Green Visor Financial Technology Acquisition Corp I - 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
OR
☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the Transition Period from to
Commission File Number 001-41044
GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY |
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) |
Cayman Islands |
| 98-1596617 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
| (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
88 Kearny Street, Suite 850 San Francisco, CA | 94108 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(650) 489-6697 |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class |
| Trading Symbol(s) |
| Name of each exchange on which registered |
Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant |
| GVCIU |
| The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Class A ordinary shares |
| GVCI |
| The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Redeemable Warrants included as part of the units, each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share |
| GVCIW |
| 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 Section 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 preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
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 aggregate market value of the ordinary shares outstanding, other than shares held by persons who may be deemed affiliates of the registrant, computed by reference to the closing sales price for the ordinary shares on December 31, 2021, as reported on the Nasdaq, was $197,598,750 (based on the closing sales price of the Class A ordinary shares on December 31, 2021 of $9.875).
As of March 23, 2022, there were 20,010,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,002,500 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.
GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
CERTAIN TERMS
References to the “Company,” “our,” “us,” “GVCI” or “we” refer to Green Visor Financial Technology Acquisition Corp. I, a blank check company incorporated in Cayman Islands on April 15, 2021, and references to:
● | “Companies Act” refers to the Companies Act (2020 Revision) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time; |
● | “directors” refer to our current directors and director nominees (if any); |
● | “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially issued to our Sponsor in a private placement prior to the initial public offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”); |
● | “Green Visor Capital” refers to Green Visor Capital Management Company, LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, and its affiliates where applicable; |
● | “initial public offering” refers to our initial public offering of 20,010,000 units, which includes the exercise by the underwriter of their over-allotment option in the amount of 2,610,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $200,100,000; |
● | “initial shareholders” refer to holders of our founder shares prior to the initial public offering; |
● | “management” or our “management team” refer to our executive officers and directors; |
● | “ordinary shares” refer to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares; |
● | “ordinary resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the Company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter; |
● | “private placement warrants” refer to the warrants issued to our Sponsor in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering; |
● | “public shareholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares; provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares; |
● | “public shares” refer to the Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in the initial public offering or thereafter in the open market); |
● | “public warrants” refer to the warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they were purchased in the initial public offering or thereafter in the open market); |
● | “SEC” refers to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; |
● | “Sponsor” refers to Green Visor Capital SPAC I Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company; |
● | “underwriter” refers to Mizuho Securities USA LLC; and |
● | “warrants” refers to our public warrants and private placement warrants. |
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
This Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “Annual Report”) includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the “Securities Act,” and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “should,” “propose,” “continue,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “will” and similar terms and phrases are used in this Annual Report to identify forward-looking statements. Except for historical information contained herein, the matters addressed in this Annual Report are forward-looking statements. These statements relate to analyses and other information based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These statements also relate to our future prospects, developments and business strategies. These forward-looking statements are made based on our management’s expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties and factors relating to our operations and business environment, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. These uncertainties and factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed in or implied by these forward-looking statements. The following factors are among those, but are not only those, that may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements:
● | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
● | our ability to consummate our initial business combination, including possible disruptions due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic; |
● | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses; |
● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our business combination; |
● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our business combination; |
● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our business combination; |
● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
● | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; |
● | our financial performance; and |
● | the other factors described elsewhere in this Annual Report, included under the headings “Item 1B. Risk Factors,” “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” or “Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk”. |
Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements are made. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable securities laws. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. Additional information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties is contained in our other periodic filings with the SEC.
Risk Factor Summary
We are providing the following summary of the risk factors contained in this Annual Report to enhance the readability and accessibility of our risk factor disclosures. We encourage you to carefully review the full risk factors contained in this Annual Report in their entirety for additional information regarding the material factors that make an investment in our securities speculative or risky. Some of the factors, risks and uncertainties that might materially affect the forward-looking statements contained herein and may make an investment in our securities speculative or risky include, but are not limited to, the following:Risks Relating to Our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
● | Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination. |
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● | The nominal purchase price paid by our Sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of investors’ public shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of our Sponsor’s founder shares will be significantly greater than the amount our Sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares to materially decline. |
● | Our public shareholders’ only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of their right to redeem their shares from us for cash. |
● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote. |
● | 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 a business combination with a target. |
● | 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. |
● | 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 such shareholders would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem their shares. |
● | The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our business combination deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders. |
● | Our working capital position and the requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering give rise to substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. |
● | We may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate. |
● | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares. |
Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management
● | Since our Sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire after our initial public offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination. |
● | Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. |
● | Our executive officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests. |
● | We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate. |
● | Our executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. |
Risks Relating to Our Securities
● | We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and our public shareholders have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective. |
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● | Past performance by Green Visor Capital or its affiliates, our directors or our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or the future performance of any business we may acquire. |
● | Our public shareholders will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate their investment, they may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss. |
● | Our public shareholders will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies. |
● | 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. |
Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
● | If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations. |
● | If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues. |
● | After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate. |
● | Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished. |
● | We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights. |
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated on April 15, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “business combination”). Since the consummation of our initial public offering, we have reviewed, and continue to review, a number of opportunities to enter into a business combination with an operating business, including entering into discussions with potential target businesses, but we are not able to determine at this time whether we will complete a business combination with any of the target businesses that we have reviewed or had discussions with or with any other target business. We also have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenue to date. Based on our business activities, we are a “shell company” as defined under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) because we have no operations and nominal assets consisting solely of cash and/or cash equivalents.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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.
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 the 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 Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” 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 is equal to or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates is equal to or 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.
Initial Public Offering and Simultaneous Private Placement
On November 12, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 20,010,000 units, which includes the exercise by the underwriter of their over-allotment option in the amount of 2,610,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $200,100,000. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, and one-half of one public warrant. Mizuho Securities USA LLC acted as the underwriter in our initial public offering. The units sold in the initial public offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-260199), which the SEC declared effective on November 8, 2021. Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we consummated the sale of 10,399,000 private placement warrants to our Sponsor at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $10,399,000. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment.
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Offering Proceeds Held in Trust
Following our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, a total of $204,102,000 was placed in the trust account. We incurred $11,816,317 in offering costs, consisting of $4,002,000 of underwriting commissions, $7,003,500 of deferred underwriting commissions, and $810,817 of other offering costs. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash and marketable securities held in the trust account of $204,111,409 net of redemptions. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and less taxes payable), to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest from the trust account to pay our taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies. As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $689,927 held outside of the trust account. We have used the funds held outside the trust account 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, and review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses.
We may withdraw from the trust account interest earned on the funds held therein necessary to pay its income taxes, if any. Except as described in the subsection herein entitled “Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” these proceeds will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares upon our failure to consummate a business combination within the required time period.
On December 27, 2021, we announced that the holders of our units may elect to separately trade the shares of Class A common stock and warrants included in the units commencing on December 30, 2021. Each unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share. Any units not separated continue to trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “GVCIU,” and any underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that were or are separated trade on Nasdaq under the symbols “GVCI” and “GVCIW,” respectively.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash held in the trust account, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. 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.
Selection of Target Businesses
While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry, we intend to focus our search on businesses in the Financial Technology (“FinTech”) sector that can benefit from our differentiated and proprietary deal flow, leading brand name and global network. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.
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The Nasdaq rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or a valuation or appraisal firm. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of such opinion nor will they be able to rely on such opinion. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. 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, provided that in the event that 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 the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
In evaluating a prospective target business, 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 applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
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, and negotiation with, 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. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.
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 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 calculated 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 income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.20 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriter. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our Sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Conduct of Redemptions Pursuant to Tender Offer Rules
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association: (a) conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and (b) file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
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Submission of Our Initial Business Combination to a Shareholder Vote
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 receive 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. A quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of a majority of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to that certain letter agreement, our Sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of 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. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such shareholder meeting.
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 Sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage 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.
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 any such purchases of shares could 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. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Limitation on Redemption Rights Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our 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 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder
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holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we will have until February 12, 2023 to complete our initial business combination (or up to May 12, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate a business combination by up to three months, provided that, any such extension shall only be made where (1) we provide no less than five days’ prior notice to the applicable deadline; and (2) we have deposited $2,001,000 (at $0.10 per share of our Class A ordinary shares) into the trust fund on or prior to the applicable initial business combination deadline).
If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 15-month period (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to consummate an initial business combination by February 12, 2023 (or up to May 12, 2023 if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report).
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, venture capital and private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds and public companies operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. 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 us. 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 acquisition 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 currently have four executive officers: Joe Saunders, Ellen Richey, Sam Wen and Richard Kim. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the 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.
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this Annual Report, including our financial statements and related notes, in evaluating us. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and our shareholders could lose all or part of their investment.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, Consummation of, or Inability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would not be required to seek shareholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
The nominal purchase price paid by our Sponsor for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of your public shares in the event we complete an initial business combination. In addition, the value of our Sponsor’s founder shares will be significantly greater than the amount our Sponsor paid to purchase such shares in the event we complete an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares to materially decline.
Our Sponsor has committed to invest an aggregate of $10,424,000 in us in connection with our initial public offering, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $10,399,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. In connection with our initial public offering, we offered our units to the public at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, and the amount in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.20 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, because our Sponsor paid only a nominal purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share for the founder shares, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted as a result of the automatic conversion of our Sponsor’s founder shares into Class A ordinary shares upon our completion of an initial business combination.
Furthermore, even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares significantly declines, the value of the founder shares held by our Sponsor will be significantly greater than the amount our Sponsor paid to purchase such shares. In addition, our Sponsor could potentially recoup its entire investment in our Company even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares after the initial business combination declines significantly. As a result, our Sponsor is likely to earn a substantial profit on its investment in our Company upon disposition of its Class A ordinary shares even if the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares declines significantly after we complete our initial business combination. Our Sponsor may therefore be economically incentivized to complete an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our Sponsor had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public shareholders paid for their public shares.
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Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of one or more target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a 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 vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our Sponsor owns, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares. Our Sponsor and members of our management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved by an ordinary resolution. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,503,750 or 37.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) of our 20,010,000 public shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted). Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our Sponsor and each member of our management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such 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 a 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. 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 are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). 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 will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If a large number of shares are submitted for redemption, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for additional third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriter will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
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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 is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your 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 consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our business combination 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 a business combination will be aware that we must consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021. 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. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within such applicable time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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.
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants 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 Sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, other than as expressly stated herein, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions.
In the event that our Sponsor, directors, executive 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. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants 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.
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 proxy rules or tender offer 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 proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer 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 redeem or tender public shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.
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 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% 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 seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” 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 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, 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 our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may 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 a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report), 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 and to complete our initial business combination.
We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our Sponsor, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 15 months (or up to 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report); however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we expect to 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 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 advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants described in this Annual Report. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.20 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our substantive 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 shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the 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 them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
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 are 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.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, 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 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of their redemption or any liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon their redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination. 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
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liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
The grant of registration rights to our Sponsor 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 entered into concurrently with our initial public offering, our Sponsor, and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of extension loans and working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants. 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 or its permitted transferees are registered.
We are not limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector, and you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations prior to announcement of an agreement related to an initial business combination.
We may pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, and while we would not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations, we would be permitted to effectuate a business combination with an operating company together with one or more other blank check companies. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any 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 them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our Company. Although our
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management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our securities than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this Annual Report regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholder who choose to remain shareholders following our business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses and our strategy will be to identify, acquire and build a company in the financial services and technology sector, 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 and our strategy will be to identify, acquire and build a company in the FinTech sector, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of 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 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, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking 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 shareholders 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 accounting firm or independent investment banking firm that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders 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 standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference 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 contained therein. Any such issuances would 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 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 30,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. There are 279,990,000 and 24,997,500 authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares, if any. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. There are no preference shares issued or outstanding.
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We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference 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 to redeem our warrants or 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 or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. 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. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
● | may significantly dilute the equity interest of current investors in our securities; |
● | may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares; |
● | could cause a change in 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 |
● | will not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants. |
Unlike most other similarly structured blank check companies, our Sponsor will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of our 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 or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our Sponsor upon conversion of working capital loans. 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.
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 only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, 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, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
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We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, 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. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite shareholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires shareholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares or warrants received. In addition, shareholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management, director 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.
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Our Sponsor has the right to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination for up to an additional three months without providing our stockholders with voting or redemption rights relating thereto.
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, and subject to our Sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as described in this Annual Report, our time to consummate a business combination shall be extended for an additional three months, for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business combination. This will occur as long as our Sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the deadline, deposits into the trust account $2,001,000 (at $0.10 per Class A ordinary share) on or prior to the date of the deadline, for such extension, in exchange for a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note. Such loan may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Our public stockholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with such extension. As a result, we may conduct such an extension even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such an extension and will not be able to redeem their shares in connection therewith. This feature is different than the traditional special purpose acquisition company structure, in which any extension of the Company’s period to complete a business combination requires a vote of the Company’s stockholders and stockholders have the right to redeem their public shares in connection with such vote.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. 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 our 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. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. In addition, pursuant to an agreement entered into concurrently with our initial public offering, our Sponsor, upon consummation of an initial business combination, is entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as our Sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. 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 them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss 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
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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 a 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.
Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described in the subsection herein entitled “Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence.” Our directors and executive officers, Green Visor Capital, or its affiliates may sponsor, form or participate in blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates and the director and officer teams. However, we do not currently expect that any such other blank check company would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. In particular, our directors and executive officers, Green Visor Capital, or its affiliates, which may seek to complete a business combination in any industry or location and may compete with us for business combination opportunities. We could pursue a transaction with an affiliated entity if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria and guidelines for a business combination as set forth in this Annual Report and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement that we or a committee of disinterested directors will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm regarding the fairness to our Company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our Sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, 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.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a 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 and our executive officers 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; |
- | 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; and |
- | limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt. |
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We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
$204,102,000 of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants was deposited into a trust account and we may use such funds to complete our initial business combination.
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. 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 (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a 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 generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50%
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or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. 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 Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group 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 control of the target business.
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.
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 do not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). 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 Sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or any of 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 recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds, changed industry focus and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires a special resolution, and amending the public warrants will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and
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articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect 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 consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021. Any amendment solely to the private placement warrants or the extension loan warrants will require the consent of holders of a majority of the then-outstanding private placement warrants or the extension loan warrants, respectively. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered in connection with our initial public offering, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
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. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient to complete our initial business combination, 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. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. 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 only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders and not previously released to us to pay our income taxes, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (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 Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (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, and (iii) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described elsewhere in this Annual Report will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Because we must furnish our 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 a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same
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financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such 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.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.
In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) a global pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to negatively impact the global economy, disrupt global supply chains, lower equity market valuations, create significant volatility and disruption in financial markets, and increase unemployment levels, all of which may become heightened concerns upon future waves of infection or other 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 continued concerns relating to COVID-19 or related public health crises restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner.
The extent to which COVID-19 or related public health crises impact our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected. In addition, our ability to coordinate as a team or to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 or related public health crises and other events.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become more scarce and there may be increased competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and it could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. As mentioned throughout this subsection, attractive deals could also become more scarce for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, public health crises or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. Together, this could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
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We have engaged our underwriter (or one or more of its affiliates) to provide additional services to us following our initial public offering, and such additional services may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our 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 them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We have engaged our underwriter (or one or more of its affiliates) to provide additional services to us following our initial public offering, and such additional services may include identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or one or more of its affiliates fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. The underwriter is also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriter’s or its affiliates’ financial interests 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.
Risks Relating to Our Sponsor and Management
Since our Sponsor, executive officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire after our initial public offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On April 27, 2021, our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs in consideration of 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On October 11, 2021, 2,875,000 of these founder shares were forfeited by the holders thereof and on November 8, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization and issued 690,000 additional Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor, resulting in an aggregate of 5,002,500 Class B ordinary shares held by the Sponsor as of December 31, 2021. Prior to the initial investment in the Company of $25,000 by our Sponsor, the Company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the Company by the number of founder shares issued. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,399,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($10,399,000 in the aggregate), in a private placement that closed simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering. If we do not consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The personal and financial interests of our executive officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the period to consummate our initial business combination nears.
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of our initial public offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. In particular, our directors and executive officers, Green Visor Capital, or its affiliates in the future may become affiliated with other blank check companies that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. 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 such other blank check companies prior to its presentation to us. To address the matters set out above our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the maximum extent permitted by law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in any business combination opportunity: (i) which may be a corporate opportunity for both us and another entity, including any entities managed by Green Visor Capital or its affiliates and
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any companies in which Green Visor Capital or such entities have invested about which any of our executive officers or directors acquires knowledge; or (ii) the presentation of which would breach an existing legal obligation of a director or officer to another entity, and we will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. In addition our amended and restated articles of association contains provisions to exculpate and indemnify, to the maximum extent permitted by law, such persons in respect of any liability, obligation or duty to the Company that may arise as a consequence of such persons becoming aware of any business opportunity or failing to present such business opportunity. Additionally, certain of our directors and executive officers are now, and our Sponsor, directors and executive officers may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Our Sponsor, directors and executive officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, or otherwise becoming involved with, any other blank check companies prior to us completing our initial business combination.
In addition, our Sponsor and our executive officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. In particular, our executive officers and directors have formed and are actively engaged in Green Visor Capital. Green Visor Capital, like us, may pursue initial business combination targets in any businesses or industries. Any such companies, businesses or investments 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.
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 executive 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 the Company’s best interests. If this were the case, and the directors fail to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law, we may have a claim against such individuals. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
We are dependent upon our executive officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our 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 executive officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our executive officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a 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 they 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
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serve as employees, executive officers and/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.
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.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
We are a recently incorporated 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 company formed under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results. 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 a 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.
Past performance by Green Visor Capital or its affiliates, our directors or our management team or their respective affiliates may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or the future performance of any business we may acquire.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, Green Visor Capital or its affiliates, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance of Green Visor Capital, its affiliates, our directors or our management team is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of the performance of Green Visor Capital, its affiliates, our directors or our management team as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in Green Visor Capital or its affiliates. Our management and Green Visor Capital have no experience in operating blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares 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
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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 consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021 or (B) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of our Class A ordinary shares, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, 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 we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, 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.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business not selected at the time of our initial public offering, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will not be issuing “penny stock” as defined under the Exchange Act, we are exempt from certain 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 our initial public offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.
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. Although we currently meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum of 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 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 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our unrestricted securities. We cannot assure you that we will be able to continue to meet those listing requirements.
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 are 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; |
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- | 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, our Class A ordinary shares and our warrants are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants qualify as covered securities under the statute. 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 other than the State of Idaho having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by a blank check company, 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 qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (except our registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public 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 only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, 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 ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.20 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement with our Sponsor (the form of which is filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report), our Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent auditors) 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 amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriter of our 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, our Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. However, we have not asked our Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our Sponsor’s only assets are securities of our Company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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Our 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 below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, and our Sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our Sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent 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 $10.20 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
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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 share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine of approximately $18,000 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to elect directors. Until we hold an annual meeting of shareholders, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to elect 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 meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Incumbent directors will also have the ability to appoint additional directors or to appoint replacement directors in the event of a casual vacancy. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason by ordinary resolution. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our Company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants 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 pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.
If we call the warrants for redemption, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, 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 or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the Class A ordinary shares have a fair market value of $17.50 per share, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 Class A ordinary shares. The holder would have received 875 Class A ordinary shares if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our Company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.
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 (as defined in the section of the prospectus for our initial public offering captioned “Taxation - United States Federal Income Tax Considerations - General”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences
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and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of the prospectus for our initial public offering captioned “Taxation - United States Federal Income Tax Considerations-U.S. Holders - Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances, the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any 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, however, 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 written request, we will endeavor to provide to 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 be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules.
An investment in our securities may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in our securities may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to our units, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary shares and the one-sixth of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in our units is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in the prospectus for our initial public offering under “Taxation - United States Federal Income Tax Considerations - General”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered a “qualified dividend” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section the prospectus for our initial public offering entitled “Taxation-United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences of purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of a special resolution, which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other blank check companies. It may be easier for us than some other blank check companies to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our ordinary shares. The initial shareholders, and their permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our Class A ordinary shares upon the closing of our 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. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our Sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to agreements 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 allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not
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consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, 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 income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares. 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, executive officers, directors or director nominees (if any) 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.
Our Sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Our Sponsor and any other initial shareholders own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares. Accordingly, our Sponsor may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If our Sponsor purchases any additional Class A ordinary shares in the public market or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its control. Neither our Sponsor nor, to our knowledge, any of our executive officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this Annual Report. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our Sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a terms for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our Sponsor, because of its ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. Accordingly, our Sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
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 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 filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) 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 50% 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 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
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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, the Securities Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement.
If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our Company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, 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, provided that on the date we give notice of redemption. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you 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, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
In addition, we may redeem your warrants after they become exercisable for $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) on the trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares.
The value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the
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warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We issued warrants to purchase 10,005,000 of our Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered in our initial public offering and, simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we issued in a private placement an aggregate of 10,399,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. In addition, if our Sponsor or its designees make an extension loan, $2,001,000 of such loan may be convertible into warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender, and if our Sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert up to $1,000,000 of such loans into up to an additional 1,000,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. Our public warrants are also redeemable by us for Class A ordinary shares as described in this Annual Report.
To the extent we issue ordinary shares for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering, except that, so long as they are held by their initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, (i) they are not redeemable by the Company, (ii) they (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the Company completes its initial business combination, (iii) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) they are entitled to registration rights. In addition, any private placement warrants that are distributed to the affiliate of Mizuho Securities USA LLC will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of securities in our initial public offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A).
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants were issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half 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 it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
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
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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 any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accountant 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 equaled or exceeded $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equaled or exceeded $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter. 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 a 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.
Our working capital position and the requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) after the closing of our initial public offering give rise to substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We have incurred and we expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of a business combination. Further, we have 15 months (or 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) to consummate a business combination, and it is uncertain that we will be able to consummate a business combination by that date. If a business combination is not consummated by that date, we will commence a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution. These conditions raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern for a
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period of time within one year after the date of our financial statements included in this report. Our financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests through the U.S. federal courts, 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 will be 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 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 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.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection
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provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum as described in the immediately preceding paragraph and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any such threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which have been issued to our Sponsor, are entitled to vote on the election of directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum (a) the federal courts of the United States have exclusive jurisdiction to hear, settle and/or determine any dispute, controversy or claim arising under the provisions of the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, which are referred to as the "U.S. Actions;" and (b) except for such U.S. Actions, the courts of the Cayman Islands have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each member’s shareholding in the Company, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or the Company’s members; (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Company concerning its internal affairs.
Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for state and federal courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As described above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that such actions must be brought by shareholders in the federal courts of the United States.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against
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us and our directors, officers and other employees. It is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, will be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. Investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.20 per share.
The net proceeds of our initial public offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants may only be invested in direct U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. Treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay income taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $204,102,000 as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.20 per share.
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; |
● | adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and |
● | reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations. |
● |
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business is 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 United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these
40
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 either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; or (ii) an event requiring redemption of public shares as described in this Annual Report. 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 a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors, upon the listing of our shares on Nasdaq, Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the Nasdaq rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of our initial public offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a ‘controlled company’ within the meaning of the Nasdaq corporate governance standards. Under the Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
● | we have a board that includes a majority of ‘independent directors,’ as defined under the rules of Nasdaq; |
● | we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and |
● | we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities. |
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the Nasdaq corporate governance requirements.
A registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.
Though we included the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act in our registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-260199), because the warrants are not exercisable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, we do not currently intend to update such registration statement or file a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until after the initial business combination has been consummated. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a registration statement
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under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or this Annual Report, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, in which case, the number of Class A ordinary shares that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of shares equal to 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, unless an exemption is available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the warrants included as part of units sold in our initial public offering. In such an instance, our Sponsor and its transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to sell the ordinary shares underlying their warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying ordinary shares. 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.
Risks Relating to Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
● | costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations; |
● | rules and regulations regarding currency redemption; |
● | complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals; |
● | laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected; |
● | exchange listing and/or delisting requirements; |
● | tariffs and trade barriers; |
● | regulations related to customs and import/export matters; |
● | local or regional economic policies and market conditions; |
● | unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; |
● | 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; |
● | rates of inflation; |
● | challenges in collecting accounts receivable; |
● | cultural and language differences; |
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● | employment regulations; |
● | underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems; |
● | corruption; |
● | protection of intellectual property; |
● | social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances; |
● | regime changes and political upheaval; |
● | 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 were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as executive 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 United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and 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.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and
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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.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere could make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination.
Recent increases in inflation in the United States and elsewhere may be leading to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, and may lead to other national, regional and international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination.
Conflict in Ukraine could make it more difficult for us to consummate a business combination.
Conflict in Ukraine may lead to increased price volatility for publicly traded securities, including ours, and to other national, regional and international economic disruptions, any of which could make it more difficult for us to identify a business combination partner and consummate a business combination on acceptable commercial terms or at all.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
We currently utilize office space at 88 Kearny Street, Suite 850, San Francisco CA 94108, leased from our Sponsor and the members of our management team as our executive offices. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against GVCI or any members of its management team in their capacity as such.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
None.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
(a) | Market Information |
Our units began trading on the Nasdaq under the symbol “GVCIU” on November 12, 2021. On December 27, 2021, we announced that holders of our securities could elect to separately trade the shares of Class A ordinary shares and warrants included in the securities, or continue to trade the securities without separating them. The shares of Class A ordinary shares began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “GVCI” on December 30, 2021 and warrants began trading on Nasdaq under the symbol “GVCIW” on December 30, 2021. Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A ordinary shares at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in our final prospectus dated November 8, 2021 related to the initial public offering and which was filed with the SEC. Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares of Class A ordinary shares and will become exercisable on 30 days after the completion of our business combination.
(b) | Holders |
As of March 23, 2022, there was one holder of record for our units, one holder of record for our separately traded shares of Class A ordinary shares, one holder of record for our separately traded shares of Class B ordinary shares, one holder of record for our separately traded public warrants and one holder of record for our separately traded private placement warrants.
(c) | Dividends |
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay any cash dividends prior to the completion of our business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will depend upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our business combination will be within the discretion of our board at such time. Any payment of dividends or other distributions will be subject to consent of holders of a majority of the then outstanding shares of Class B ordinary shares. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future.
(d) | Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans |
None.
(e) | Performance Graph |
The performance graph has been omitted as permitted under rules applicable to smaller reporting companies.
(f) | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities; Use of Proceeds from Registered Offerings |
Unregistered Sales
On April 27, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to purchase 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On October 11, 2021, 2,875,000 of such shares were forfeited by the holder thereof. On November 8, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to its Class B ordinary shares of 690,000 shares thereof, resulting in its initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 5,002,500 founder shares (up to 652,500 of which were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised). On November 12, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised their over-allotment option, hence, 652,500 founder shares were no longer subject to forfeiture. On November 12, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 90,000 founder shares to the Company’s independent directors at their original purchase price.
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On November 12, 2021, we consummated the initial public offering of 20,010,000 units. The units sold in the initial public offering were sold at an offering price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds of $200,100,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC acted as book-running manager. The securities in the offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (No. 333-260199). The Securities and Exchange Commission declared the registration statement effective on November 8, 2021.
Simultaneous with the consummation of the initial public offering, the Company consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 10,399,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $10,399,000. The issuance was made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
On November 9, 2021, the underwriter exercised the over-allotment option to purchase an additional of 2,610,000 units at the initial public offering price at $10.00 per unit and we consummated the sale of such units on November 12, 2021, generating additional gross proceeds of $26,100,000.
Of the gross proceeds received from the initial public offering and sale of the private placement warrants, including the over-allotment exercise, $204,102,000 was placed in the trust account.
Use of Proceeds
On November 12, 2021, we consummated the initial public offering of 20,010,000 units, which includes the exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,610,000 units, at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating aggregate gross proceeds of $204,102,000. Simultaneous with the consummation of the initial public offering, the we consummated the private placement sale to our Sponsor of an aggregate of 10,399,000 private placement warrants, each private placement warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating total proceeds of $10,399,000.
Following the initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, a total of $204,102,000 was placed in the trust account. We incurred $11,816,317 in offering costs, consisting of $4,002,000 of underwriting discount, $7,003,500 of deferred underwriting discount, and $810,817 of other offering costs.
At December 31, 2021, we had cash and marketable securities held in the trust account of $204,111,409. We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions and less taxes payable) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest from the trust account to pay our taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
At December 31, 2021, we had cash of $689,927 held outside of the trust account. We intend to use the funds held outside of the trust account 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 a business combination.
In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an initial business combination, our Sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our 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 $1,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants.
Prior to the completion of the initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we does not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to 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.
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ITEM 6. [RESERVED]
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 15, 2021. We were incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities.
On November 12, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 20,010,000 Units, including the issuance of 2,610,000 Units as a result of the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of the initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We have only 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate the initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of the initial public offering to consummate the initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within the Combination Period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay the income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Since completing our initial public offering, we have reviewed, and continue to review, a number of opportunities to enter into a business combination with an operating business, including entering into discussions with potential target businesses, but we are not able to determine at this time whether we will complete a business combination with any of the target businesses that we have reviewed or had discussions with or with any other target business. Although we may pursue an acquisition in any industry or geography, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify, acquire and operate a business that may provide opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
Our entire activity from April 15, 2021 (inception) up to December 31, 2021 was in preparation for our initial public offering. We will not generate any operating revenues until the closing and completion of our initial business combination, at the earliest.
For the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, we had net income of $5,194,932, which consisted of unrealized income on changes in fair value of warrant liabilities of $6,913,639 and interest and dividend income of $9,409, offset by formation and operating costs of $471,666, stock based compensation of $694,109 and transaction costs incurred in connection with warrants of $562,341.
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Liquidity, Capital Resources and Management’s Plan
As of December 31, 2021, we had $689,927 in cash and working capital of $920,397.
Our liquidity needs up to December 31, 2021 had been satisfied through a payment from our sponsor of $25,000 for the founder shares to cover certain offering costs, the loan under an unsecured promissory note from our sponsor of $200,000, which had been repaid on November 22, 2021, and due to related party of $256,192. On November 12, 2021, we commenced the initial public offering of 20,010,000 units at $10.00 per unit and consummated the private placement of 10,399,000 private placement warrants to our sponsor, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant in a private placement, then $2,369,957 of the proceeds was deposited in the operating bank account to be used as our working capital.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the working capital loans, as defined below. As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under any working capital loans.
Going Concern
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” the Company has until February 12, 2023 (absent any extensions of such period by the Sponsor, pursuant to the terms described above) to consummate the proposed Business Combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate the proposed Business Combination by this time. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. Management has determined that the mandatory liquidation, should a business combination not occur, and potential subsequent dissolution, raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after February 12, 2023. The Company intends to complete the proposed Business Combination before the mandatory liquidation date. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to consummate any business combination by February 12, 2023.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. We have identified the following as our critical accounting policies and estimates:
Investment Held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2021, the assets held in the trust account were held in cash and U.S. Treasury securities. We classify our United States Treasury securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 320 “Investments—Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which we have the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts.
Net Income Per Share
We have two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. The 20,404,000 potential common shares for outstanding warrants to purchase our shares were excluded from diluted earnings per share for the period from April 15, 2021 (Inception) to December 31, 2021 because the warrants are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted net income per common share is the same as basic net income per common share for the periods.
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Warrant Liabilities
We accounted for the 20,404,000 warrants issued in connection with the initial public offering (the 10,005,000 public warrants and the 10,399,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, we classified each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liabilities will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations.
Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption
We account for our 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 measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. Our Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, 20,010,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of our balance sheet.
We recognize 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.
Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the initial public offering. We comply with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A—“Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the initial public offering based on a relative fair value basis compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities were expensed, and offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were charged to temporary equity. We incurred offering costs amounting to $11,816,317 as a result of our initial public offering consisting of $4,002,000 of underwriting commissions, $7,003,500 of deferred underwriting commissions, and $810,817 of other offering costs. We recorded $11,253,976 of offering costs as a reduction of temporary equity in connection with the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units. We immediately expensed $562,341 of offering costs in connection with the public warrants and private placement warrants that were classified as liabilities.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2024 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis. We are currently evaluating the impact of the ASU on the financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Extension Loans and working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Extension Loans and Working Capital Loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the initial public offering. The holders of these securities are entitled to certain demand and “piggy back” registration rights. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriters Agreement
On November 12, 2021, we paid a cash underwriting discount of 2.0% per Unit, or $4,002,000. Upon completion of the initial business combination, $7,003,500, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts used to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which the initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with the initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We are a smaller reporting company as defined by Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act and are not required to provide the information otherwise required under this item. As of December 31, 2021, we were not subject to any market or interest rate risk. The net proceeds of the initial public offering, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk. However, if the interest rates of the U.S. Treasury obligations become negative, we may have less proceeds held in the trust account than initially deposited.
We have not engaged in any hedging activities since our inception, and we do not expect to engage in any hedging activities with respect to the market risk to which we are exposed.
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ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of
Green Visor Financial Technology Acquisition Corp. I
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Green Visor Financial Technology Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ deficit and cash flows for the period from April 15, 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 April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph – Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent on the completion of a business combination, and management has determined that if the Company is unable to complete a business combination by February 12, 2023, then the Company will cease all operations except for the purpose of liquidating. The date for mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution 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 Note 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 the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum LLP
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Boston, MA
March 31, 2022
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GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 2021
Assets | |||
Current assets: | | | |
Cash | $ | 689,927 | |
Prepaid expenses |
| 632,579 | |
Total current assets | 1,322,506 | ||
Prepaid expenses, non-current | 217,120 | ||
Investments held in trust account | 204,111,409 | ||
Total assets | $ | 205,651,035 | |
|
|
| |
Liabilities and Shareholders' Deficit |
|
| |
Current liabilities: | | ||
Accrued offering costs and expenses | $ | 145,917 | |
Due to related party | 256,192 | ||
Total current liabilities |
| 402,109 | |
Warrant liabilities | 11,262,325 | ||
Deferred underwriting commissions | 7,003,500 | ||
Total liabilities | 18,667,934 | ||
|
| ||
Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6) |
|
| |
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption, 20,010,000 shares at redemption value of $10.20 | 204,111,409 | ||
Shareholders' Deficit: | |||
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and |
| ||
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 300,000,000 shares authorized; none and (excluding 20,010,000 shares subject to possible redemption) |
| ||
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 30,000,000 shares authorized; 5,002,500 shares and outstanding |
| 500 | |
Additional paid-in capital |
| — | |
Accumulated deficit |
| (17,128,808) | |
Total shareholders' deficit |
| (17,128,308) | |
Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Deficit | $ | 205,651,035 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 15, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
Formation and operating costs | $ | 471,666 | |
Stock based compensation expense | 694,109 | ||
Loss from operations | (1,165,775) | ||
Other income (expense): | |||
Offering costs allocated to warrants | (562,341) | ||
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | 6,913,639 | ||
Interest income earned on Trust Account | 9,409 | ||
Total other income, net | 6,360,707 | ||
Net income | $ | 5,194,932 | |
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A ordinary shares, basic and diluted | 3,833,333 | ||
Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share, Class A | 0.64 | ||
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B ordinary shares, basic and diluted | 4,275,000 | ||
Basic and diluted net income per ordinary share, Class B | 0.64 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ DEFICIT
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 15, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
Class A | Class B | Additional | Total | ||||||||||||||||
Ordinary Shares | Ordinary Shares | Paid-in | Accumulated | Shareholders' | |||||||||||||||
| Shares |
| Amount |
| Shares |
| Amount |
| Capital |
| Deficit |
| Deficit | ||||||
Balance - April 15, 2021 (Inception) | — | $ | — | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||
Class B ordinary shares issued to the Sponsor | — | — | 5,002,500 | 500 | 24,500 | — | 25,000 | ||||||||||||
Proceeds in excess of fair value of private placement warrants | — | — | — | — | 1,108,324 | — | 1,108,324 | ||||||||||||
Stock based compensation expense | — | — | — | — | 694,109 | — | 694,109 | ||||||||||||
Net income | — | — | — | — | — | 5,194,932 | 5,194,932 | ||||||||||||
Remeasurement of Class A ordinary shares to redemption value | — | — | — | — | (1,826,933) | (22,323,740) | (24,150,673) | ||||||||||||
Balance - December 31, 2021 | — | $ | — | 5,002,500 | $ | 500 | $ | — | $ | (17,128,808) | $ | (17,128,308) |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM APRIL 15, 2021 (INCEPTION) TO DECEMBER 31, 2021
Cash flows from operating activities: | |||
Net income | $ | 5,194,932 | |
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash used in operating activities: | |||
Stock based compensation | 694,109 | ||
Interest earned on cash and marketable securities held in trust account | (9,409) | ||
Offering costs allocated to warrants | 562,341 | ||
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities | (6,913,639) | ||
Changes in current assets and liabilities: |
| ||
Prepaid expenses | (849,699) | ||
Due to related party | 256,192 | ||
Accrued offering costs and expenses | 145,917 | ||
Net cash used in operating activities |
| (919,256) | |
Cash Flows from Investing Activities: | |||
Investments of cash in trust account | (408,208,828) | ||
Disposal of investments held in trust account | 204,107,000 | ||
Cash deposited in trust account | (172) | ||
Net cash used in investing activities | (204,102,000) | ||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | |||
Proceeds from Class B ordinary shares issued to the Sponsor | 25,000 | ||
Proceed from sale of Units in initial public offering, net of underwriting discounts paid | 196,098,000 | ||
Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Warrants | 10,399,000 | ||
Proceeds from issuance of promissory note due to related party | 200,000 | ||
Payment of promissory note due to related party | (200,000) | ||
Payment of deferred offering costs | (810,817) | ||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 205,711,183 | ||
|
| ||
Net change in cash |
| 689,927 | |
Cash, beginning of the period |
| — | |
Cash, end of the period | $ | 689,927 | |
|
|
| |
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information: |
| ||
Initial value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | 204,102,000 | |
Remeasurement of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | 9,409 | |
Deferred underwriting commissions payable charged to additional paid in capital | $ | 7,003,500 | |
Initial classification of warrant liabilities | $ | 18,175,964 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
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GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY ACQUISITION CORP. I
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Note 1 —Organization, Business Operation, Liquidity and Going Concern
Green Visor Financial Technology Acquisition Corp. I (the “Company”) is a newly formed blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 15, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar Business Combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering described below. 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 on cash and cash equivalents from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering (the “IPO”). The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s Sponsor is Green Visor Capital SPAC I Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”).
The registration statement for the Company’s the IPO was declared effective on November 8, 2021 (the “Effective Date”). On November 12, 2021, the Company’s commenced the IPO of 20,010,000 units at $10.00 per unit (the “Units”), which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Initial Public Offering”). Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and
-half of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”). Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share.Simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, the Company consummated the private placement of 10,399,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) to the Sponsor, at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement.
Transaction costs amounted to $11,816,317 consisting of $4,002,000 of underwriting commissions, $7,003,500 of deferred underwriting commissions, and $810,817 of other offering costs. Of the $11,816,317 transaction costs, $11,253,976 was charged to additional paid-in capital and $562,341 was allocated to the public and private warrants and charged to operations.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the IPO and the Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be generally applied toward consummating a Business Combination (less deferred underwriting commissions).
The initial Business Combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (as defined below) (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination. However, the Company 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”). There is no assurance that the Company will be able to successfully effect a Business Combination.
Following the closing of the IPO on November 12, 2021, $204,102,000 ($10.20 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was deposited into a trust account (the “trust account”) and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to the Company to pay its income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as discussed below and subject to the requirements of law and regulation, provide that the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will not be released from the trust account (1) to the Company, until the completion of the initial Business Combination, or (2) to the public shareholders, until the earliest of (a) the completion of the 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, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s
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amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate the initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of the IPO (the “Combination Period”) or (ii) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of the Class A ordinary shares, and (c) the redemption of the public shares if the Company is unable to complete the Business Combination within the Combination Period, subject to applicable law. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (b) 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 the Company is unable to complete an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of the Company’s creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of the public shareholders.
The Company will provide its public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of the initial Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a proposed Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its 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 the Company to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement.
The Company will provide its public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of the initial Business Combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated 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 the Company to pay its income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.20 per public share. The per share amount the Company will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriter.
The Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the IPO, in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will have only 15 months (or within 18 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate the initial Business Combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of the IPO to consummate the initial Business Combination. If the Company is unable to consummate an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than
business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to the Company to pay its income taxes, if any, (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.The Sponsor and each member of the Company’s management team have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) to waive their redemption rights with respect to their Founder Shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to its Founder Shares if the Company fails to consummate an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period, although it will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect
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to any public shares it holds if the Company fails to complete its initial Business Combination within such time period and (iv) vote their Founder Shares and any public shares purchased during or after the IPO in favor of the Company’s initial Business Combination.
The Sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) 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 amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.20 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.20 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay the Company’s tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter of the IPO 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, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. However, the Company has not asked the Sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor has the Company independently verified whether the Sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and the Company believes that the Sponsor’s only assets are securities of the Company. Therefore, the Company cannot assure you that the Sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of the Company’s officers or directors will indemnify the Company for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Liquidity, Capital Resources and Management’s Plan
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had $689,927 in cash and working capital of $920,397.
The Company’s liquidity needs prior to the IPO had been satisfied through a payment from the Sponsor of $25,000 (see Note 5) for the Founder Shares to cover certain offering costs, the loan under an unsecured promissory note from the Sponsor of $200,000, which had been repaid on November 22, 2021 (see Note 5), and funds provided by the Sponsor to cover certain offering costs, which was recorded as due to related party and due as demanded. On November 12, 2021, the Company commenced the IPO of 20,010,000 units at $10.00 per unit and consummated the private placement of 10,399,000 Private Placement Warrants to the Sponsor, at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement, then $2,369,957 of the proceeds was deposited in the operating bank account to be used as the Company's working capital.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, provide the Company Working Capital Loans, as defined below (see Note 5). As of December 31, 2021, there were no amounts outstanding under any Working Capital Loans.
Going Concern
In connection with the Company’s assessment of going concern considerations in accordance with Financial Accounting Standard Board’s Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2014-15, “Disclosures of Uncertainties about an Entity’s Ability to Continue as a Going Concern,” the Company has until February 12, 2023 (absent any extensions of such period by the Sponsor, pursuant to the terms described above) to consummate the proposed Business Combination. It is uncertain that the Company will be able to consummate the proposed Business Combination by this time. If a Business Combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of the Company. Management has determined that the mandatory liquidation, should a business combination not occur, and potential subsequent dissolution, raises substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. No adjustments have been made to the carrying amounts of assets or liabilities should the Company be required to liquidate after February 12, 2023. The Company intends to complete the proposed Business Combination before the mandatory liquidation date. However, there can be no assurance that the Company will be able to consummate any business combination by February 12, 2023.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statement. The accompanying financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
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Note 2 — 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 (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
Emerging Growth Company Status
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non- emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. 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 $689,927 in cash as of December 31, 2021. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2021.
Investments Held in Trust Account
At December 31, 2021, the assets held in the trust account were held in cash and U.S. Treasury securities. The Company classifies its United States Treasury securities as held-to-maturity in accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 320 “Investments—Debt and Equity Securities.” Held-to-maturity securities are those securities which the Company has the ability and intent to hold until maturity. Held-to-maturity treasury securities are recorded at amortized cost and adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts.
As of December 31, 2021, investment in the Company’s trust account consisted of $172 in cash and $204,111,237 in U.S. Treasury Securities. All of the U.S. Treasury Securities will mature on March 17, 2022. The Company considers all investments with original maturities of more than three months but less than one year to be short-term investments. The carrying value approximates the fair value
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due to its short-term maturity. The carrying value, excluding gross unrealized holding losses and fair value of held to maturity securities on December 31, 2021 are as follows:
Fair Value as | ||||||||||||
Amortized | of | |||||||||||
Cost | Gross | Gross | December | |||||||||
and Carrying | Unrealized | Unrealized | 31, | |||||||||
| Value |
| Gains |
| Losses |
| 2021 | |||||
U.S. Money Market | $ | 172 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 172 | ||||
U.S. Treasury Securities |
| 204,111,237 |
| — |
| (4,691) |
| 204,106,546 | ||||
$ | 204,111,409 | $ | — | $ | (4,691) | $ | 204,106,718 |
A decline in the market value of held-to-maturity securities below cost that is deemed to be other than temporary, results in an impairment that reduces the carrying costs to such securities’ fair value. The impairment is charged to earnings and a new cost basis for the security is established. To determine whether an impairment is other than temporary, the Company considers whether it has the ability and intent to hold the investment until a market price recovery and considers whether evidence indicating the cost of the investment is recoverable outweighs evidence to the contrary. Evidence considered in this assessment includes the reasons for the impairment, the severity and the duration of the impairment, changes in value subsequent to year-end, forecasted performance of the investee, and the general market condition in the geographic area or industry the investee operates in.
Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the related held-to-maturity security as an adjustment to yield using the effective-interest method. Such amortization and accretion is included in the “interest income” line item in the statements of operations. Interest income is recognized when earned.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance coverage of $250,000. As of November 12, 2021, the Company had not experienced losses on this account.
Net Income Per Share
The Company has two classes of shares, which are referred to as Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. Earnings and losses are shared pro rata between the two classes of shares. The 20,404,000 potential common shares for outstanding warrants to purchase the Company’s shares were excluded from diluted earnings per share for the period from April 15, 2021 (Inception) to December 31, 2021 because the warrants are contingently exercisable, and the contingencies have not yet been met. As a result, diluted net income per common share is the same as basic net income per common share for the periods. The table below presents a reconciliation of the numerator and denominator used to compute basic and diluted net income per share for each class of ordinary shares. Because the redemption value of the Class A ordinary shares approximates their fair value, remeasurement to redemption value is not impacting allocable earnings.
For the period from April 15, 2021 | ||||||
(Inception) to December 31, 2021 | ||||||
| Class A |
| Class B | |||
Basic and diluted net income per share: |
|
|
|
| ||
Numerator: |
|
|
|
| ||
Allocation of net income | $ | 2,455,980 | $ | 2,738,952 | ||
Denominator: |
|
|
|
| ||
Weighted-average shares outstanding |
| 3,833,333 |
| 4,275,000 | ||
Basic and diluted net income per share | 0.64 | 0.64 |
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Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to its short-term nature.
Fair value is defined as the price that would be received for sale of an asset or paid for transfer of a liability, in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. GAAP establishes a three-tier fair value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). The Company’s financial instruments are classified as either Level 1, Level 2 or Level 3. 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 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.
The fair value of the Company’s prepaid expenses and accrued offering costs and expenses approximate the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to its short-term nature.
The following table presents information about the Company’s liabilities 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 | Significant | Significant | ||||||||||
Prices In | Other | Other | ||||||||||
Active | Observable | Unobservable | ||||||||||
December 31, | Markets | Inputs | Inputs | |||||||||
| 2021 |
| (Level 1) |
| (Level 2) |
| (Level 3) | |||||
Liabilities: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Warrant liabilities – Public Warrants |
| 5,502,750 |
| 5,502,750 |
| — |
| — | ||||
Warrant liabilities – Private Placement Warrants |
| 5,759,575 |
| — |
| — |
| 5,759,575 | ||||
$ | 11,262,325 | $ | 5,502,750 | $ | — | $ | 5,759,575 |
Warrant Liabilities
The Company accounted for the 20,404,000 warrants issued in connection with the IPO (the 10,005,000 Public Warrants and the 10,399,000 Private Placement Warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company classified each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liabilities will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
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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 measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, 20,010,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value 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.
At December 31, 2021, the Class A ordinary shares reflected in the balance sheet are reconciled in the following table:
Gross proceeds |
| $ | 200,100,000 |
Less: Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants |
| (8,885,288) | |
Less: Class A ordinary shares issuance costs |
| (11,253,976) | |
Add: Remeasurement of Class A ordinary shares to redemption value |
| 20,139,264 | |
Add: Overfunding from Private Placement |
| 4,002,000 | |
Add: Accretion of interest income to Class A shares subject to redemption |
| 9,409 | |
Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption | $ | 204,111,409 |
Offering Costs Associated with the Initial Public Offering
Offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the IPO. The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A—“Expenses of Offering”. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the IPO based on a relative fair value basis compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs associated with warrant liabilities were expensed, and offering costs associated with the Class A ordinary shares were charged to temporary equity. The Company incurred offering costs amounting to $11,816,317 as a result of the Initial Public Offering consisting of $4,002,000 of underwriting commissions, $7,003,500 of deferred underwriting commissions, and $810,817 of other offering costs. The Company recorded $11,253,976 of offering costs as a reduction of temporary equity in connection with the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units. The Company immediately expensed $562,341 of offering costs in connection with the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants that were classified as liabilities.
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 statements and tax bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
ASC Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statements recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of, and for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position.
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There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statement. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
Derivative Financial Instruments
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. The Company’s derivative instruments are recorded at fair value on the balance sheet with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified on the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2024 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the ASU on its financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
Note 3 —Initial Public Offering
On November 12, 2021, the Company consummated its IPO of 20,010,000 Units (including the issuance of 2,610,000 Units as a result of the underwriters' fully exercised over-allotment option), at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit that the Company is offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 8). Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination and will expire five years after the completion of the initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
Following the closing of the IPO on November 12, 2021, $204,102,000 ($10.20 per Unit), including the issuance of 2,610,000 Units as a result of the underwriters’ fully exercised over-allotment option, the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
Note 4— Private Placement
On November 12, 2021, simultaneously with the closing of the IPO, the Company’s Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 10,399,000 Private Placement Warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $10,399,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement.
The Private Placement Warrants will not be redeemable by the Company (except as described in Note 3) so long as they are held by the Sponsor or their permitted transferees. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the
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holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in the IPO. The Sponsor, as well as its permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis.
A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants were 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 or during any Extension Period, the proceeds of the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the IPO, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants (i) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of the initial Business Combination, subject to certain exceptions, (ii) will not be redeemable by the Company, subject to certain exceptions, (iii) may be exercised on a cashless basis and (iv) will be entitled to registration rights. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the Sponsor or its permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in the IPO.
Note 5 —Related Party Transactions
Founder Shares
On April 27, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to purchase 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On October 11, 2021, 2,875,000 of such shares were forfeited by the holder thereof. On November 8, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization with respect to its Class B ordinary shares of 690,000 shares thereof, resulting in its initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 5,002,500 founder shares (up to 652,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised). On November 12, 2021, the underwriters fully exercised their over-allotment option, hence, 652,500 Founder Shares were no longer subject to forfeiture. On November 12, 2021, the Sponsor transferred 90,000 founder shares to the Company’s independent directors at their original purchase price. As of November 12, 2021, the fair value of transferred founder shares was $694,109, which was recorded as a stock based compensation expense with a credit to equity.
The Sponsor and the Company’s directors and executive officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of the initial shareholders with respect to any Founder Shares (the “lock-up”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Founder Shares will be released from the lock-up if (i) the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after the initial Business Combination that results in all of the public shareholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property or (ii) the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for sub divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing any time 150 days after completion of the initial Business Combination.
Promissory Note —Related Party
On April 27, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the IPO. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the closing of the IPO. On November 22, 2021, the Company had repaid the loan under an unsecured promissory note from the Sponsor of $200,000. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the promissory note.
Due to Related Party
As of December 31, 2021, the balance of due to related party is $256,192, which contains $193,768 of salary of CFO paid by the Sponsor, $60,757 of deferred offering costs paid by related party and $1,667 of the administrative service fees.
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Working Capital Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial 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 the initial Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the trust account released to the Company. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds from the trust account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Up to $1,000,000 of the Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
Office Space, Secretarial and Administrative Services
Commencing on the effective date of the IPO, the Company will pay an affiliate of the Sponsor $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative service. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. As of December 31, 2021, the Company accrued $18,000 for the administrative service fees for the period from the Effective Date (November 8, 2021) to December 31, 2021, $1,667 of which is included in due to related party on the accompanying balance sheet.
Note 6 — Commitments & Contingencies
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Extension Loans and Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Extension Loans and Working Capital Loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the IPO. The holders of these securities are entitled to certain demand and “piggy back” registration rights. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Underwriting Agreement
On November 12, 2021, the Company paid a cash underwriting discount of 2.0% per Unit, or $4,002,000. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination, $7,003,500, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account, and the remaining funds, less amounts used to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to the Company and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which the initial Business Combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with the initial Business Combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
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Note 7— Warrant Liabilities
Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed herein. In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company and, (i) in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance, and (ii) in the case of any such issuance to Green Visor Capital or its affiliates, without taking into account the transfer of Founder Shares or Private Placement Warrants (including if such transfer is effectuated as a surrender to the Company and subsequent reissuance by the Company) by the Sponsor in connection with such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummate the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, and will expire five years after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The Company has agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of its initial Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which the IPO forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use the best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following the initial Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of the initial Business Combination, If the Company fails to maintain an effective registration statement relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, then holders thereof may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In addition, if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of the Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company elects to do so, it will not be required to maintain in effect a registration statement, but the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per whole warrant. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):
● | in whole and not in part; |
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● | at a price of $0.01 per warrant; |
● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and |
● | if, and only if, the reported closing price of the 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 trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. |
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00.
Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants:
● | in whole and not in part; |
● | at a price of $0.10 per warrant; |
● | upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; |
● | if, and only if, the reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant) on the trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and |
● | if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant), the Private Placement Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants. |
The Company accounted for the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants as liabilities in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. Because the Company does not control the occurrence of events, such as a tender offer or exchange that may trigger cash settlement of the warrants where not all of the shareholders also receive cash, the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, and as such, the warrants must be recorded as derivative liability.
Additionally, certain adjustments to the settlement amount of the Private Placement Warrants are based on a variable that is not an input to the fair value of a “fixed-for-fixed” option as defined under ASC 815—40, and thus the Private Placement Warrants are not considered indexed to the Company’s own stock and not eligible for an exception from derivative accounting.
The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record a derivative liability upon issuance of the warrants at the closing of the IPO. Accordingly, the Company classified each warrant as a liability at its fair value. The Public Warrants were allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value determined with the assistance of a professional independent valuation firm. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liabilities will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification of the warrants at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.
The Company’s public warrants began trading separately on December 30, 2021. After this date, the public warrant values per share were based on the observed trading prices of the public warrants as of each balance sheet date. The fair value of the public warrant liability is classified as level 1 since December 30, 2021 and as of December 31, 2021.
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The following table presents information about the Company’s warrants that were measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2021 and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation techniques the Company utilized to determine such fair value.
Significant | Significant | |||||||||||
Quoted Prices | Other | Other | ||||||||||
In Active | Observable | Unobservable | ||||||||||
Markets | Inputs | Inputs | ||||||||||
| December 31, 2021 |
| (Level 1) |
| (Level 2) |
| (Level 3) | |||||
Liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
Warrant Liabilities—Public Warrants | $ | 5,502,750 | $ | 5,502,750 | $ | — | $ | — | ||||
Warrant Liabilities—Private Warrants |
| 5,759,575 |
| — |
| — |
| 5,759,575 | ||||
$ | 11,262,325 | $ | 5,502,750 | $ | — | $ | 5,759,575 |
The following table presents information about the Company’s warrant liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021:
Inputs |
|
| ||
Exercise price | $ | 11.50 | ||
Stock price | $ | 9.95 | ||
Public warrant price | $ | 0.05 | ||
Volatility |
| 9.7 | % | |
Expected term of the warrants |
| 5.87 years | ||
Risk-free rate |
| 1.34 | % | |
Dividend yield |
| 0 | % |
The following table provides a reconciliation of changes in fair value of the beginning and ending balances for the liabilities classified as Level 3:
| Warrant | ||
Fair value at April 15, 2021 (Inception) | $ | — | |
Initial value of public and private warrant liabilities |
| 18,175,964 | |
Change in fair value of public and private warrants |
| (6,913,639) | |
Public warrants transferred to Level 1 |
| (5,502,750) | |
Fair Value at December 31, 2021 | $ | 5,759,575 |
Note 8 — Shareholders’ Deficit
Preference shares — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 and with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of December 31, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or
.Class A ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 300,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. At December 31, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding , excluding 20,010,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption.
Class B ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 30,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders are entitled to one vote for each share of Class B ordinary shares. On October 11, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered an aggregate of 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares for no consideration, which were cancelled, and on November 8, 2021, the Company effected a share capitalization and issued 690,000 additional Class B ordinary shares to the Sponsor, resulting in an aggregate of 5,002,500 Class B ordinary shares outstanding. As of December 31, 2021, there were 5,002,500 Class B ordinary shares issued and
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Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in the Company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution is required to approve any such matter voted on by the shareholders.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of the initial Business Combination at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the IPO, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one to one.
Note 9 — Subsequent Events
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date through the date that the financial statements were issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statement.
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ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
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 Annual 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 team evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2021, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) 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.
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.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the year ended December 31, 2021 covered by this Annual Report that has materially affected, or is 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, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
Our directors and executive officers are as follows:
Name |
| Age |
| Title |
Joe Saunders |
| 76 |
| Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board |
Ellen Richey |
| 73 |
| Executive Vice President and Director |
Sam Wen |
| 36 |
| Vice President and Chief Technology Officer |
Richard Kim |
| 47 |
| Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
Evan Marwell |
| 56 |
| Independent Director |
Kate Cassino |
| 48 |
| Independent Director |
Chris Wendel |
| 54 |
| Independent Director |
Joe Saunders serves as our Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board. Joe Saunders also serves as Chairman and General Partner at Green Visor Capital and sits on the board of FinTech companies such as Flutterwave, Mercury Financial, and Happy Money, among others. Joe also serves as a special advisor for the private equity firm Reverence Capital Partners, which invests in FinTech among other industries. Prior to Green Visor Capital, Joe was the Chairman and CEO of Visa from 2007 until 2013. During the midst of the global financial crisis, he successfully took Visa public in 2008. Prior to this role, Joe was President and CEO of Providian Financial Corporation from 2001, and Chairman of the board of directors from 2002. Following Providian’s 2005 acquisition by Washington Mutual, Joe served as Washington Mutual’s President of Card Services for a transitional period from 2005 to 2007. From 1997 until 2001, Joe served as Chairman and CEO of Fleet Credit Card Services at FleetBoston Financial Corporation. Prior to joining FleetBoston, Joe spent 12 years at Household International, Inc., where he held various senior roles including CEO of Card Services and head of the private label credit card business. Joe was a member of the Visa U.S.A. board of directors from 2002 to 2007, a member of the Visa International Service Association board of directors from 2005 to 2007, and the Executive Chairman of Visa International’s Transition Governance Committee until the formation of Visa Inc. in 2007. From 1993 to 1997, Joe served as a member of the boards of MasterCard International Inc. and MasterCard U.S.A., and was elected Chairman of MasterCard International’s board in 1996. He also served as a director of NewStar Financial, Inc. from 2006 to 2007. Joe received his BA and MBA from The University of Denver.
Ellen Richey serves as our Executive Vice President and Director. Ellen has over forty years of legal and risk management, and executive leadership experience. She served as Visa Inc.’s vice chairman, risk and public policy, and chief risk officer from 2014 until her retirement in 2019. Before assuming the role of vice chairman at Visa, Ellen concurrently served as chief legal officer and chief enterprise risk officer, and she was a member of Visa’s executive committee throughout her tenure. In those positions, she was responsible for the legal function as well as oversight of Visa’s operational resilience, compliance, audit and risk teams, including payment system risk, settlement risk and enterprise risk. Prior to joining Visa, she worked at Washington Mutual Inc. as senior vice president of enterprise risk management and executive vice president of card services, and served as vice chairman of Providian Financial Corporation, where she had responsibility for the enterprise risk management, legal, corporate governance, corporate relations, compliance and audit functions. Ellen served on the Board of Visa Europe Ltd from 2016 to 2019 and currently serves on the board of the Green Dot Corporation, a financial technology and registered bank holding company focused on making modern banking and money movement accessible for all, as well as Cantaloupe, Inc., a software and payments company that provides end-to-end solutions for the unattended retail market. She received a BA in Linguistics and Far Eastern Languages from Harvard University and a JD from Stanford Law School, and served as a law clerk for Associate Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr. of the United States Supreme Court.
Sam Wen serves as our Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Sam is an engineer and entrepreneur, currently serving as a venture partner at Green Visor Capital. Sam was a member of the founding team at Square, Inc. (now known as Block, Inc.) where he helped develop the software algorithm that enables the card reading capabilities of all Square devices on iOS and Android phones and tablets. In addition to his time at Square, Sam has held founder and senior leadership roles at other FinTech startups, including most recently as the Head of Engineering at Grid, and also serves as an angel investor and advisor to a number of early-stage companies. Sam holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
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Richard Kim serves as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Richard was the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Finance, Capital Markets & Treasury of FiscalNote, a global technology company that provides customers with global policy data and expert insights through software solutions. Prior to FiscalNote, Richard was a senior executive on the finance and capital markets teams at Kabbage, a financial services data and technology company that provides automated lending to small businesses and was recently sold to American Express. Richard was previously an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, UBS, and Natixis, and earlier in his career, invested private equity and mezzanine capital into investment opportunities while at Ripplewood Holdings and AlpInvest Partners. Richard holds a BA in Economics and Asian Studies from Amherst College. He also holds an MBA in Finance, Accounting and Management & Organizations from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.
Evan Marwell serves as an Independent Director. Evan is the founder and CEO of EducationSuperHighway. In just eight years, EducationSuperHighway connected nearly 47 million students in 99.7% of America’s classrooms to high-speed broadband. A recipient of the San Francisco Chronicle’s Visionary of the Year award and a serial entrepreneur, Evan launched companies over the last 25 years in the telecom, software, hedge fund, and consumer retailing industries including INFONXX and Criterion Capital Management. Evan is an honors graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, an advisor to high-potential social entrepreneurs, and the board chair of myAgro, an NGO assisting smallholder farmers in Africa move out of poverty. He is also a member of the board of directors at CORE Business Technologies, Recidiviz, Direct Relief and Millenium.org. Previously, Evan served on the board of directors of Centra Software and PeopleSupport and was the chairman of the board of directors of the Katherine Delmar Burke School.
Kate Cassino serves as an Independent Director. Kate is currently CEO of Flatiron School, an education innovator teaching in-demand tech skills through direct-to-consumer, enterprise, and university partnership channels. Prior to Flatiron School, Kate was the CEO of Hobsons, a global education technology company, where she led its sale to Vista Equity-backed PowerSchool and EAB in two transactions, totaling $410 million. Before Hobsons, Kate was CEO of Dodge Data and Analytics, an operating company owned by S&P Global. Kate led the sale of Dodge Data & Analytics to Symphony Technology Group for $320 million. Kate has worked on the digital strategies and data monetization efforts for numerous information and media businesses, including Platts, JD Power & Associates, BusinessWeek, Aviation Week, and several ABC-affiliate broadcasting stations. She served as an inaugural board member of McGraw Hill’s Women in Networking Success organization. She was recently appointed as a member of the Finance Council for St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary Church. Kate is the recipient of EdTech Digests “2021 National Leader Award” and Folio Magazine’s “2014 Folio 100 Award for Vision.” She is also a former trustee for the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Kate holds a BA in English and Education from Columbia University, Barnard College and completed an Executive Education Program from Columbia Business School.
Christopher Wendel serves as an Independent Director. From April 2013 to March 2022, Christopher held several executive positions, including Chief Financial Officer, President and Co-Founder, at Volta Charging, a technology company working to accelerate the arrival of EV charging with a national network of free charging stations. Prior to Volta, Christopher worked as the Head of Equity Sales, Asia at Lehman Brothers and as Global Head of Equity Sales at Nomura Securities. Prior to Lehman Brothers, Christopher worked for 12 years in executive positions at Goldman Sachs in the United States, Germany, and Japan.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee are comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, Nasdaq listing standards and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and Nasdaq listing standards require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee operates under a charter approved by the board and has the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
Audit Committee
Evan Marwell, Chris Wendel and Kate Cassino serve as members of the audit committee and Evan Marwell serves as chair of the audit committee. Mr. Marwell is independent of and unaffiliated with our Sponsor. Under Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, all the directors on the audit committee must be independent.
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Mr. Marwell is financially literate and the board has determined that Mr. Marwell qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We have adopted an audit committee charter, which details the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
● | assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us; |
● | pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence; |
● | setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) 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; |
● | meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and |
● | reviewing with management, the independent auditors, 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
Chris Wendel and Kate Cassino serve as members of the compensation committee and Chris Wendel serves as chair of the compensation committee. Under Nasdaq listing standards, all the directors on the compensation committee must be independent.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, details the principal functions of the compensation committee, 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 making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other 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 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. |
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than certain expenses for Mr. Kim as described below and the payment to an affiliate of our Sponsor of up to $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our public shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. In addition, we will reimburse an affiliate of our Sponsor in
74
the amount of $250,000 per year and for health care coverage related expenses for Mr. Kim’s services as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. 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.
The compensation committee’s charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Chris Wendel and Kate Cassino serve as members of the nominating and corporate governance committee and Kate Cassino serves as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Under Nasdaq listing standards, all the directors on the nominating and corporate governance committee must be independent.
We have adopted a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which details the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
● | identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors; |
● | developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines; |
● | coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of our Company; and |
● | reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary. |
The nominating and corporate governance committee charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial business combination, our Shareholders will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to the board.
Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote for the election of, and to remove, directors prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, which directors will be proposed by the board following a nomination by the nominating and corporate governance committee.
Code of Ethics and Business Conduct
We have adopted a Code of Ethics and Business Conduct applicable to our directors, officers and employees, which is filed as an exhibit to this Annual Report. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct and the charters of the committees of our board of directors will be provided without charge upon request from us in writing at 88 Kearny Street, Suite 850, San Francisco, CA or by telephone at (650) 489-6697. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics and Business Conduct in a Current Report on Form 8-K.
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ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
During 2021, except as described below in relation to Mr. Kim, none of our executive officers or directors received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be reimbursed for any reasonable 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. We have entered into an agreement with an affiliate of our Sponsor, pursuant to which we will pay a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative and support services to such affiliate. In addition, we will reimburse an affiliate of our Sponsor in the amount of $250,000 per year and for health care coverage related expenses for Mr. Kim’s services as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their affiliates.
After the completion of our business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time such materials are distributed, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
The existence or terms of any employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
We have no compensation plans under which equity securities are authorized for issuance.
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of the ordinary shares as of March 23, 2022, by:
● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of the outstanding ordinary shares; |
● | each of our named executive officers and directors; and |
● | all of our executive officers and directors as a group. |
The following table is based on 25,012,500 ordinary shares outstanding as of March 23, 2022, of which 20,010,000 were Class A ordinary shares and 5,002,500 were Class B ordinary shares. Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of the ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does
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not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of March 23, 2022.
Number of | Approximate |
| |||
Ordinary Shares | Percentage of |
| |||
Beneficially | Outstanding |
| |||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) |
| Owned(2) |
| Ordinary Shares |
|
Joe Saunders |
| — |
|
| |
Ellen Richey |
| — |
|
| |
Sam Wen |
| — |
|
| |
Richard Kim |
| — |
|
| |
Evan Marwell |
| 30,000 |
| * | |
Kate Cassino |
| 30,000 |
| * | |
Chris Wendel |
| 30,000 |
| * | |
all officers and directors as a group (7 individuals) |
| 90,000 |
| * | |
Holders of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares |
|
|
|
| |
Green Visor Capital Management Company, LLC (our Sponsor)(3) |
| 5,002,500 |
| 19.6 | % |
Saba Capital Management, L.P.(4) |
| 1,271,390 |
| 6.4 | % |
Highbridge Capital Management, LLC(5) |
| 1,254,947 |
| 6.3 | % |
* | Less than one percent. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is 88 Kearny Street, Suite 850 San Francisco, CA 94108. |
(2) | Interests shown consist solely of our Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled. Interests shown do not include any indirect interests attributable to any of our officers or directors as a result of any economic interests in Green Visor Capital. |
(3) | Represents Class B ordinary shares directly held by our Sponsor. |
(4) | According to a Schedule 13G filed February 17, 2022 with the SEC, Saba Capital Management, L.P., Saba Capital Management GP, LLC, and Mr. Boaz R. Weinstein have voting and investment control with respect to the shares listed. The principal business address of each of these filers is 405 Lexington Avenue, 58th Floor, New York, New York 10174. |
(5) | According to a Schedule 13G filed February 3, 2022 with the SEC, Highbridge Capital Management, LLC has voting and investment control with respect to the Class A ordinary shares listed. The principal business address of this filer is 277 Park Avenue, 23rd Floor, New York, New York 10172. |
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
Founder Shares
In April 2021, an affiliate of our Sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering costs, in exchange for an aggregate of 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares (“founder shares”) which were subsequently transferred to our Sponsor. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. On October 11, 2021, 2,875,000 of these founder shares were forfeited by the holders thereof. On November 8, 2021, we effected a share capitalization with respect to our Class B ordinary shares of 690,000 shares thereof, resulting in our initial shareholders holding an aggregate of 5,002,500 founder shares (up to 652,500 of which were subject to forfeiture by our Sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriter’s over-allotment option is exercised). On November 12, 2021, the underwriter exercised its over-allotment option in full; hence, 652,500 Class B ordinary shares are no longer subject to forfeiture. Simultaneous with the closing of our initial public offering, our Sponsor transferred 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors for the same per share price originally paid for such shares.
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units sold in our initial public offering, except that:
· | only holders of founder shares will have the right to elect directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; |
· | the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions; |
· | the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; |
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· | our Sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares (if any) in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares (if any) in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would affect 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 have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or within 18 months if we extend the period of time to consummate our initial business combination in accordance with the terms described in this Annual Report) from the closing of our initial public offering on November 12, 2021, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; and (iv) vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination; and |
· | the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights. |
Private Placement Warrants
Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of 10,399,000 warrants (the “private placement warrants”) to our Sponsor, at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant. The private placement warrants (including the warrants that may be issued upon conversion of extension loans and working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in our initial public offering except that the underlying private placement warrants, so long as they are held by our Sponsor or its permitted transferees, (i) are not redeemable by us, except in certain circumstances (ii) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Corporate Opportunities
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
Administrative Support Agreement
We currently maintain our executive offices at 88 Kearny Street, Suite 850 San Francisco, CA 94108. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee we pay to an affiliate of our Sponsor for office space, administrative and support services, which commenced on November 8, 2021. As of December 31, 2021, we had accrued $18,000 of administrative services fees.
Executive Compensation
Beginning on November 8, 2021, we reimburse an affiliate of our Sponsor in the amount of $250,000 per year and for health care coverage related expenses for Mr. Kim’s services as our Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. For the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) to December 31, 2021, we had incurred $27,102 of fees related to health coverage for Mr. Kim, which had been paid
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by our Sponsor. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease reimbursing expenses for both arrangements.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our Sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. 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 will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our Sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Related Party Loans
On April 27, 2021, our Sponsor agreed to advance us up to $300,000 to pay for a portion of the expenses related to our initial public offering. This note was non-interest bearing and unsecured. As of December 31, 2021, we had no borrowings under the promissory note.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete 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 $1,000,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our Sponsor or an affiliate of our Sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement
We entered into a registration and shareholder rights agreement pursuant to which our Sponsor is entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares, and, upon consummation of our initial business combination, to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as our Sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
Sponsor Indemnity Agreement
We entered into an indemnity agreement with our Sponsor pursuant to which we will agree to indemnify our Sponsor and its affiliates from any claims made by the Company or a third party in respect of any investment opportunities sourced by them, any liability arising with respect to their activities in connection with our affairs, and for any services that are provided without a separate written agreement between us and our Sponsor or its affiliates. The indemnity agreement provides that the indemnified parties cannot access the funds held in our trust account.
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors has adopted a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the Company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the Company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate
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family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee considers (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transactions in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy does not permit any director or officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
Director Independence
Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. 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 three “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing rules and applicable SEC rules. Our board of directors has determined that Evan Marwell, Kate Cassino and Chris Wendel are “independent directors.” Our independent directors hold meetings at which only independent directors are present.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) for services rendered.
For the Period | |||
from April 15 | |||
through | |||
December 31, | |||
| 2021 | ||
Audit Fees(1) | $ | 113,433 | |
Audit-Related Fees(2) |
| — | |
Tax Fees(3) |
| — | |
All Other Fees(4) |
| — | |
Total | $ | 113,433 |
(1) | 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 our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with statutory and regulatory filings, and includes the services they performed in connection with our initial public offering and the audit of our financial statements as well as attendance at audit committee meetings. |
(2) | Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related fees consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our year-end financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultation concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year ended December 31, 2021. |
(3) | Tax Fees. Tax fees consist of fees billed for professional services relating to tax compliance, tax planning and tax advice. |
(4) | All Other Fees. All other fees consist of fees billed for all other services. |
Policy on Board Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of the Independent Auditors
The audit committee is responsible for appointing, setting compensation and overseeing the work of the independent auditors. In recognition of this responsibility, the audit committee shall review and, in its sole discretion, pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors as provided under the audit committee charter.
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PART IV
ITEM 15.EXHIBITS, AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
(a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Annual Report: |
Financial Statements: The financial statements listed in “Index to the Financial Statements” at “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” are filed as part of this Annual Report.
(b) | Exhibits: The exhibits listed in the accompanying index to exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference as part of this Annual Report. |
Exhibit |
| Description |
|
3.1 | |||
4.1 | |||
4.2 | |||
4.3 | |||
4.4 | |||
4.5 | |||
10.1 | |||
10.2 | |||
10.3 | |||
10.4 | |||
14.1 | |||
31.1 | |||
31.2 | |||
32.1 | |||
32.2 | |||
101.INS | XBRL Instance Document* | ||
101.SCH | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema* | ||
101.CAL | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase* | ||
101.DEF | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase* | ||
101.LAB | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase* | ||
101.PRE | XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase* | ||
104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (Embedded as Inline XBRL document and contained in Exhibit 101).* |
* | Filed herewith. |
** | These certifications are furnished to the SEC pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and are deemed not filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing. |
ITEM 16.FORM 10-K SUMMARY
Not applicable.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| GREEN VISOR FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY | ||
Date: March 31, 2022 | By: | /s/ Joseph W. Saunders | |
Joseph W. Saunders | |||
Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of 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 |
|
/s/ Joseph W. Saunders | Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board | March 31, 2022 | |||
Joseph W. Saunders |
|
| |||
/s/ Mary Ellen Richey | Executive Vice President and Director | March 31, 2022 | |||
Mary Ellen Richey |
|
| |||
/s/ Sam Wen | Vice President and Chief Technology Officer | March 31, 2022 | |||
Sam Wen |
|
| |||
/s/ Richard Kim | Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | March 31, 2022 | |||
Richard Kim | (Principal Financial Officer) |
| |||
/s/ Evan Marwell | Director | March 31, 2022 | |||
Evan Marwell |
|
| |||
/s/ Kate Cassino | Director | March 31, 2022 | |||
Kate Cassino |
|
| |||
/s/ Chris Wendel | Director | March 31, 2022 | |||
Chris Wendel |
|
| |||
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