Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021
☐ 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 001-40897
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
Cayman Islands |
| |
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) |
| (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
1221 Brickell Avenue, Suite 900 Miami, Florida 33131 |
| N/A |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (zip code) |
(305) 347-5140 |
(Issuer’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each Class |
| Trading Symbols |
| Name of Each Exchange on Which Registered |
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and three-quarters of one redeemable warrant |
| DAOOU |
| The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share |
| DAOO |
| The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Redeemable warrants, exercisable for Class A ordinary shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share |
| DAOOW |
| The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
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 past 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirement 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 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 emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | ⌧ | Smaller reporting company | ⌧ |
|
| Emerging growth company | ⌧ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐
The registrant’s ordinary shares were not listed on any exchange and had no value as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of 2021. The registrant’s units begin trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on December 7, 2021 and the registrant’s Class A ordinary shares and warrants began trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on January 12, 2022. The aggregate market value of the units outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing price for the units on December 31, 2021, as reported on the Nasdaq Global Market was $232,300,000.
As of March 31, 2022, 23,000,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,750,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value per share, issued and outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This annual report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. There can be no assurance that actual results will not materially differ from expectations. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to our ability to consummate any acquisition or other business combination and any other statements that are not statements of current or historical facts. These statements are based on management’s current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including, but not limited to our:
● | ability to complete our initial business combination; |
● | success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following an initial business combination; |
● | officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements; |
● | potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete an initial business combination; |
● | pool of potential business combination targets; |
● | failure to maintain the listing on, or the delisting of our securities from, Nasdaq or an inability to have our securities listed on Nasdaq or another national securities exchange following our initial business combination; |
● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities; |
● | potential change in control if we acquire one or more target businesses for stock; |
● | public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
● | lack of a market for our securities; |
● | use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or |
● | our financial performance. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this annual report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) and other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. These risks and others described under “Risk Factors” may not be exhaustive.
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By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report. In addition, even if our results or operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this annual report, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
In this Annual Report on Form 10-K (the “Form 10-K”), references to the “Company” and to “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp.
Overview
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands on May 24, 2021. We were formed for purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, or reorganization or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to capitalize on our management team’s background and experience to identify promising opportunities to acquire a significant cryptocurrency and digital assets exchange, payment system and/or related financial services company. We view our most attractive opportunities as operating in the emerging cryptocurrency markets of Asia (such as Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines), Europe (such as Germany and Switzerland) and Latin America (such as Brazil and Mexico). We will not pursue any target nor consummate an initial business combination with any entity that is incorporated, organized or has its principal business operations in China, Hong Kong or Macau.
In June 2021, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (“founders’ shares”) for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC (“Sponsor”).
On December 9, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 23,000,000 units. Each unit (“Unit”) consists of one Class A ordinary share and three-quarters of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”), with each whole Public Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000.
Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement (“Private Placement”) of 8,150,000 warrants (the “Private Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, generating total proceeds of $8,150,000. The Private Warrants were sold to the Sponsor. The Private Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants included in the Units sold in our initial public offering.
On January 12, 2022, the Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrant included in the Units began separate trading.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to consummate our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet one or more of these criteria and guidelines. We seek to acquire companies within industries that exhibit strong characteristics including, but not limited to, the following:
● | significant established market position and domestic and international expansion potential, |
● | its own solid technological base or access to a stable, capable outside supplier, |
● | capability and commitment to full financial markets regulation and SEC compliance, and |
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● | a motivated and capable management team. |
These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive or inviolate. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
We may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination. We intend to acquire a company with an enterprise value significantly above the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants. Depending on the size of the transaction or the number of public shares we become obligated to redeem, we may potentially utilize several additional financing sources, including but not limited to the issuance of additional securities to the sellers of a target business, debt issued by banks or other lenders or the owners of the target, a private placement to raise additional funds, or a combination of the foregoing. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient to meet our obligations or our working capital needs, we may need to obtain additional financing.
Initial Business Combination
We have up to 12 months from the closing of our initial public offering on December 9, 2021 to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months from December 9, 2021), provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on December 6, 2021, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our Sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $2,300,000 ($0.10 per share in either case, or an aggregate of $4,600,000), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our public shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. In the event that our Sponsor elects to extend the time to complete a business combination and deposits the applicable amount of money into trust, the sponsor would receive a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit that will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. In the event that we receive notice from our Sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its intent to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our Sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that some, but not all, of our Sponsor’s affiliates or designees, decide to extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination, such affiliates or designees may deposit the entire amount required. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within such time period, we will, as promptly as possible but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, including a pro rata portion of any interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. However, we may not be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders. In the event of our dissolution and liquidation, the Private Warrants will expire and be worthless.
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
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We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the prior owners of the target business, the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the target businesses together as our initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we conduct a thorough due diligence review process that encompasses, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. We also seek to utilize our operational and capital planning experience.
Given our experience, we have the capacity to appropriately source opportunities and conduct a substantial portion of due diligence ourselves, relying less on third parties than many other similar companies.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he may, subject to his fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law, be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us or, in the case of a non-compete obligation, possibly prohibited from referring such opportunity to us. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations to other entities. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers arising in the future would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Sourcing of Potential Business Combination Targets
We believe our management team has the required analytic, financial, and operational expertise to complete a successful initial business combination and generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our shareholders. Our acquisition and value-creation strategy is to identify and combine with an established high-growth company that can benefit from both a constructive combination and continued value-creation by our management team. We believe that our management team’s cycle-tested and distinctive investment approach will contribute to a successful initial business combination and the continued development of the combined company.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, executive officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we will offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares, stock or equity interests in the target business for shares of our Class A ordinary shares or for a combination of shares of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more certain and cost-effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriter’s ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests. It can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.00 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Financial Position
With funds available for an initial business combination in the amount of $231,128,639 as of December 31, 2021, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use
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the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations other than the pursuit of our initial business combination, for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the Private Placement of the Private Warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of our initial public offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we are targeting businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources as a result of our management’s experience, execution history and ability to deploy capital. These sources include, but are not limited to, investment bankers, private investment funds and other members of our network of business relationships. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. We anticipate that we will engage the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions, in connection with which we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiations based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors or making the initial business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our Sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our Sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would
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obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. There is no basis for our investors to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective business target, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
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Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. In addition, we are focusing our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
● | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
● | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following an initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
● | we issue shares of Class A ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our Class A ordinary shares then outstanding; |
● | any of our directors, officers or substantial shareholders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in outstanding common shares or voting power of 5% or more; or |
● | the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
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The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
● | the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; |
● | the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote; |
● | the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; |
● | other time and budget constraints of the Company; and |
● | additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders. |
Permitted Purchases of our Securities
In the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares such persons may purchase. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions. They will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our Sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of such purchases would be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our Sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our Sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom
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to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our Sponsor, officers, directors, and/or any of their affiliates will purchase shares only if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will be made only to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our Sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates will not make purchases of Class A ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. As of December 31, 2021, the amount in the trust account was approximately $10.05 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and shares underlying Private Warrants and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination transaction with a target company in a manner that requires shareholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a shareholder vote to approve the proposed business combination. We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless shareholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
● | tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our initial shareholders will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our Sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the Company. In such case, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have also agreed to vote any public shares owned by them immediately before this offering as well as any public shares acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, and our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
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Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering without our consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, such form of delivery at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
The foregoing is different from the procedures used by many blank check companies. In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the general meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to
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elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete our initial business combination with a different target by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we will have until December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), 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 all public shares then outstanding at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account, less any interest released to us for the payment of taxes, if any (and less up to $100,000 in interest reserved for expenses in connection with our dissolution), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our founder shares or warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the above time period. The redemption of public shares from the trust account shall be done automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and prior to any voluntary winding up, although at all times subject to Cayman Islands law.
Our initial shareholders have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination). However, if they acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination).
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, each pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (and less up to $100,000 in interest reserved for expenses in connection with our dissolution), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules).
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, would be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,193,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account as of December 31, 2021, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest
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accrued in the trust account not previously released to us to pay taxes, if any, on interest earned in the trust account, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.05 per share. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.05 per share.
Although we have sought and will continue to seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business (except our independent registered public accounting firm) execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a vendor for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our other officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no such indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our disinterested directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our disinterested directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our disinterested directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by such directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the disinterested directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.05 per public share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our Sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our Sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have access to the amounts held outside the trust account ($1,193,008 as of December 31, 2021) with which to pay any such potential claims plus interest released to us (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.
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If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy or winding-up estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or winding-up claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.05 per public share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), or (b) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Employees
We have three officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they devote as much of their time as they deem necessary, in the exercise of their respective business judgement, to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time our officers devote in any time period varies based on the stage of the initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with any member of our management team.
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Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We have registered our Units, Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We have filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an emerging growth company can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
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We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following December 9, 2026, the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by nonaffiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below before making an investment decision. Our business ,prospects, financial condition or operating results could be harmed by any of these risks, as well as other risks not known to us or that we consider immaterial as of the date of the Form 10-K. The trading price of our securities could decline due to any of these risks, and, as a result, you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability continue as a “going concern.”
At December 31, 2021, the Company had cash and a working capital of $1,1193,008 and $1,479,948, respectively. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our finance and acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise additional capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
We are a newly incorporated exempted company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a recently incorporated exempted company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until completing a business combination. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning an initial business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may not hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders, directors and officers have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Unlike many other blank check companies in which the initial shareholders agree to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by the public shareholders in connection with an initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree), pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, to vote their founder shares as well as any public shares purchased during or after the initial public offering, in favor of our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have also agreed, pursuant to the terms of letter agreements, to vote any public shares owned by them immediately before the initial public offering as well as any public shares acquired in the initial public offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination. In addition to our founder shares, we would need 8,625,001, or 37.5%, of the 23,000,000 public shares sold in the initial public offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised), subject to any higher threshold as is required by the Cayman Islands or other applicable law, in order to have such initial business combination approved. Our initial shareholders owned approximately 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of the initial public offering. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary shareholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial shareholders agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public shareholders.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek shareholder approval of such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete our initial business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, if we do not seek shareholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into an initial business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming shareholders will reflect our obligation to pay and the payment of the deferred underwriting commissions. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights and, therefore, we will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of
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shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third-party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the end of the 12-month period (or 15-month or 18-month period, as applicable). In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the global economy, disrupted global supply chains, lowered equity market valuations, created significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and increased unemployment levels, all of which may become heightened concerns upon a second wave of infection or future developments. In addition, the pandemic has resulted in temporary closures of many businesses and the institution of social distancing and sheltering in place requirements in many states and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected.
Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company business’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our
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ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target company business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by negative impacts on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent sanctions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities.
Cryptocurrency valuations are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. In response to such invasion, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine during the ongoing military conflict, increasing geopolitical tensions with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, the volatility may affect the growth potential for our business combination targets including exchanges, payments systems and other services. Additionally, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia could have a negative impact on the valuation of a potential target, causing a potential target which has software development in either Ukraine or Russia to be removed from consideration. However, as of the date of this Annual Report, we have not disqualified a potential target due to the invasion.
Any of the abovementioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets, cryptocurrency valuations or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions, could adversely affect our search for a business combination and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination. The extent and duration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting sanctions and any related market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities, cross-border transactions or our ability to raise equity or debt financing in connection with any particular business combination. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
Regulatory changes or actions may restrict the use of cryptocurrencies in a manner that adversely affect acquisition targets and could adversely affect the financial performance of a given target for our initial business combination.
As cryptocurrencies have grown in popularity and in market size, the Federal Reserve Board, U.S. Congress and certain U.S. agencies (e.g., the CFTC, the Commission, FinCEN and the Federal Bureau of Investigation) have begun to examine cryptocurrencies. On March 9, 2022 President Biden signed an executive order on cryptocurrencies. While the executive order did not mandate any specific regulations, it instructs various federal agencies to consider potential regulatory measures, including the evaluation of the creation of a U.S. Central Bank digital currency. Future changes to existing regulations or entirely new regulations may affect the exchanges, payment and other financial services companies that are our initial business combination targets in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict with any reasonable degree of reliability.
Digital assets currently face an uncertain regulatory landscape in not only the United States but also in such foreign jurisdictions as the European Union and China. While certain governments such as Germany, have issued guidance as to how to treat cryptocurrencies, most regulatory bodies have not issued specific policy determinations.
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Future changes to existing regulations or entirely new regulations may affect the exchanges, payment and other financial services companies that are our initial business combination targets in ways it is not presently possible for us to predict with any reasonable degree of reliability, but such change could be substantial and adverse to acquisition targets and could adversely affect the financial performance of a given target for our initial business combination.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.05 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the United States and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the continued outbreak of COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such 12-month period (or 15-month or 18-month period, as applicable), 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, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we wind up for any other reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.05 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share” and other risk factors herein.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may elect to purchase shares from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial shareholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of our initial business combination, or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor has the right to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination to up to 18 months from the closing of the initial public offering without providing our shareholders with a corresponding redemption right.
We will have until 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination up to two times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months from the closing of the initial public offering), subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the trust account $2,300,000, on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each of the available three month extensions providing a total possible business combination period of 18 months at a total payment value of $4,600,000. Any such payments would be made in the form of non-interest bearing loans, evidenced by an unsecured promissory note equal to the amount of any such deposit, which will not be repaid in the event that we are unable to close a business combination unless there are funds available outside the trust account to do so. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Our public shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. As a result, we may conduct such an extension even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such an extension and will not be able to redeem their shares in connection therewith. This feature is different than most other special purpose acquisition companies, in which any extension of the company’s period to consummate an initial business combination would require a vote of the company’s shareholders and such shareholders would have the right to redeem their public shares.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer
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documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
The founder shares beneficially owned by our initial shareholders, our officers and directors will not participate in liquidating distributions and, therefore, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, and our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after the initial public offering, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Our initial shareholders have also waived their right to receive distributions with respect to their founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate our initial business combination. Accordingly, the founder shares will be worthless if we do not consummate our initial business combination. The Private Warrants and any other warrants they acquire will also be worthless if we do not consummate an initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our initial shareholders, officers and directors may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants are intended to be used to complete our initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if the initial public offering had been subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for our Class A ordinary shares, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share” and other risk factors herein.
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If the funds not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months following the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months following the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through the initial public offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this Annual Report titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that, upon the closing of the initial public offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 12 months following the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.05 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for a business combination, to pay our taxes, if any, and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. Our sponsor is not obligated to fund such loans.
Of the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, only approximately as of December 31, 2021 only approximately $1,193,000 is available to us outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements as of December 31, 2021. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to loan funds to, or otherwise invest in, us in such circumstances. Any such loans would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public shareholders may receive only $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.05 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share” and other risk factors below.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all
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material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any shareholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a shareholder or warrant holder, respectively, following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed by them to our company, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the tender offer materials or proxy statement relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our trust account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offense and may be liable for a fine of $18,293 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months of the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond the ten business day period thereafter before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem all public shares then outstanding at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, less up to $100,000 of interest for our dissolution expenses, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares and cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up of our affairs by way of a voluntary liquidation, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account shall be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to our commencing any voluntary liquidation. If we are required to liquidate prior to distributing the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, then such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the ten business days following the 12-month initial business combination period, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and then only in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
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The grant of registration rights to our sponsor and its permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement that was entered into prior to the closing of the initial public offering, our sponsor and its permitted transferees, can demand that we register the founder shares and the Private Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Private Warrants and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans can demand that we register such warrants or Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the securities owned by our sponsor and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are not limited to a particular industry, sector or any specific target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’ operations.
We are seeking to complete our initial business combination with an operating company, except that we are not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet identified a specific target business with respect to an initial business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any shareholder or warrant holder who chooses to remain a shareholder or warrant holder, respectively, following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders and warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed by them to us, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the tender offer materials or proxy statement relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the
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required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings or difficulty in retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early-stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value, discounted cash flow valuation, or value of comparable businesses. Such standards used will be disclosed in our tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
Unlike most other similarly structured blank check companies, our sponsor will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to complete an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we fail to consummate an initial business combination) at the time of our 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 our ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the initial public offering, 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 (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued by the Company in connection with or in relation to the completion 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 of a target business in the initial business combination. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. This is different than most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial shareholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend upon the status of an acquired company pursuant to a business combination and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception. The application
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of the start-up exception is uncertain depending on the particular circumstances, and there can be no assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon request, we will endeavor to provide a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. Holders to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may have limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company, which could, in turn, negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’ management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to us, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the tender offer materials or proxy statement relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers and directors. Our executive officers and directors also serve as
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officers and/or board members for other entities. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no preliminary discussions concerning an initial business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we are not specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we may pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for an initial business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our initial shareholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On June 16, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor for a total subscription price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Such shares are fully paid. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding public shares and founder shares after the initial public offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 8,150,000 Private Warrants, each of which such warrants will be exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. The initial shareholders have agreed (i) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination and (ii) not to redeem any shares in connection with a shareholder vote or tender offer to approve or in connection with a proposed initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our initial shareholders may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 12 month deadline following the closing of the initial public offering nears, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, which is the deadline for the completion of our initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete our initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this Annual Report to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
● | default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations; |
● | acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant; |
● | our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand; |
● | our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding; |
● | our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares; |
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● | using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes; |
● | limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate; |
● | increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; |
● | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, and execution of our strategy and other purposes; and |
● | other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
We may be able to complete only one business combination with the proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants provided us with $231,150,000 that we may use to complete our initial business combination (excluding $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account). We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
● | solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or |
● | dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services. |
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
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We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
We may effect an initial business combination with a business located outside of the United States. If we do, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with businesses operating in the target’s home jurisdiction, including any of the following:
● | rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals and shareholders generally; |
● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
● | differing laws and regulations regarding exchange listing and delisting requirements; |
● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
● | longer payment cycles; |
● | tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States; |
● | currency fluctuations and exchange controls; |
● | inflation greater than that experienced in the United States; |
● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
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● | cultural and language differences; |
● | employment regulations; |
● | crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and |
● | deterioration of political relations with the United States. |
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we are unable to do so, our operations might suffer.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located outside of the United States, the laws applicable to such business will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
If we effect our initial business combination with a business located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such business operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating to its operations. The target business may not be able to enforce any of its material agreements or enforce remedies for breaches of those agreements in that jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a business located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of U.S. courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and officers under federal securities laws.
Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, our results of operations may be negatively impacted.
Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Any management that we may have (whether based abroad or in the United States) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.
We may re-domicile into another foreign jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another foreign jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction would likely govern all of our material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the Cayman Islands or the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Any such re-domiciliation and the international nature of our business will likely subject us to foreign regulation.
We may migrate to another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such migration may result in taxes imposed on us, our shareholders, or our warrant holders.
As a Cayman Islands entity, we do not have access to a network of income tax treaties to protect us from withholding taxes or gains taxes that may be imposed by other jurisdictions. As a result, it may not be possible to effect repatriation of earnings or the receipt of income from our investments in a tax efficient manner. Accordingly, we may, in connection with our initial business combination or earlier, and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, transfer by way of continuation (migrate) to a different jurisdiction, including, for example, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. Tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. Such a transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable
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income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident and/or the jurisdictions in which its owners are resident if it is a tax transparent entity under the tax laws of such jurisdictions (including under any anti-deferral regime). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders and warrant holders may also be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes imposed by the jurisdiction where we are migrated to with respect to their ownership of us. In addition, regardless of whether we migrate to another jurisdiction, we could be treated as a tax resident in the jurisdiction in which the partner company or business is located, which could result in adverse tax consequences to us (e.g., taxation on our worldwide income in such jurisdiction) and to our shareholders or warrant holders.
Many countries have difficult and unpredictable legal systems and underdeveloped laws and regulations that are unclear and subject to corruption and inexperience, which may adversely impact our results of operations and financial condition.
Our ability to seek and enforce legal protections, including with respect to intellectual property and other property rights, or to defend ourselves with regard to legal actions taken against us in a given country, may be difficult or impossible, which could adversely impact our operations, assets or financial condition. Rules and regulations in many countries are often ambiguous or open to differing interpretation by responsible individuals and agencies at the municipal, state, regional and federal levels. The attitudes and actions of such individuals and agencies are often difficult to predict and inconsistent. Delay with respect to the enforcement of particular rules and regulations, including those relating to customs, tax, environmental and labor, could cause serious disruption to operations abroad and negatively impact our results.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management team may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with such laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues, which may adversely affect our operations.
Currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.
We may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group
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obtaining a larger share of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, however, we may only redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our initial shareholders, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the past, amended various provisions of their constitutional documents. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that will make it easier for us to consummate an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their constitutional documents. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of initial business combination, increased redemption thresholds and changed industry focus. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to our initial business combination. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires at least a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law, being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, each pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less any interest released to us for taxes, if any), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our initial shareholders, officers and directors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) relating to the rights and obligations attaching to our Class A ordinary shares and certain aspects of our pre-business combination activity may be amended with the approval of a special resolution being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated
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memorandum and articles of association and the trust agreement to facilitate the consummation of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions, including those related to pre-business combination activity, may be amended if approved by special resolution, being (i) the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or (ii) a unanimous written resolution of the shareholders, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of a two-thirds majority of our ordinary shares, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of many blank check companies.
Our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees, if any, who collectively beneficially owned, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of our Class A ordinary shares upon the closing of the initial public offering, will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the consummation of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed, each pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (less any interest released to us for taxes, if any), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in letter agreements that we have entered into with our initial shareholders, officers and directors. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of the initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, less up to $100,000 of interest for dissolution expenses, on the liquidation of our trust account. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in some circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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Our sponsor and affiliated entities control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon consummation of the initial public offering, our initial shareholders collectively owned, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares. None of our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions, other than as disclosed in this Annual Report. However, our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our sponsor has agreed to vote the founder shares owned by it immediately before the initial public offering, and our initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any Class A ordinary shares acquired in the initial public offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law for up to 12 months, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, fewer than half of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome, as only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. In addition, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the holders of our founder shares may, by ordinary resolution, remove a member of our board of directors for any reason prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
If we do not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, shareholders will not be afforded an opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management until such time.
Unless otherwise required by law or the Nasdaq, we do not currently intend to call an annual general meeting until after we consummate our initial business combination. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or U.S. GAAP, or international financing reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may
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be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.05 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.05. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
We may engage the underwriter or its affiliates to provide additional services to us after the initial public offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. The underwriter is entitled to receive deferred commissions that will released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause the underwriter to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after the initial public offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage the underwriter or its affiliates to provide additional services to us after the initial public offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. The underwriter is also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The fact that the underwriter or its affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
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Because we intend to seek a business combination with a target business which is a significant cryptocurrency and digital assets exchange, payment system and/or related financial services company, we expect our future operations to be subject to risks associated with the cryptocurrency and digital asset trading sector.
Business combinations with cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platforms may involve special considerations and risks. If we complete our initial business combination with a cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platform or related business, we will be subject to the following risks, among others, any of which could be detrimental to us and the business we acquire:
● | Due to unfamiliarity and negative publicity surrounding the cryptocurrency industry and digital asset trading platforms (including the quality, security and reliability of technologies employed by these platforms), existing and potential customers may lose confidence in our business. |
● | Using our cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platform involves risks, which could result in customers losing assets and their initiating disputes and claims against us, which could adversely affect our business. |
● | The outbreak and spread of the novel strain of coronavirus (COVID-19) may have a significant impact on our operations, financial performance and liquidity, as well as many of our customers. |
● | The cryptocurrency and digital assets trading industry is rapidly evolving and has experienced significant uncertainty and volatility due to numerous factors (including the risks set forth in this risk factor). We expect to continue to face significant competition, uncertainty and volatility as cryptocurrency and digital asset trading businesses continue to evolve, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. For example, a security breach or another incident that affects a particular asset like Bitcoin or Ether may affect the cryptocurrency industry as a whole, thereby impacting our business. As a result, future negative developments may reduce the value of a cryptocurrency and digital asset trading platform we acquired and the purchase price we paid for such business may be over-valued. |
● | The cryptocurrency markets, exchanges and related services are experiencing rapid technological developments and growth. However, they may decline in popularity, or even face obsolescence, due to slowing usage or acceptance of cryptocurrency and unexpected technical or business incompatibilities between currencies and related trading services. |
● | We expect to support certain “smart contract-based” cryptocurrency and digital assets. If the underlying smart contracts for the cryptocurrency and digital assets do not operate as expected, they could lose value and our business could be adversely affected. |
● | We may encounter technical issues in connection with the integration of supported cryptocurrency and digital assets and changes and upgrades to their underlying networks, which could adversely affect our business. A temporary or permanent blockchain “fork” to any cryptocurrency could adversely affect our business. |
● | We may be required to make significant capital and other investments in our business, and we may not be able to do so based on our operations and financial condition or at a level to remain competitive with competitors that have greater financial resources than us. |
● | There are several publicly traded companies that we consider competitors and we expect to see more publicly traded companies focused in the cryptocurrency and digital assets trading industry. |
● | Increased security requirements could impose substantial costs on us and we could be the target of an attack or have a security breach, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. Additionally, cryptocurrencies have been, and may be, used by bad actors to execute black market |
● | transactions, commit fraud, launder funds, evade taxes or economic sanctions, finance terrorism and other illegal activities, which could negatively impact our reputation and have a material adverse effect on our business. |
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● | U.S. and foreign governments and/or agencies may introduce increasingly complex and stringent laws, regulations and policies, which could have a material adverse effect on our business. |
● | The uncertainty surrounding the adoption and implementation of new rules and regulations in the U.S. and foreign countries may lead to increased market volatility, including significant declines in asset value in any given cryptocurrency and the cryptocurrency market as a whole. |
● | Several governments and agencies, including the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank, are evaluating, have announced or are preliminarily implementing central bank digital “fiat” currencies which may be fully technically compatible. Thus, central bank digital “fiat” currencies may adversely affect our business by reducing the market viability of services that our business combination will provide. |
● | Increased environmental concerns about specific cryptocurrency mining technologies and related political actions impacting mining capabilities taken by the U.S. or foreign governments may have a material adverse effect on our business. |
● | Future developments regarding the treatment of cryptocurrency and digital assets for U.S. federal income and/or foreign tax purposes could adversely impact our business. |
● | Our business requires the application of complex financial accounting rules, and there is limited guidance from accounting standard setting bodies. If financial accounting standards undergo significant changes, our operating results could be adversely affected. |
Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 17,250,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered in the initial public offering inclusive of the underwriter’s over-allotment option and, simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we issued in a private placement 8,150,000 Private Warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share. We may also issue additional warrants to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates upon redemption of promissory notes issued to such entities or individuals for loans made to supplement our working capital requirements, as described elsewhere in this Annual Report. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.
The Private Warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in the initial public offering except that (i) they will not be redeemable by us, (ii) they (including the Class A common shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per
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share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share dividends, rights issuances, subdivisions, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the Private Warrants will be redeemable by us
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.
If we call our Public Warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this Annual Report have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant (including any warrants held by our sponsor, officers, directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.
Because each unit contains three-quarters of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains three-quarters of one warrant. Because, pursuant to the warrant agreement, the warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares, only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share and one whole warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for three-quarters of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to complete an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are listed on Nasdaq. Our securities may not continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 400 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to
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maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our shareholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 400 round lot holders of our securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
● | a limited availability of market quotations for our securities; |
● | reduced liquidity for our securities; |
● | a determination that our Class A ordinary shares is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
● | a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and |
● | a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future. |
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units are, and we expect eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be, listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in the initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, public holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”
If we do not maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis.”
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As a result, the number of Class A ordinary shares that holders will receive upon exercise of the Public Warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holders exercised their warrants for cash. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Private Warrants and any other warrants that may be issued to our officers, directors, sponsor or their affiliates as described elsewhere in this prospectus may be exercisable for unregistered Class A ordinary shares for cash even if the prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not current and effective.
An investor will be able to exercise a warrant only if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.
No Public Warrants will be exercisable for cash and we will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares unless the shares issuable upon such exercise have been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. At the time that the warrants become exercisable, we expect to continue to be listed on a national securities exchange, which would provide an exemption from registration in every state. Accordingly, we believe holders in every state will be able to exercise their warrants as long as our prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is current. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a way that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants.
Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this Annual Report, or defective provision or (ii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding Public Warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Public Warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no such indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our disinterested directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our disinterested directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our disinterested directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by such directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our disinterested directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.05 per share.
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Risks Relating to Our Management Team
Past performance by our management team and their affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding performance by our management team and their affiliates is presented for informational purposes only. Past performance by our management team and their affiliates is not a guarantee either (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. Director Matthew Krna has had management experience with blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies. You should not rely on the historical record of our management team and their affiliates as indicative of our future performance of an investment in the company or the returns the company will, or is likely to, generate going forward.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and in particular, our Founder, Chairman and Director, Dr. Najamul Kidwai, Michael (Xu) Zhao, our Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director, and David Hytha, our Chief Financial Officer. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our executive officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our executive officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of our or our target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel with regard to our selection of a target company. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to his fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
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Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our directors and officers may now be, or in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. For example, our director Matthew Krna serves as a director of Alpha Partners Technology Merger Corp. and has agreed to serve as a director of Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp. Both Alpha Partners Technology Merger Corp. and Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp are blank check companies incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands for the purpose of effecting their own respective initial business combinations. Matthew Krna owes fiduciary duties under the Cayman Islands law to each of Alpha Partners Technology Merger Corp. and Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp.
In addition, our directors and officers may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our directors’ and officers’ fiduciary duties under the Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies similar to ours, including in connection with their initial business combinations, or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or ventures may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may be in the future be, affiliated. These activities may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons are now or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of the members of both our management team and our board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Since our officers and directors will be eligible to share in a portion of any appreciation in founder shares purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
The members of our management team have invested in our sponsor by purchasing warrants issued by the sponsor. These officers and directors will not receive any cash compensation from us prior to a business combination but through their investment in the sponsor will be eligible to share in a portion of any appreciation in founder shares and Private Warrants, provided that we successfully complete a business combination. We believe that this structure aligns the incentives of these officers and directors with the interests of our shareholders. However, investors should be aware that, as these officers and directors have paid approximately $0.004 per share for the interest in the founder shares, this structure also creates an incentive whereby our officers and directors could
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potentially make a substantial profit even if we complete a business combination with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for public investors.
Risks Relating to the Trust Account
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share.
The net proceeds of the initial public offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants, in the amount of $231,150,000, are held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may use to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. 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 then held in the trust account, plus any interest income (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses). If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $231,150,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.05 per share.
Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, or a foreign action, in the name of any warrant holder, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions, or an enforcement action, and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
The choice-of-forum provision in our warrant agreement may (1) result in increased costs for investors to bring a claim or (2) limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors. We note that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal
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courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder.
Since our sponsor paid approximately $0.004 per share for the founder shares, certain of our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we acquire a target business that subsequently declines in value.
On June 16, 2021, we issued 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Certain of our officers and directors have a significant economic interest in our sponsor. As a result, the low acquisition cost of the founder shares creates an economic incentive whereby our officers and directors could potentially make a substantial profit even if we complete a business combination with a target business that subsequently declines in value and is unprofitable for public investors.
Our management team and our sponsor may make a profit on any initial business combination, even if any public shareholders who did not redeem their shares would experience a loss on that business combination. As a result, the economic interests of our management team and our sponsor may not fully align with the economic interests of public shareholders.
Like most special purpose acquisition companies, our structure may not fully align the economic interests of our sponsor and those persons, including our officers and directors, who have interests in our sponsor with the economic interests of our public shareholders. Our sponsor has invested in us an aggregate of $8,175,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $8,150,000 purchase price for the Private Warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 5,750,000 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $57,500,000. Even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares was as low as $1.42 per share, and the Private Warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, so long as we complete an initial business combination, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares lose significant value. Accordingly, our sponsor and members of our management team who own interests in our sponsor may have incentives to pursue and consummate an initial business combination quickly, with a risky or not well established target business, and/or on transaction terms favorable to the equity holders of the target business, rather than continue to seek a more favorable business combination transaction that could result in an improved outcome for our public shareholders or liquidate and return all of the cash in the trust to the public shareholders. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our sponsor’s and management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in the initial public offering and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.05 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business, except our independent registered public accounting firm, execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver only if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason.
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Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.05 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have 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 and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of the initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third- party claims. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.05 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares and/or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, or (b) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed an initial business within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if have not completed an initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions that will be contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances could substantially dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth herein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional ordinary shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares:
● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in the initial public offering; |
● | could cause a change of control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; |
● | may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and |
● | may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Our executive officers and directors may allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and may not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, including other blank check companies, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our executive officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. In addition, our sponsor has, and our sponsor, officers and directors may in the future, participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to applicable fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
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Our executive officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, executive officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or executive officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, our directors and officers would need to ensure that they act in accordance with their fiduciary duties owed to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and make, in the case of our directors, the requisite disclosures for the purposes of our amended and restated articles of association in default of which we might have a claim against such individuals to the extent that it can be demonstrated that loss has been suffered by the company as a result of such actions. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
General Risk Factors
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
● | restrictions on the nature of our investments; and |
● | restrictions on the issuance of securities, each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. |
In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
● | registration as an investment company with the SEC; |
● | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
● | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations that we are not currently subject to. |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading in securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in U.S. “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the
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Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our primary business objective, which is a business combination; (ii) absent an initial business combination, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares, and (iii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (a) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 12 months from the closing of the initial public offering, which is extendable at our sponsor’s option to up to 18 months, as described herein, or (b) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.05 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has
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different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or executive officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Dubai) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and
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enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
Not applicable.
ITEM 2. PROPERTY
We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 1221 Brickell Center Suite 900 Miami, Florida 33131, United States. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month fee we pay to an affiliate of our Sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR COMMON EQUITY AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Market Information
Our Units, Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbols “DAOOU,” “DAOO,” and “DAOOW,” respectively. Out units commenced public trading on December 7, 2021, and our public shares and Public Warrants commenced separate public trading on January 12, 2022.
Holders
As of March 30, 2022, there was one holder of record of our units, one holder of record of our Class A ordinary shares and one holder of record of our warrants. We believe we have in excess of 300 beneficial holders of our securities.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be contingent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements, and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Securities
On December 9, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 23,000,000 Units. Each Unit consisted of one Class A ordinary share and three-quarters of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The units were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $230,000,000. B. Riley Securities, Inc. acted as sole book-running manager of the offering. The securities sold in our initial public offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-261051) which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 6, 2021.
Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the Private Placement of 8,150,000 Private Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, generating total proceeds of $8,150,000. The Private Warrants were sold to Crypto 1 Sponsor, LLC, our Sponsor. The Private Warrants are identical to the warrants included in the units sold in our initial public offering.
Following the closing of our initial public offering on December 9, 2021, an amount of $231,150,000 ($10.05 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in our initial public offering and the sale of the Private Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”).
On January 12, 2022, the Class A ordinary shares and Public Warrants included in the Units began separate trading.
Transaction costs amounted to $13,451,853, consisting of $4,600,000 of underwriting fees, $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees and $801,853 of other offering costs. As of December 31, 2021, approximately $1,193,008 of cash was held outside of the trust account established in connection with our initial public offering and is available for working capital purposes.
ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
References to the “Company,” “us,” “our” or “we” refer to Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes included herein.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Report including, without limitation, statements under this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding our financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward- looking statements. When used in this Report, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or our management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward- looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the 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.
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on May 24, 2021, as a Cayman Islands exempted company and for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, or reorganization or engaging in any other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and our private placement of Private Warrants.
Our Sponsor is Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. The registration statement for our initial public offering was declared effective on December 6, 2021. On December 9, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 23,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, with each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and three-quarters of one warrant, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share.
Simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of 8,150,000 warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement, generating gross proceeds of $8,150,000.
Following the closing of the initial public offering on December 9, 2021, $231,150,000 ($10.05 per unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the units in the initial public offering and the private placement was deposited into a trust account, invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with a maturity of 185 days or less. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account that may be released to us to pay our income or other tax obligations as described in the initial public offering, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination within the time required time period.
We have until December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination) to complete the initial business combination. If we do not consummate an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable (and less up to $50,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public
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shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the remaining shareholders and the board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
As of December 31, 2021, we have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues. All activity for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to our formation and the initial public offering. We will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial business combination, at the earliest. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the initial public offering.
For the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had a net loss of $164,560, which was resulted entirely from formation and operating costs.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
On December 9, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 23,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per unit, at $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $23,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we consummated the sale of 8,150,000 Private Warrants to the Sponsor at a price of $1.00 per warrant, generating gross proceeds of $8,150,000.
For the period May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, $523,937 of cash was used in operating activities. Net Cash used in investing activities was $231,150,000 and Net cash provided by financing activities was $232,866,945 mainly reflecting the proceeds of our IPO and subsequent deposit into the trust account.
As of December 31, 2021, we had investments of $231,128,639 held in the Trust Accounts. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Accounts, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Accounts (less taxes paid and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay taxes. During the period ended December 31, 2021, we did not withdraw any interest earned on the Trust Accounts. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the Trust Accounts will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $1,193,008 outside of the Trust Accounts. We intend to use the funds held outside the Trust Accounts primarily to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete our initial business combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with our initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we will repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Accounts to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our Trust Accounts would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants identical to the Private Warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender.
We do not currently believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating our initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial
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business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our Public Shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Accounts. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies.
Net Income (Loss) Per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. The statement of operations includes a presentation of income (loss) per Class A redeemable common stock and loss per non-redeemable common stock following the two-class method of income per common stock. In order to determine the net income (loss) attributable to both the Class A redeemable common stock and non-redeemable common stock, the Company first considered the total income (loss) allocable to both sets of stock. This is calculated using the total net income (loss) less any dividends paid. For purposes of calculating net income (loss) per share, any remeasurement of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption was treated as dividends paid to the public stockholders. Subsequent to calculating the total income (loss) allocable to both sets of stock, the Company split the amount to be allocated using a ratio of 80% for the Class A redeemable common stock and 20% for the non-redeemable common stock for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) to December 31, 2021, reflective of the respective participation rights. As a result, diluted income (loss) per common share is the same as basic income (loss) per common share for the period presented.
Accounting for Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are free standing financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own common shares and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, was conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the instruments are outstanding. Management has concluded that the Public Warrants and Private Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.
Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its Ordinary Shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity”. Ordinary shares subject to mandatory redemption, if any, are classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable Ordinary Shares (including Ordinary Shares that features 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, Ordinary Shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Public Shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, 23,000,000 shares of Ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.
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Recent Accounting Standards
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“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, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on May 24, 2021, with no impact upon adoption.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities.
The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $8,050,000. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event that we complete a business combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
The net proceeds held in the Trust Account have been invested in U.S. government treasury bills, with a maturity of 185 days or less. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
None.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our principal executive officer and our principal financial and accounting officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2021, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
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We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures will prevent all errors and all instances of fraud. Disclosure controls and procedures, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the disclosure controls and procedures are met. Further, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all disclosure controls and procedures, no evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures can provide absolute assurance that we have detected all our control deficiencies and instances of fraud, if any. The design of disclosure controls and procedures also is based partly on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) during the most recent fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
None.
ITEM 9C. DISCLOSURE REGARDING FOREIGN JURISDICTIONS THAT PREVENT INSPECTIONS
Not applicable.
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PART III
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT
Directors and Executive Officers
Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:
Name |
| Age |
| Position |
Dr. Najamul Kidwai |
| 52 |
| Founder, Chairman and Director |
Michael (Xu) Zhao |
| 38 |
| Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
David Hytha |
| 67 |
| Chief Financial Officer and Secretary |
David Maloy |
| 69 |
| Independent Director |
Jeffrey Singer |
| 57 |
| Independent Director |
Alvin Eng |
| 67 |
| Independent Director |
Matthew Krna |
| 43 |
| Independent Director |
Faisal Galaria |
| 48 |
| Independent Director |
Dr. Najamul Kidwai has served as a Founder, Chairman and a Director since our inception. From 2021 to present, Dr. Kidwai has served as Chairman and Director of Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp, a special purpose acquisition company focused on digital assets/crypto/blockchain. Since 2016 to present, Dr. Kidwai has served as a Venture Partner and Investment Committee Member of Frontier Ventures, a venture capital fund focused on early-stage technology and blockchain. Since 2017, Dr. Kidwai also has been a Co-Founder and Board member of EQUIAM, a leading, private-markets-focused venture capital fund. Through EQUIAM, Dr. Kidwai has invested in several technology companies including Coinbase and Robinhood. Dr. Kidwai has also been investing in digital assets/crypto/blockchain since 2016, including companies such as Fusion.Org. From 2009 to present, Dr. Kidwai has served as an independent advisor, board member, and/or investor in a number of technology companies that include ForgeGlobal and Boxed (Giddy Inc.), both of which recently announced mergers with special purpose acquisition companies. Dr. Kidwai has served similar roles with Neurable, Cleartrip (acquired by FlipKart), InMobi, Servify, ToTheNew Ventures and Asia Innovations. From 2006 to 2009, Dr. Kidwai served as the Founder and CEO of Real Time Content, a proprietary Adaptive Media Platform which exited to NASDAQ-listed Pitney Bowes. Prior to 2006, Dr. Kidwai held investment roles at Edge Venture Capital, and AtomicTangerine (a Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International Company). Dr. Kidwai holds a B.S.c Hons. in Technology Management from Staffordshire University and an honorary Doctorate from Lincoln University.
Mr. Michael (Xu) Zhao has served as a Founder, Chief Executive Officer and a Director since our inception. Mr. Zhao’s involvement with the crypto market began in 2016 when he first invested in Bitcoin, Ethereum, as well as other popular altcoin projects like Tron. Since 2017, Mr. Zhao has served as Executive Chairman of the International Digital Currency Markets (IDCM) exchange and as the CEO of the VGPay crypto payment business. IDCM provides services to retail clients (B2C) as a digital exchange operator, and it also provides technology and infrastructure to its cryptocurrency exchange partners (B2B). VGPay provides payment services to cryptocurrency exchanges and their clients (B2B, B2C). Since 2018, Mr. Zhao has served as co-chairman of the Hong Kong Blockchain Association. Mr. Zhao has provided practical solutions for multiple national blockchain projects and the comprehensive progress of digital economies of foreign sovereign countries, including digital transformation solution for Sinar Mars Group and Indonesia in 2020. Mr. Zhao’s prior experience includes significant roles in international financial trading at Intesa San Paulo from 2014 to 2016, China Merchants Bank from 2011 to 2014, the State Foreign Exchange Administration of the People’s Republic of China from 2010 to 2011 and UBS from 2006 to 2009. He has a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering and Finance from the University of Florida.
Mr. David Hytha has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception. Mr. Hytha has advised major firms and new ventures in the U.S., Asia and Europe as Founder and Managing Partner for New Wave Partners Inc. since 2008. Mr. Hytha published on blockchain and artificial intelligence applications in 2019. Mr. Hytha served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Business Officer for Nano Global from September 2016 to September 2017. Mr. Hytha also served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer for Quixey in mobile search from January 2012 to August 2016. He served in multiple roles at venture capital firms Sofinnova Partners and Sofinnova Ventures and their portfolio companies from 2006 to 2011. From 2003 to 2005, Mr. Hytha was Executive Vice President for Terminals at T-Mobile based in London, England and Bonn, Germany. From 1982 to 2003, he led businesses for new ventures and for large firms including AT&T, McCaw Cellular and Motorola in the U.S. and in Asia. Mr. Hytha graduated with an MBA in Finance
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and in Operations Management from Columbia University and a B.A. from the College of the Holy Cross. He has also served as an advisor on entrepreneurship to Stanford Research Institute (SRI) International, Columbia University and Cambridge University
Mr. David Maloy has served as a member of our board of directors since our initial public offering. Since 2019, Mr. Maloy has served as a Managing Director of Clear Markets Holdings, Inc., a provider of execution and margin services to firms engaging in OTC trading on crypto derivatives. Previously, Mr. Maloy provided consulting services and was affiliated with Rutter Associates, a risk management consultancy, from 2016 to 2019. Prior to Rutter Associates, Mr. Maloy served as CEO and COO of NetOTC, Americas and NetOTC, Ltd, London, respectively, from 2013 to 2016. From 2008 to 2013, during the midst of the financial crisis, Mr. Maloy headed Credit Suisse’s Global Collateral Functions and Client Valuations functions. From 1994 to 2008, Mr. Maloy served in multiple roles at UBS Securities, LLC and UBS AG (previously Swiss Bank Corporation). From 1989 to 1994, Mr. Maloy acted as Chief Executive Officer and President of Delta Government Options, a proprietary SEC 17a Clearing Agency, upon the activation of Delta’s Clearing Agency Order. Mr. Maloy has also worked at Citibank Investment Bank, chiefly in business development, from 1986 through 1989.
Mr. Jeffrey Singer has served as a member of our board of directors since our initial public offering. Mr. Singer served as Group CEO at YBA Kanoo, one of the largest family companies in the Middle East, from 2019 to 2020. Mr. Singer served as Executive-in-Residence at the American University of Sharjah from 2015 to 2019, and served in multiple advisory roles from 2012 to 2019. Mr. Singer served as CEO at Nasdaq Dubai during which time he oversaw the merger between Nasdaq Dubai and Dubai Financial Market. He held multiple roles at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in New York, including as President of the International Division from 2003 to 2012. Mr. Singer has worked at SAP and with technology startup companies. He earned an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a B.S. in International Finance from Brigham Young University, where he served as student-body president.
Mr. Alvin Eng has served as a member of our board of directors since our initial public offering. Mr. Eng is the founder and a partner at Harborview Advisory Partners, LLC, where he has acted as an advisor to many of the company’s major financial clients since 2013. From 1983 to 2013, Mr. Eng served in several roles at Citigroup, including as Chief Investment Officer in Citi Wealth Management Services, Global Markets & Banking, Citigroup. Mr. Eng also served as a member of the Citigroup Corporate Task Forces on Restructuring/Treasury/Risk Management, Global Payments Strategy and the Revenue Task Force. Previously, Mr. Eng was the Chair of the Citigroup Global Asset Management-Institutional & Private Bank Investment Products Committee and served on the Board of Directors on numerous investment companies. He was also a member of the Salomon, Smith Barney and Citigroup merger team, and the New Ventures, Analytics, Online banking, Citi Cards, and Affluent strategy teams. Prior to his work at Citibank, Mr. Eng was a member of the Hewlett-Packard Advanced Engineering and the Xerox Research Lab. Mr. Eng has an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Columbia Business School and an MS in Electrical Engineering from Columbia Engineering. He received his BS in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mr. Matthew Krna has served as a member of our board of directors since our initial public offering. Mr. Krna is a growth-stage technology investor with over 20 years of experience. Since February 2021, Mr. Krna has served as CEO and Director of Alpha Partners Technology Merger Corp., a special purpose acquisition company. He has served as Venture Partner at Alpha Partners since 2020 and he is the Founder and Managing Partner of Ladera Venture Partners. From 2015 to 2020, Mr. Krna was the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Princeville Global, a San Francisco and Hong Kong-based growth-stage fund focused on investing in breakout-stage technology companies around the world. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Krna was a Partner at Princeville Global’s predecessor fund, SoftBank Princeville, a $250 million growth-stage technology investment fund affiliated with SoftBank Group. From 2005 to 2011 Mr. Krna was vice president at Investor Growth Capital. Prior to these roles he served at Canaan Partners, and served as an investment banker at Credit Suisse and Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Mr. Krna has also served on numerous boards of directors as a director or observer, including Criteo (Nasdaq: CRTO), Dotomi (acquired by Conversant), Doctor on Demand (merged with Grand Rounds), ID Analytics (acquired by LifeLock), and Remitly. Mr. Krna holds an AB degree from Harvard University.
Mr. Faisal Galaria has served as a member of our board of directors since our initial public offering. Since 2019, Mr. Galaria has served as the CEO of Blippar, one of the UK’s first tech unicorns. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Galaria served as the Chief Strategy and Investments Officer of Gocompare (LSE: GOCO), where he led the demerger of the business from Esure (LSE: ESUR). Previously, from 2012 to 2016, he served as a Senior Partner of Alvarez & Marsal, a turnaround and restructuring company. Mr. Galaria served as Senior Vice President at Spotify from 2009 to 2012, launching Spotify in several countries (NYSE: SPOT), as International Managing Director at Kayak (NYSE: KYAK) from 2008 to 2009, and as an early member of the Skype team (NYSE: EBAY) from 2004 to 2007. Mr. Galaria is a Non-Executive Director of global fashion retailer Superdry (LSE: SDRY), and sits on the Advisory Board of Imperial College Business School. He is a graduate of UMIST (the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology), earned an
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MBA from Instituto de Estudios Superiores de la Empresa (Barcelona), and has studied international economics at ETEA, University of Córdoba, in Spain.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class serving a three-year term. . The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of David Maloy and Jeffrey Singer, will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Alvin Eng and Matthew Krna, will expire at the second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Faisal Galaria, Dr. Najamul Kidwai and Michael (Xu) Zhao, will expire at the third annual general meeting. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination.
Director Independence
Nasdaq rules require that a majority of the board of directors of a company listed on Nasdaq must be composed of “independent directors.” An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. We have determined that each of David Maloy, Jeffrey Singer, Alvin Eng, Matthew Krna and Faisal Galaria are independent directors under the Nasdaq listing rules. Our independent directors hold regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.
Committees of the Board of Directors
We have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee, and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each such committee is composed of solely independent directors.
Audit Committee
We have established an audit committee of the board of directors. The rules of the Nasdaq require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of at least three independent directors. The members of our audit committee are Alvin Eng, Jeffrey Singer and David Maloy. Jeffrey Singer serves as chairman of the audit committee. Alvin Eng, Jeffrey Singer and David Maloy meet the independent director standard under the Nasdaq’s listing standards.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Jeffrey Singer qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.
Responsibilities of the audit committee include:
● | the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
● | pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; |
● | reviewing and discussing with the independent registered public accounting firm all relationships the independent registered public accounting firm have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
● | setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm; |
● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; |
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● | obtaining a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures and (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues; |
● | reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
● | reviewing with management, the independent registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities. |
Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors as required by the rules of the Nasdaq. The rules of the Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. The members of our Compensation Committee are Jeffrey Singer and Faisal Galaria. Faisal Galaria serves as chairman of the compensation committee. Jeffrey Singer and Faisal Galaria meet the independent director standard under the Nasdaq’s listing standards. We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, as required by the rules of the Nasdaq, including:
● | reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer’s based on such evaluation; |
● | reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers; |
● | reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans; |
● | implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans; |
● | assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements; |
● | approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees; |
● | producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and |
● | reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors. |
The compensation committee charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other advisor and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such advisor. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other advisor, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such advisor, including the factors required by the Nasdaq and the SEC.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the, payment to our Sponsor of $10,000 per month, for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they
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render in order to effectuate the consummation of a business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
We have established a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors as required by the rules of the Nasdaq. The rules of the Nasdaq require that the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance committee are David Maloy and Matthew Krna. Matthew Krna serves as chairman of the nominating and corporate governance committee. David Maloy and Matthew Krna meet the independent director standard under the Nasdaq’s listing standards. We have adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the principal functions of the compensation committee, as required by the rules of the Nasdaq.
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:
● | should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service; |
● | should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and |
● | should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders. |
The nominating and corporate governance committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating and corporate governance committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating and corporate governance committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.
Code of Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics and our audit and compensation committee charters with the SEC and copies are available on our website. You are able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
Executive Compensation
No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on December 6, 2021 through the acquisition of a target business or our liquidation of the trust account, we will pay our Sponsor, $10,000 per month for office space, utilities, secretarial and administrative support. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary.
We may also pay consulting, success or finder fees to our Sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination.
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After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.
Since our formation, we have not granted any stock options or stock appreciation rights or any other awards under long-term incentive plans to any of our executive officers or directors.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED SHAREHOLDER MATTERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares by:
● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares; |
● | each of our officers and directors; and |
● | all of our officers and directors as a group. |
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the Public Warrants included in the Units offered in our initial public offering or the Private Warrants as the warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date hereof.
Amount and | Approximate |
| |||
Nature of | Percentage of |
| |||
Beneficial | Outstanding |
| |||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) |
| Ownership |
| Shares |
|
Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC(2) |
| 5,750,000 |
| 20 | % |
David Hytha(2) |
| 5,750,000 |
| 20 | % |
Dr. Najamul Kidwai |
| — |
| — | |
Michael (Xu) Zhao |
| — |
| — | |
David Maloy |
| — |
| — | |
Jeffrey Singer |
| — |
| — | |
Alvin Eng |
| — |
| — | |
Matthew Krna |
| — |
| — | |
Faisal Galaria |
| — |
| — | |
All directors and executive officers as a group (eight individuals) |
| 5,750,000 |
| 20 | % |
* | Less than 1%. |
(1) | Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is c/o Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp, 1221 Brickell Avenue Suite 900, Miami, Florida 33131. |
(2) | These securities are held directly by Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC, our Sponsor. David Hytha is the Managing Member and controls our Sponsor, and may be deemed to beneficially own the securities held by our Sponsor. Mr. Hytha disclaims beneficial ownership of such securities except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. |
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
On June 16, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our Sponsor for a total subscription price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share.
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Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering on December 9, 2021, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 8,150,000 Private Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrants, for an aggregate purchase price of $8,150,000. Each Private Warrants is exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the Private Warrants were added to the proceeds from our initial public offering held in the trust account. If we do not complete an initial business combination by December 9, 2022 (or until June 9, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination), the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the private placement units and all underlying securities will expire worthless.
Commencing on December 9, 2021, we agreed to pay an affiliate of our Sponsor, a total of $10,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Other than the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers, or directors or any affiliate of our Sponsor, officers, or directors prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors, or our or their affiliates and determines which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
On June 16, 2021, our Sponsor agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of our initial public offering and we issued an unsecured promissory note to our Sponsor. Pursuant to the terms of our promissory note, we may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The promissory note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 and (ii) the completion of our initial public offering. There were no amount payable under the Note as of December 31, 2021 and the Note has been cancelled.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds on a non-interest bearing basis as may be required. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The units would be identical to the private placement units. Other than as described above, the terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under the any such loans.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
The holders of the founder shares, Private Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and in each case holders of their component securities, as applicable) have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering. These holders are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us.
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We have entered into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer or director who at the request of the company is or was serving as a director or officer of, or in any other capacity is or was acting for, another company or a partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against any liability asserted against the person and incurred by the person in that capacity, whether or not the company has or would have had the power to indemnify the person against the liability as provided in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We have purchased a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
Related Party Policy
We have adopted a code of ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our code of ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company. We have filed a copy of our code of ethics with the SEC and a copy is available on our website. You are able to review our code of ethics by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the code of ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our code of ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we have adopted, is responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. We have filed a copy of our audit committee charter with the SEC and a copy is available on our website. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our Sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers or directors or any affiliate of our Sponsor, officers or directors prior to, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments will be made to our Sponsor, officers, or directors, or our or their affiliates, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
● | Payment to our Sponsor of $10,000 per month, for up to 18 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support; |
● | Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; |
● | Repayment of non-interest bearing loans which may be made by our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which (other than as described above) have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, upon consummation of our initial business combination. The warrants would be identical to the Private Warrants; |
65
● | At the closing of our initial business combination, we may pay customary financial consulting fees. We may pay such financial consulting fees in the event our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates provide us with specific target company, industry, financial or market expertise, as well as insights, relationships, services or resources in order to assess, negotiate and consummate an initial business combination. The amount of any such financial consulting fee we pay will be based upon the prevailing market for similar services for comparable transactions at such time, and will be subject to the review of our audit committee pursuant to the audit committee’s policies and procedures relating to transactions that may present conflicts of interest. We would disclose any such fee in the proxy or tender offer materials used in connection with a proposed business combination. |
Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to BDO USA, LLP, or BDO, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by BDO in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by BDO for professional services rendered were $191,172.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay BDO for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Tax Fees. We did not pay BDO for tax planning and tax advice for the period from May 24, 2021(inception) through December 31, 2021.
All Other Fees. We did not pay BDO for other services for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our initial public offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
66
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENTS, AND SCHEDULES
(a) | The following documents are filed as part of this report: |
(1) | Financial Statements: |
67
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Shareholders and Board of Directors
Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp
Miami, FL
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in Class A ordinary shares and shareholders’ deficit, and cash flows for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from May 24, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Going Concern Uncertainty
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, as of December 31, 2021, the Company does not have sufficient cash and working capital to sustain its operations. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2021.
New York, NY 10017
March 31, 2022
F-1
Item 1. Financial Statements
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP
BALANCE SHEET
| December 31, 2021 | ||
ASSETS | |||
CURRENT ASSETS | |||
Cash | $ | 1,193,008 | |
Prepaid expenses and other assets | 544,282 | ||
Total current assets | 1,737,290 | ||
|
| ||
Cash and marketable securities held in Trust Account | 231,128,639 | ||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 232,865,929 | |
LIABILITIES, CLASS A REDEEMABLE ORDINARY SHARES, AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT |
|
| |
CURRENT LIABILITIES | |||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | $ | 58,026 | |
Due to affiliate | 199,316 | ||
Total current liabilities |
| 257,342 | |
Deferred underwriting fee payable |
| 8,050,000 | |
Total liabilities | 8,307,342 | ||
COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Note 6) |
|
| |
CLASS A REDEEMABLE ORDINARY SHARES | |||
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, $0.0001 par value, 23,000,000 shares | 231,128,639 | ||
|
| ||
SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT |
|
| |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or |
| — | |
Class A ordinary shares; $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption) |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares; $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 issued and |
| 575 | |
Additional paid-in capital |
| — | |
Accumulated deficit |
| (6,570,627) | |
Total Shareholders' Deficit |
| (6,570,052) | |
LIABILITIES, CLASS A REDEEMABLE ORDINARY SHARES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT | $ | 232,865,929 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
F-2
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD MAY 24, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
OPERATING EXPENSES | |||
General and administrative | $ | 143,199 | |
Total expenses | (143,199) | ||
|
| ||
OTHER INCOME (LOSS) | |||
Interest income on investments | 9,636 | ||
Unrealized loss on investments | (30,997) | ||
NET LOSS | $ | (164,560) | |
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A ordinary shares | 2,289,593 | ||
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A | 1.84 | ||
| |||
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B ordinary shares | 5,151,584 | ||
Basic and diluted net loss per share, Class B | (0.85) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
F-3
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD MAY 24, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
Class A ordinary share | Class B ordinary share | Additional | Total | |||||||||||||||||
paid-in | Accumulated | Shareholders’ | ||||||||||||||||||
| Shares |
| Amount |
|
| Shares |
| Amount |
| capital |
| deficit |
| Deficit | ||||||
Balance, May 24, 2021 (inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor | — | — | 5,750,000 | 575 | 24,425 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||
Issuance of Class A ordinary shares, net of offering cost | 23,000,000 | 209,726,014 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
Issuance of private placement warrants | — | — | — | — | $ | 8,150,000 | $ | — | $ | 8,150,000 | ||||||||||
Public Warrants allocation issuance (net of offering costs) | — | — | — | — | 6,822,133 | — | 6,822,133 | |||||||||||||
Accretion of Class A ordinary shares to redemption value | — | 21,402,625 | — | — | (14,996,558) | (6,406,067) | (21,402,625) | |||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | (164,560) | (164,560) | |||||||||||||
Balance, December 31, 2021 | 23,000,000 | $ | 231,128,639 | 5,750,000 | $ | 575 | $ | — | (6,570,627) | (6,570,052) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
F-4
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD MAY 24, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
|
| |
Net Loss | $ | (164,560) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: |
|
| |
Unrealized loss on investment | 30,997 | ||
Interest income on Investments | (9,636) | ||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | |||
Prepaid expenses and other assets | (544,282) | ||
Accounts payable and accrued expenses | 58,026 | ||
Due to affiliate | 105,518 | ||
Net cash flows used in operating activities |
| (523,937) | |
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES | |||
Cash deposited to Trust Account | (231,150,000) | ||
Net cash flows used in investing activities | (231,150,000) | ||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES | |||
Proceeds from initial public offering, net of $4,600,000 underwriting discounts paid | 225,400,000 | ||
Proceeds from private placement warrants | 8,150,000 | ||
Payment of offering costs | (683,055) | ||
Net cash flows provided by financing activities | 232,866,945 | ||
NET INCREASE IN CASH | 1,193,008 | ||
|
| ||
CASH, BEGINNING OF PERIOD | — | ||
CASH, END OF PERIOD | $ | 1,193,008 | |
Supplemental disclosure of noncash activities: |
|
| |
Fair value of Public Warrants allocated to additional paid-in-capital (net of offering costs of $422,867) | $ | 6,822,133 | |
Initial measurement of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, net of $13,028,986 in allocated offering costs | $ | 209,726,014 | |
Deferred underwriting commissions payable charged to additional paid in capital | $ | 8,050,000 | |
Payment of offering costs by the Sponsor in exchange for the issuance of Class B ordinary shares | $ | 25,000 | |
Payment of offering costs by the Sponsor by Notes payable - related party | $ | 93,798 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements
F-5
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Note 1 — Description of Organization and Business Operations and Liquidity
Crypto 1 Acquisition Corp (the “Company”, “we”, “our”) was incorporated in the Cayman Islands on May 24, 2021. The Company is a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through December 31, 2021, relates to the Company’s formation and Initial Public Offering (“IPO”), which is described below and, since the offering, the search for a prospective 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 will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the IPO.
The registration statement for the Company’s IPO (the “Registration Statement”) was declared effective on December 6, 2021. On December 9, 2021, the Company consummated the sale of 20,000,000 units (“Units”) with each Unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share(the “Public Shares”), and
-quarters of one redeemable warrant of the Company, with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share at $10.00 per Unit generating gross proceeds of $200,000,000, which is discussed in Note 3. Such amount does not include the simultaneous sale of the Over-allotment Units as discussed below. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.Simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the sale of 7,400,000 warrants (“Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to the Company’s sponsor, Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) generating gross proceeds of $7,400,000 which is discussed in Note 4.
Additionally with the closing of the IPO, the Company consummated the closing of the sale of 3,000,000 additional Units at $10.00 per Unit upon receiving notice of the underwriter’s election to exercise its overallotment option (“Over-allotment Units”), generating additional gross proceeds of $30,000,000 . Since the underwriter’s over-allotment was exercised in full, the Sponsor did not forfeit any Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5). Simultaneously with the exercise of the overallotment, the Company consummated the sale of an additional 750,000 Private Placement Warrants at $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant to the Sponsor, generating gross proceeds of $750,000.
Offering costs for the IPO and the Over-allotment Units amounted to $13,451,853, consisting of $4,600,000 of underwriting fees, $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which are held in the Trust Account (defined below)) and $801,853 of other costs. As described in Note 6, the $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fee payable is contingent upon the consummation of a Business Combination within 12 months from the closing of the IPO or up to 18 months during any extension period, as described in the Registration Statement, and subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
Following the closing of the IPO and exercise of the over-allotment, $231,150,000 ($10.05 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO, Over-Allotment Units, and the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (“Trust Account”) and invested in U.S. government securities.
F-6
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time 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. There is no assurance the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding 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. The Public Shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.05 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights with respect to the Company’s warrants.
All of the Public Shares contain a redemption feature which allows for the redemption of such Public Shares in connection with the Company’s liquidation, if there is a shareholder vote or tender offer in connection with the Company’s Business Combination and in connection with certain amendments to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480-10-S99, redemption provisions not solely within the control of a company require Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption to be classified outside of permanent equity. In accordance with ASC 480-10-S99, if it is probable that the equity instrument will become redeemable, the Company has the option to either (i) accrete changes in the redemption value over the period from the date of issuance (or from the date that it becomes probable that the instrument will become redeemable, if later) to the earliest redemption date of the instrument or (ii) recognize changes in the redemption value immediately as they occur and adjust the carrying amount of the instrument to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. The Company has elected to recognize the changes immediately. While redemptions cannot cause the Company’s net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001, the Public Shares are redeemable and classified as temporary equity on the balance sheet until such date that a redemption event takes place. Given that the Public Shares will be issued with other freestanding instruments (i.e., public warrants), the initial carrying value of Class A ordinary shares classified as temporary equity was based on allocation of the proceeds determined in accordance with ASC 470-20.
Redemptions of the Company’s Public Shares may be subject to the satisfaction of conditions, including minimum cash conditions, pursuant to an agreement relating to the Company’s Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each Public Shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Certificate of Incorporation 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 IPO, without the prior consent of the Company.
F-7
The Company’s Sponsor, officers and directors (the “Initial Shareholders”) have agreed not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation that would affect 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, unless the Company provides the Public Shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A ordinary shares in conjunction with any such amendment.
If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination by December 9, 2022, 12 months from the closing of the IPO or extended at the Sponsor’s option to up to 18 months with two three-month extensions as described in the prospectus (“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
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 the Company’s franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.The Initial Shareholders have agreed to waive their liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Shareholders should acquire Public Shares in or after the IPO, 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 have agreed to waive their rights to its deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) 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 $10.05 per shares held in the Trust Account. In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a vendor 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 IPO 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 the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Going Concern Considerations
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $1,193,008 in its bank account, $231,128,639 in cash and securities held in the Trust Account to be used for a Business Combination or to repurchase or redeem its Class A ordinary shares in connection therewith and working capital (excluding cash held in bank $1,193,008) of $286,941.
Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will be using the funds not held in the Trust Account for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination. The Company will need to raise additional capital through loans or additional investments from its Sponsor, shareholders, officers, directors, or third parties. The Company’s officers, directors and Sponsor 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.
F-8
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, and reducing overhead expenses. The Company cannot provide any assurance that new financing will be available to it on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. 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 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an emerging growth company as defined in Section 102(b)(1) of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), which 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.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. 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. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and accordingly the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company had cash balance of $918 held in its Trust Account as of December 31, 2021.
Investments Held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2021, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury securities. The Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities. Trading securities are presented on the balance sheet at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of investments held in Trust Account are included in gain (loss) on investments in the accompanying statement of operations. The estimated fair values of investments held in Trust Account are determined using available market information.
F-9
Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consist principally of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs directly related to the IPO and was charged to shareholder’s deficit upon completion of the IPO. Offering costs, including those attributable to the underwriters’ exercise of the over-allotment option in full, amounted to $13,451,853 (consisting of $4,600,000 of underwriting fees, $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees payable (which are held in the Trust Account (defined below)) and $801,853 of other costs. The offering costs were allocated $13,028,986, and $422,867 to Class A ordinary shares, and the public warrants respectively.
Concentration of Credit Risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in financial institutions, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Securities Investor Protection Corporation Insurance coverage limits of $250,000 and $500,000 (including cash of $250,000) respectively. At December 31, 2021 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
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. U.S. 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 include:
● | Level 1, defined as observable inputs such as quoted prices (unadjusted) for identical instruments in active markets; |
● | Level 2, defined as inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are either directly or indirectly observable such as quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and |
● | Level 3, defined as unobservable inputs in which little or no market data exists, therefore requiring an entity to develop its own assumptions, such as valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable. 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. |
In many cases, a valuation technique used to measure fair value includes inputs from multiple levels of the fair value hierarchy described above. The lowest level of significant input determines the placement of the entire fair value measurement in the hierarchy.
Income Taxes
The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of ASC Topic 740, Income Taxes, which requires an asset and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are computed for differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
F-10
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 is subject to tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. There is currently no taxation imposed by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. The Company has no connection to any other taxable jurisdiction and is presently not subject to income taxes or income tax filing requirements in the Cayman Islands or the United States. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements. The Company is not currently aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals, or material deviation from its position. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, 2021. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
Accounting for Warrants
The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the instruments’ specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in FASB ASC 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”) and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the instruments are free standing financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the instruments meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the instruments are indexed to the Company’s own Ordinary shares and whether the instrument holders could potentially require “net cash settlement” in a circumstance outside of the Company’s control, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the instruments are outstanding. Management has concluded that the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 3) and Private Placement Warrants issued pursuant to the warrant agreement qualify for equity accounting treatment.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standard Update (“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, which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. The ASU removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 on May 24, 2021, with no impact upon adoption.
The Company’s management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statement.
Ordinary share Subject to Possible Redemption
The Company accounts for its ordinary share subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity. Shares of ordinary share subject to mandatory redemption (if any) is classified as a liability instrument and is measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary share (including Class A ordinary shares that features 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) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, Class A ordinary shares is classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021, 23,000,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption is presented as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.
The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of the redeemable ordinary shares are affected by charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit.
F-11
At December 31, 2021, the Redeemable Class A ordinary shares reflected in the balance sheet is reconciled in the following table:
Gross proceeds |
| $ | 230,000,000 |
Less: |
| ||
Fair value of Public Warrants at issuance | (7,245,000) | ||
Class A shares issuance costs |
| (13,028,986) | |
Plus: |
| ||
Accretion of carrying value to redemption value |
| 21,402,625 | |
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | 231,128,639 |
Net Income (loss) per Ordinary Share
The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC 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 ordinary shares outstanding for the respective period. Net loss for the period from inception to IPO was allocated fully to Class B ordinary shares. Diluted net income (loss) per share attributable to ordinary stockholders adjusts the basic net loss per share attributable to ordinary shareholders and the weighted-average ordinary shares outstanding for the potentially dilutive impact of outstanding warrants. However, because the warrants are anti-dilutive, diluted income (loss) per ordinary share is the same as basic income (loss) per ordinary share for the period presented.
With respect to the accretion of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption and consistent with ASC 480-10-S99-3A, the Company treated accretion in the same manner as a dividend paid to the shareholder in the calculation of the net income (loss) per ordinary share.
The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net loss per ordinary share (in dollars, except per share amounts):
For the period May 24, | |||
2021 (inception) through | |||
| December 31, 2021 | ||
Net loss from inception to IPO date |
| $ | (77,919) |
Net loss from IPO date to year-end | (86,641) | ||
Total loss from inception to December 31, 2021 | (164,560) | ||
Less: Accretion of Class A redeemable shares to redemption value | (21,402,625) | ||
Net loss including accretion of Class A redeemable shares to redemption value | $ | (21,567,185) |
| Class A Ordinary |
| Class B Ordinary | ||||||
share | share | Total | |||||||
Total loss allocated |
| $ | (69,313) |
| $ | (95,247) |
| $ | (164,560) |
Less: Accretion allocated based on ownership percentage | (17,122,100) | (4,280,525) | (21,402,625) | ||||||
Plus: Accretion applicable to Class A redeemable shares | 21,402,625 | — | 21,402,625 | ||||||
Total earnings (loss) allocable by class | $ | 4,211,212 | $ | (4,375,772) | $ | (164,560) | |||
Weighted Average Shares |
| 2,289,593 |
| 5,151,584 |
|
| |||
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share | 1.84 | $ | (0.85) |
|
|
Note 3 — Initial Public Offering and Over-Allotment
Pursuant to the IPO, and including the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option, the Company sold 23,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A ordinary shares and -quarters a redeemable warrant (each, a “Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
F-12
Note 4 — Private Placement Warrants
On December 9, 2021, simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO and the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option, the Company consummated the issuance and sale of 8,150,000 Private Placement Warrants in a private placement transaction at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant, generating gross proceeds of $ 8,150,000. Each whole Private Placement Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share. Proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants was added to the proceeds from the IPO to be held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Warrants and all underlying securities will be worthless (see Note 8).
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate price of $25,000. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares at the time of the Company’s initial Business Combination and are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in Note 7. Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of shares of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment, at any time. The initial shareholders have agreed to forfeit up to 750,000 Founder Shares to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters. Since the underwriter’s over-allotment was exercised in full, the Sponsor did not forfeit any Founder Shares.
Due to Affiliates
As of December 31, 2021, a member of the Sponsor paid $199,316 on behalf of the Company to cover general and administrative expenses, prepaid expenses and deferred offering costs. Subsequent to year-end, this amount was repaid in January 2022.
Related Party Loans
On June 16, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the IPO pursuant to a promissory note (the “Note”). This loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the completion of the IPO. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the Note and the note was cancelled by the Sponsor.
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, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. 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 $1,500,000 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 December 31, 2021, there were no Working Capital Loans outstanding.
Support Services
The Company has an agreement with an entity affiliated with the Chief Executive Officer a fee of $10,000 per month following the consummation of the IPO for office space, utilities, out of pocket expenses, and secretarial and administrative support. The arrangement
F-13
will terminate upon the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or its liquidation. As of December 31, 2021, $7,000 has been accrued under this arrangement and included under “due to affiliates” on the Balance Sheet.
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Registration Rights
The holders of Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans, if any, will be entitled to registration rights (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion of such shares to shares of Class A ordinary shares) pursuant to the registration rights agreement. These holders will be entitled to certain demand and “piggyback” registration rights. However, the registration 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.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option from the final prospectus relating to the IPO to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the IPO price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On December 9, 2021, the underwriters elected to fully exercise the over-allotment option purchasing 3,000,000 Units at $10.00 per Unit.
The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit on the offering including the Units issued with the underwriter’s exercise of their over-allotment option, or $4,600,000 in the aggregate at the closing of the IPO. In addition, the underwriters are entitled to a deferred underwriting commissions of $0.35 per unit, or $8,050,000 from the closing of the IPO and the exercise of the over-allotment option. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely if 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 and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the pandemic 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 financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
In February 2022, the Russian Federation and Belarus commenced a military action with the country of Ukraine. As a result of this action, various nations, including the United States, have instituted economic sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus. Further, the impact of this action and related sanctions on the world economy are not determinable as of the date of these financial statements and the specific impact on the Company's financial condition, results of operation, and cash flows is also not determinable as of the date of these financial statements.
Note 7 — Shareholders’ Deficit
Ordinary shares
Class A ordinary shares— The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 shares of Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2021, there were no shares of Class A ordinary shares issued and (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to redemption).
Class B Ordinary shares— The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. As of December 31, 2021, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of shareholders except as required by law.
F-14
The shares of Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the IPO and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B ordinary shares shall convert into shares of Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the IPO plus all shares of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent warrants issued to the Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company). Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of shares of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time.
Preference Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per 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. For the period presented, there were no preference shares issued or
Note 8 — Warrants
As of December 31, 2021, there were 17,250,000 Public Warrants and 8,150,000 Private Placement Warrants issued and
.The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless the Company has an effective and current registration statement covering the shares of ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such shares of ordinary shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
● | in whole and not in part; |
● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the “30-day redemption period” and |
● | if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
The Company will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective 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.
Except as set forth below, none of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
F-15
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Placement Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the shares of ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees.
The exercise price and number of shares of ordinary shares issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of ordinary shares at a price below their respective exercise prices. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of 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.
In addition, if the Company issues additional shares of ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of ordinary shares (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to the initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates 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 (i) the Market Value and (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption price when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
Note 9 — Fair Value Measurements
At December 31, 2021, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury securities. All of the Company’s investments held in the Trust Account are classified as trading securities.
The following table presents information about the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
|
| Quoted Prices in |
| Significant Other |
| Significant Other | |||
Active Markets | Observable Inputs | Unobservable Inputs | |||||||
Level | (Level 1) | (Level 2) | (Level 3) | ||||||
Assets: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
U.S. Treasury Securities | 1 | $ | 231,127,721 | — | — |
Note 10 — Subsequent Events
The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date these financial statements were issued and determined that there were no subsequent events that would require adjustment or disclosure.
F-16
(a)(2)Financial Statement Schedules:
All financial statement schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the amounts are immaterial and not required, or the required information is presented in the financial statements and notes beginning on page F-1 on this Report.
(a)(3)Exhibits:
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected and copied at the public reference facilities maintained by the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. Copies of such material can also be obtained from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549, at prescribed rates or on the SEC website at www.sec.gov.
EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. |
| Description |
3.1 | Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.* | |
4.1 | ||
4.2 | ||
4.3 | Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.* | |
10.1 | ||
10.2 | ||
10.3 | ||
10.4 | Private Placement Warrant Purchase Agreement between Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC and the Registrant.* | |
10.5 | Administrative Services Agreement between Crypto 1 Sponsor LLC and the Registrant.* | |
10.6 | ||
14 | ||
31.1 | ||
31.2 | ||
32.1 | ||
32.2 | ||
101.INS | Inline XBRL Instance Document. | |
101.SCH | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. | |
101.CAL | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. | |
101.DEF | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. | |
101.LAB | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. | |
101.PRE | Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. | |
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
* | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed on December 10, 2021. |
** | Incorporated by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-261051). |
Item 16.FORM 10-K SUMMARY
None.
68
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Section 13 or 15(d) 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 the 31st day of March, 2022.
CRYPTO 1 ACQUISITION CORP | ||
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| By: | /s/ David Hytha |
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| David Hytha |
In accordance with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name |
| Title |
| Date |
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/s/ Dr. Najamul Kidwai |
| Founder, Chairman and Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Dr. Najamul Kidwai |
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| |
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/s/ Michael (Xu) Zhao |
| Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Michael (Xu) Zhao |
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
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/s/ David Hytha |
| Chief Financial Officer |
| March 31, 2022 |
David Hytha |
| (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
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/s/ David Maloy |
| Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
David Maloy |
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/s/ Jeffrey Singer |
| Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Jeffrey Singer |
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/s/ Alvin Eng |
| Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Alvin Eng |
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/s/ Matthew Krna |
| Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Matthew Krna |
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/s/ Faisal Galaria |
| Director |
| March 31, 2022 |
Faisal Galaria |
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69