement, the Company will issue to GEPT, at the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination and prior to the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the terms thereof (the “GEPT Issuance”):

In connection with such issuance, the Sponsor agreed to forfeit to the Company for no consideration a number of Class B ordinary shares and Private Placement Warrants (the “Sponsor Forfeiture”) such that after the Sponsor Forfeiture and the GEPT Issuance, the Sponsor will own (i) a number of Class B ordinary shares equal to 87.5% of the number of Post-Business Combination Class B ordinary shares plus 15,000 Class B ordinary shares, and (ii) a number of Private Placement Warrants equal to 87.5% of the number of Post-Business Combination Private Placement Warrants.

The Company will determine the number of Forward Purchase Units to be sold under the Forward Purchase Agreement and GEPT’s obligation to purchase such units will be subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, among others, the delivery by GEPT of a notice to the Company that it will purchase the Forward Purchase Units in whole or in part. The rights of GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares are redeemed by the Public Shareholders. If GEPT does not purchase the maximum number of Forward Purchase Units available to it under the Forward Purchase Agreement, GEPT will not be entitled to receive any of the Founder Shares or Private Placement Warrants described above, and we will be entitled to retain the $824,500 paid to the Company by GEPT.

The Forward Purchase Warrants purchased by GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement will have the same terms as the Public Warrants. The Private Placement Warrants to be issued to GEPT as described above will have the same terms and be subject to the same transfer restrictions as the Private Placement Warrants held by the Sponsor.

Registration and Shareholder Rights

The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement signed upon consummation of the Initial Public Offering. These holders are entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration and shareholder rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the termination of the applicable lock-up period for the securities to be registered. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement, the Company has agreed to use reasonable best efforts to: (i) file within 30 days after the closing of the initial Business Combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the Forward Purchase Shares and the Forward Purchase Warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares); (ii) cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the initial filing; (iii) maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which GEPT or its assignees cease to hold the securities covered thereby, and (B) the date all of the securities covered thereby can be sold publicly without restriction or limitation under Rule 144 of the Securities Act; and (iv) after such registration statement is declared effective, cause the Company to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the Forward Purchase Agreement provides for certain “piggy-back” registration rights to the holders of forward purchase securities to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company. The Company will bear the cost of registering these securities.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Underwriting Agreement

The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the final prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at $10.00 per Unit, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On January 20, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option.

The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $4.6 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or approximately $8.1 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred underwriting commissions will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these unaudited condensed financial statements. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Note 6-Warrants

As of September 30, 2021, the Company had 11,500,000 Public Warrants and the 6,600,000 Private Placement Warrants outstanding. No warrants were outstanding as of December 31, 2020.

Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or the Company permits holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act). The Company agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of the initial Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement provided that if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, it will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60^th day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

The warrants have an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share, and will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination (excluding any forward purchase securities) at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the 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 the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

The Private Placement Warrants and the Forward Purchase Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable, except as described above, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers, GEPT or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):

The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, it may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00.

Commencing 90 days after the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:

provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of the Class A ordinary shares.

The “fair market value” of the Class A ordinary shares for the above purpose shall mean the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.365 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).

If the Company has not completed the initial Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

Note 7-Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of future events. The Company is authorized to issue 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of September 30, 2021, there were 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares issued and subject to possible redemption. As of December 31, 2020, there are no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.

The Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption reflected on the condensed balance sheet is reconciled on the following table:

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 8-Shareholders’ Deficit

Preference Shares - The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.

Class A Ordinary Shares - The Company is authorized to issue 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of September 30, 2021, there were 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, and all of which were subject to possible redemption and included as temporary equity. As of December 31, 2020, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding. See Note 7.

Class B Ordinary Shares - The Company is authorized to issue 30,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On October 1, 2020, the Company issued 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor. In December 2020, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to the Class B ordinary shares resulting in an aggregate of 7,000,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. At December 31, 2020, of the 7,000,000 Class B ordinary shares outstanding, up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part, and up to 1,250,000 Class B ordinary shares are subject to forfeiture depending on the number of units purchased by GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement if such number is below 5,000,000, so that the initial shareholders will collectively own approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares (less the total number of Class B ordinary shares forfeited (if any) by the Sponsor to the extent less than 5,000,000 units are purchased under the Forward Purchase Agreement) plus the number of Class A ordinary shares that may be sold pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement (See Note 5). On January 20, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option; thus, 750,000 Class B ordinary shares were no longer subject to forfeiture. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, there were 7,000,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding.

Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders except as required by law.

The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering (less the total number of Class B ordinary shares forfeited (if any) by the Sponsor to the extent less than 5,000,000 units are purchased under the Forward Purchase Agreement) and the number of Class A ordinary shares that may be sold pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination, any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of the management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and any Forward Purchase Warrants. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.

Note 9-Fair Value Measurements

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques that the Company utilized to determine such fair value. There were no assets or liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2020.

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2, and 3 are recognized at the beginning of the reporting period. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants and the Private Warrants transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 and a Level 2 fair value measurement in March 2021, respectively, when the Public Warrants were separately listed and traded.

Level 1 instruments include investments invested in mutual funds that invest in U.S. government securities. The Company uses inputs such as actual trade data, benchmark yields, quoted market prices from dealers or brokers, and other similar sources to determine the fair value of its investments.

The fair value of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering was initially measured using a binomial lattice model and subsequently been measured based on the market price of such warrants at each measurement date. The fair value of warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement was initially measured using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model and subsequently using the quoted price in active market when the Public Warrants were separately listed and traded. The fair value of the units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement has been estimated using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model at each measurement date. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, the Company recognized a gain on change in the fair value of derivative instruments of approximately $3.3 million and $8.1 million, respectively, presented on the accompanying unaudited condensed statements of operations.

The change in the fair value of the Level 3 derivative (assets) liabilities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, is summarized as follows:

The estimated fair value of the Private Placement Warrants, and the Public Warrants prior to being separately listed and traded, is determined using Level 3 inputs on January 20, 2021. Inherent in a binomial lattice model and Black-Scholes Option Pricing model are assumptions related to expected stock-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimates the volatility of its warrants based on implied volatility from the Company’s traded warrants and from historical volatility of select peer company’s ordinary shares that matches the expected remaining life of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates remaining at zero. The Company estimates the probability of completing a Business Combination based on recent historical failure rates for special-purpose acquisition companies (“SPACs”) and the current market environment.

The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements inputs of the derivative warrant liabilities at the measurement date:

AUTHENTIC EQUITY ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The estimated fair value of the forward purchase agreement is determined using Level 3 inputs. Inherent in a Black-Scholes Option Pricing model are assumptions related to expected stock-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimates the volatility of the forward purchase unit based on implied volatility from the Company’s traded units and from historical volatility of select peer company’s ordinary shares that matches the expected remaining life of the units. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the unit. The expected life of the forward purchase unit is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates remaining at zero.

The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair vale measurements inputs of the forward purchase agreement at each measurement date:

Note 10-Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events to determine if events or transactions occurring through the date the unaudited condensed financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent event that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the unaudited condensed financial statements.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

References to the “Company,” “our,” “us” or “we” refer to Authentic Equity Acquisition Corp. The following discussion and analysis of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the unaudited condensed financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions about us that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “continue,” or the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. Such statements include, but are not limited to, possible business combinations and the financing thereof, and related matters, as well as all other statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-Q. Factors that might cause or contribute to such a discrepancy include, but are not limited to, those described in our other Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filings.

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated on September 29, 2020, as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”). We will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company.

Sponsor and Financing

Our Sponsor is Authentic Equity Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”). The registration statement for our initial public offering (the “Initial Public Offering”) was declared effective on January 14, 2021. On January 20, 2021, we consummated its Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”), including 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments (the “Over-Allotment Units”), at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230.0 million, and incurring offering costs of approximately $13.3 million, of which approximately $8.1 million was for deferred underwriting commissions.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 6,600,000 warrants (each, a “Private Placement Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Placement Warrants”) to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 million, and incurred offering costs of approximately $18,000, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”). In addition, the Company consummated the sale of certain rights to General Electric Pension Trust (“GEPT” and such rights, the “GEPT Rights”) for gross proceeds of $824,500, which will allow GEPT to purchase up to $50.0 million of Forward Purchase Units (as defined below) immediately prior to an initial Business Combination.

Trust Account

Upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement, $230.0 million ($10.00 per Unit) of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain of the proceeds of the Private Placement were placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and are invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (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, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the Trust Account as described below.

Initial Business Combination

Our management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering, the sale of Private Placement Warrants and the sale of the GEPT Rights, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that we will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. Our initial Business Combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of the signing of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, we will only complete a 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.

If we are unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination 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 its tax obligations, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

Results of Operations

Our entire activity from September 29, 2020 (inception) through September 30, 2021, consisted of formation and preparation for the Initial Public Offering and since the Initial Public Offering, the search for a target business with which to consummate an initial Business Combination, and as such, we had no operations and no significant operating revenues.

For the three months ended September 30, 2021, we had net income of approximately $2.9 million, which consisted of approximately $3.3 million of a gain from change in fair value of derivative instruments and approximately $6,000 of net gain from investments held in Trust Account, partially offset by approximately $326,000 of general and administrative expenses and $30,000 of related party administrative fees.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2021, we had net income of approximately $4.8 million, which consisted of approximately $8.1 million of a gain from change in fair value of derivative instruments and approximately $16,000 of net gain from investments held in Trust Account, partially offset by approximately $1.1 million of general and administrative expenses, approximately $702,000 offering costs associated with issuance of public and private warrants, approximately $1.4 million loss on excess of fair value over cash received for private placement warrants and approximately $84,000 of related party administrative fees.

There was no activity for the period from September 29, 2020 (inception) through September 30, 2020. 

Liquidity and Going Concern

As of September 30, 2021, we had approximately $660,000 in our operating bank account and a deficit of approximately $154,000.

Our liquidity needs to date have been satisfied through a contribution of $25,000 from Sponsor to cover for certain expenses in exchange for the issuance of the Founder Shares, a loan of approximately $97,000 from the Sponsor pursuant to the Note, and certain portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement and sale of the GEPT Right held outside of the Trust Account. We repaid the Note in full on January 20, 2021. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide us Working Capital Loans. As of September 30, 2021, and December 31, 2020, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loan.

The Company may need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or its officers or directors. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor, or their affiliates, may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion, to meet the Company’s working capital needs. Accordingly, the Company may not be able to obtain additional financing. If the Company is unable to raise additional capital, it may be required to take additional measures to conserve liquidity, which could include, but not necessarily be limited to, curtailing operations, suspending the pursuit of a potential transaction, reducing overhead expenses, and extending the terms and due dates of certain accrued expenses and other liabilities. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” management has determined these conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern through the Combination Period, which is the date the Company is required to cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up if it has not completed a business combination. These financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recovery of the recorded assets or the classification of the liabilities that might be necessary should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

We continue to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the balance sheet. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Contractual Obligations

Forward Purchase Agreement

In connection with the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company entered into a forward purchase agreement (the “Forward Purchase Agreement”) with GEPT, pursuant to which, in exchange for $824,500 of proceeds paid to the Company simultaneously with the closing of the Initial public Offering, GEPT has the right, in its discretion, to purchase up to the lesser of (i) $50.0 million of units and (ii) a number of units equal to 19.99% of the pro forma equity outstanding at the time of the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, including but not limited to, any ordinary shares issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering, the Forward Purchase Agreement or any private placement or other offering or to any seller in the initial Business Combination (the “Forward Purchase Units”), with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share (the “Forward Purchase Shares”) and 0.425 of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (the “Forward Purchase Warrants”), for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit, in a private placement to occur immediately prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination.

In consideration for the purchase for the Forward Purchase Units, if GEPT purchases the maximum number of Forward Purchase Units available to it under the Forward Purchase Agreement, the Company will issue to GEPT, at the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination and prior to the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares into Class A ordinary shares in accordance with the terms thereof (the “GEPT Issuance”):

In connection with such issuance, the Sponsor agreed to forfeit to the Company for no consideration a number of Class B ordinary shares and Private Placement Warrants (the “Sponsor Forfeiture”) such that after the Sponsor Forfeiture and the GEPT Issuance, the Sponsor will own (i) a number of Class B ordinary shares equal to 87.5% of the number of Post-Business Combination Class B ordinary shares plus 15,000 Class B ordinary shares, and (ii) a number of Private Placement Warrants equal to 87.5% of the number of Post-Business Combination Private Placement Warrants.

The Company will determine the number of Forward Purchase Units to be sold under the Forward Purchase Agreement and GEPT’s obligation to purchase such units will be subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including, among others, the delivery by GEPT of a notice to us that it will purchase the Forward Purchase Units in whole or in part. The rights of GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement do not depend on whether any Class A ordinary shares are redeemed by our public shareholders. If GEPT does not purchase the maximum number of forward purchase units available to it under the Forward Purchase Agreement, GEPT will not be entitled to receive any of the Founder Shares or Private Placement Warrants described above, and we will be entitled to retain the $824,500 paid to us by GEPT.

The Forward Purchase Warrants purchased by GEPT under the Forward Purchase Agreement will have the same terms as the Public Warrants. The Private Placement Warrants to be issued to GEPT as described above will have the same terms and be subject to the same transfer restrictions as the Private Placement Warrants held by the Sponsor.

Registration and Shareholder Rights

The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement signed upon consummation of the Initial Public Offering. These holders are entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration and shareholder rights agreement provide that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until the termination of the applicable lock-up period for the securities to be registered. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to use reasonable best efforts to: (i) file within 30 days after the closing of the initial Business Combination a registration statement with the SEC for a secondary offering of the Forward Purchase Shares and the Forward Purchase Warrants (and underlying Class A ordinary shares); (ii) cause such registration statement to be declared effective promptly thereafter but in no event later than sixty (60) days after the initial filing; (iii) maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the earliest of (A) the date on which GEPT or its assignees cease to hold the securities covered thereby, and (B) the date all of the securities covered thereby can be sold publicly without restriction or limitation under Rule 144 of the Securities Act; and (iv), after such registration statement is declared effective, cause the Company to conduct firm commitment underwritten offerings, subject to certain limitations. In addition, the Forward Purchase Agreement provides for certain “piggy-back” registration rights to the holders of forward purchase securities to include their securities in other registration statements filed by the Company. The Company will bear the cost of registering these securities.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the final prospectus relating to the Initial Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at $10.00 per Unit, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On January 20, 2021, the underwriter fully exercised its over-allotment option.

The underwriters were entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $4.6 million in the aggregate, paid upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or approximately $8.1 million in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred underwriting commissions will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The unaudited condensed financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Critical Accounting Policies

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

We account for our Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Class A ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption (if any) are classified as liability instruments and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Class A ordinary shares (including Class A ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, as of September 30, 2021, 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ equity section of our condensed balance sheets. There were no Class A ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2020.

Net Income per Ordinary Share

We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Income and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. Net income (loss) per ordinary share is calculated by dividing the net income (loss) by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period.

The calculation of diluted net income (loss) per ordinary share does not consider the effect of the warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement Warrants to purchase 18,100,000 Class A ordinary shares since their exercise is contingent upon future events. As a result, diluted net loss per share is the same as basic net loss per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021. Accretion associated with the redeemable Class A ordinary shares is excluded from earnings per share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

Derivative Assets and Liabilities

We do not use derivative instruments to hedge exposures to cash flow, market, or foreign currency risks. We evaluate all of its financial instruments, including issued share purchase warrants, to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives, pursuant to the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity” (“ASC 480”) and FASB ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”). The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is re-assessed at the end of each reporting period.

The warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (the “Public Warrants”), the Private Placement Warrants and units committed to be issued in connection with forward purchase agreement are recognized as derivative assets or liabilities in accordance with ASC 815. Accordingly, we recognize the warrant instruments and forward purchase units as derivative assets or liabilities at fair value and adjust the instruments to fair value at each reporting period. The assets and liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statement of operations. The fair value of the warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering was initially measured using a binomial lattice model and subsequently been measured at each measurement date based on the market price of such warrants. The fair value of warrants issued in connection with the Private Placement was initially measured using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model and subsequently using the market value of the public warrants when they were separately listed and traded. The fair value of the units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement has been estimated using Black-Scholes Option Pricing model at each measurement date.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, Debt-Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging-Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU also removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity-linked contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. We adopted ASU 2020-06 on January 1, 2021 using a modified retrospective method for transition. Adoption of the ASU did not impact our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Our management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards updates, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the accompanying unaudited condensed financial statements.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As of September 30, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.

JOBS Act

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

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

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 30, 2021, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of September 30, 2021.

Disclosure controls and procedures are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in company reports filed or submitted under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes in internal control over financial reporting

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2021, covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. The material weakness discussed below was remediated during the quarter ended September 30, 2021.

Remediation of a Material Weakness in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

In connection with our management's assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 30, 2021, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. The identified material weakness pertained to our control activities solely due to our misapplication of the accounting for our warrants as liabilities. Our control activities were not designed appropriately to ensure that our related accounting conclusions were sufficiently documented and reviewed for compliance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). The material weakness resulted in a material misstatement of current liabilities and shareholders' equity (deficit) on our balance sheet as well as a material misstatement of our net income within our statements of operations.

During the second quarter of 2021, our management enhanced and revised the design of our controls and procedures over our accounting for derivative liabilities. These enhancements include our implementation of additional procedures related to documentation of our management's evaluation of the facts and circumstances supporting its judgments and conclusions surrounding our accounting for derivative liabilities as well as consultation with third-party accounting and valuation experts with relevant knowledge and experience to assist our management with its evaluation of our accounting for such items.

As a result of these enhancements, our management concluded that the material weakness was remediated as of September 30, 2021.

PART II - OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1A. Risk Factors

As of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, there have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in our final prospectus filed with the SEC on January 19, 2021, except for the below risk factors. We may disclose changes to such factors or disclose additional factors from time to time in our future filings with the SEC.

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

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

Our warrants and units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement are accounted for as a derivative liability and are recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination.

We account for our warrants and the units committed to be issued in connection with the forward purchase agreement as a derivative liability and will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third party valuation firm. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants or units that are accounted for as a derivative liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business.

Our warrants are accounted for as a derivative liability and are recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination.

We account for our warrants as a derivative liability and will record them at fair value upon issuance with any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from an independent third party valuation firm. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a derivative liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial Business Combination with a target business.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 6,600,000 warrants to the Sponsor for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $5.8 million, in a private placement. In addition, we consummated the sale of certain rights to GEPT for gross proceeds of $824,500, which will allow GEPT to purchase up to $50.0 million of Forward Purchase Units immediately prior to any initial Business Combination.

Of the gross proceeds received from the Initial Public Offering and certain portion of the proceeds received from the Private Placement, $230,000,000 was placed in the Trust Account. The net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and certain proceeds from the Private Placement are invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less and 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.

Item 6. Exhibits.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized on this 12th day of November, 2021.

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