GreenLight Biosciences Holdings, PBC - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
☒ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020
☐ 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: 001-39894
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 85-1914700 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
535 Madison Avenue New York, New York |
10022 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 389-8109
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 share of Class A Common Stock and one-half of one Redeemable Warrant | ENVIU | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share | ENVI | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC | ||
Warrants, each exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock for $11.50 per share | ENVIW | 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 and post 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 definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer, “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ |
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☒ No ☐
The registrant’s shares were not listed on any exchange and had no value as of the last business day of the second fiscal quarter of 2020. The registrant’s units began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on January 14, 2021, and the registrant’s shares of Class A common stock and warrants are commenced trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on March 8, 2021.
As of March 23, 2021, there were 20,700,000 Units, consisting of 20,700,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Common stock”) and 10,350,000 Warrants, and 5,175,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B Common stock”), of the registrant issued and outstanding.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
i
Unless otherwise stated in this report, or the context otherwise requires, references to:
● | “amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation; |
● | “Canaccord” are to Canaccord Genuity LLC, the representative of the underwriters in our initial public offering; |
● | “CGGI” are to Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., the parent of our sponsor and an affiliate of Canaccord; |
● | “common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock, collectively; |
● | “founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof; |
● | “HB Strategies” are to HB Strategies LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of Hudson Bay; |
● | “Hudson Bay” are to Hudson Bay Capital Management LP; |
● | “initial stockholders” are to our sponsor, HB Strategies and any other holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering (or their permitted transferees); |
● | “insider warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor and independent directors at the closing of our initial public offering, which warrants are identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period; |
● | “management” or our “management team” are to our officers, directors and director nominees; |
● | “private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our initial stockholders in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, which private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in our initial public offering, subject to certain limited exceptions described in the registration statement in connection with our initial public offering; |
● | “public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they are purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market); |
● | “public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and management team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares; |
● | “public warrants” are to our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether they are purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market), and to any private placement warrants or private placement-equivalent warrants, including any warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans in each case that are sold to third parties other than our initial stockholders (or permitted transferees), in each case, following the consummation of our initial business combination; |
● | “public units” are to our units sold in our initial public offering (whether they are purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market), in each case, following the consummation of our initial business combination; |
● | “sponsor” are to CG Investments Inc. VI, a Canadian corporation, an affiliate of Canaccord and CGGI; |
● | “units” are to our public units; |
● | “warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants; and |
● | “we,” “us,” the “Company” or “our company” are to Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. |
ii
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This report, including, without limitation, statements under the heading “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the words “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will,” “potential,” “projects,” “predicts,” “continue,” or “should,” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:
● | our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses; |
● | our ability to complete our initial business combination; |
● | our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses; |
● | our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
● | our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
● | our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination; |
● | our pool of prospective target businesses; |
● | the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities; |
● | our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; |
● | the lack of a market for our securities; |
● | the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; |
● | the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or |
● | our financial performance. |
The forward-looking statements contained in this report are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. Future developments affecting us may not be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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Item 1. | Business |
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation whose business purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this report as our initial business combination. We will seek to capitalize on the significant experience of our management team in consummating an initial business combination with the ultimate goal of pursuing attractive returns for our stockholders.
While we may pursue a business combination target in any business or industry, we intend to focus our efforts primarily on identifying businesses that offer products, services and technologies that, in addition to serving the needs of customers, generate positive impacts for the environment — we refer to such companies as belonging to the “sustainability sector.” We believe that sustainability is reshaping many industries and creating numerous areas of investment opportunity and is driven by important long-term secular trends, including:
● | Change in Consumer Sentiment: Consumer behavior and expectations are changing rapidly, with consumers demanding that enterprises commit to more sustainable business practices. Furthermore, consumer preferences are also shifting away from products and services that are detrimental to the environment and towards sustainable products and services, challenging entrenched business models and reshaping organizational behavior. For example, in a study conducted by the Nielsen Company, 66% of consumers said they were willing to pay more for sustainable brands. |
● | Increase in Corporate Sustainability Initiatives: Corporate executives increasingly believe sustainability is important to their company’s success, and are thus developing sustainability strategies, marketing sustainable products and services, creating positions such as chief sustainability officer, and publishing sustainability reports for consumers, investors, activists, and the public at large. These strategies are going beyond reputation management and include activities, such as saving energy, reducing waste, reducing emissions and utilizing more sustainable supply chains in order to capture value through growth and return on capital. |
● | Emergence of Technology Developments: Technological innovation is having a significant impact on enhancing the customer value proposition, while also accelerating the achievement of environmental, economic and social sustainability objectives. A recent survey conducted by KRC Research reports that 86% of corporate executives believe that emerging technologies will drive their business’ bottom line while improving their environmental impact. |
● | Proliferation of Digitalization: Digital transformation is playing a significant role in the adoption of sustainable solutions as companies integrate digital technology into all areas of their business resulting in fundamental changes to how they operate and how they deliver value to customers. Whether it is the use of intelligent energy networks to transform legacy power generation and distribution systems, IoT-enabled home automation to more efficiently manage resources and reduce waste, or artificial intelligence to identify the most cost-effective and least resource-intensive crop farming methods, digitalization offers the potential for transformational impact. |
● | Expansion of Government Action: In December 2019, the United Nations announced that 75 countries are targeting “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050. Nations worldwide are adopting policies and allocating significant capital investments to address climate challenges. While the United States does not have a comprehensive federal policy relating to climate change, there are numerous rules and regulations that promote sustainability. Furthermore, state and local governments are taking meaningful actions against climate change and building a clean energy economy. |
Underlying these trends is the increasing realization that climate change is an urgent threat that society must address. In addition to climate change, demographic trends, including population growth and urbanization, will continue to place heightened strain on the planet’s scare natural resources. We will target companies that in some manner address these daunting challenges and in a way provide a compelling customer value proposition and increase stockholder value.
1
Initial Public Offering
On January 13, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 20,700,000 units (the “Units”), including 2,700,000 units issued to the underwriters upon full exercise of their over-allotment option. Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share, and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (“warrant”), with each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock for $11.50 per share. The units were sold at a price of $10.00 per unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $207,000,000.
Simultaneously with the closing of the initial public offering, we completed the private sale of an aggregate of 2,000,000 warrants (the “private placement warrants”) to HB Strategies at a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant, generating gross proceeds of $2,000,000. At closing, the Company also sold 600,000 private placement warrants to our sponsor and 50,000 private placement warrants to each of our three independent directors.
A total of $207,000,000, comprised of $206,750,000 of the proceeds from the initial public offering and $250,000 of the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants, was placed in a U.S.-based trust account (the “trust account”) maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee.
Our management team is led by Daniel Coyne, our Chief Executive Officer, President and Director, and Marc Marano, our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, who have many years of transaction experience in the sustainability sector. We must complete our initial business combination by July 13, 2022, which is 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering (or by January 13, 2023, if by resolution of our Board we extend the completion deadline by six months). If our initial business combination is not consummated within the allotted time, then our existence will terminate, and we will distribute all amounts in the trust account.
Competitive Strengths
To identify, evaluate and execute on these attractive acquisition opportunities, we will rely on our management team which consists of professionals and senior operating executives with decades of transaction experience in the sustainability sector.
In addition, we will be supported by CGGI and its team of investment banking professionals, each of whom has meaningful transaction experience, including corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets, strategic consulting, and operations. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team and our affiliates have developed extensive networks of contacts and corporate relationships which we believe will provide us with an important source of initial business combination opportunities. These networks have provided our management team and our affiliates with deal flow that has resulted in numerous transactions. We anticipate that target business candidates will also be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including family offices, investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banks, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises.
Business Strategy
We seek to identify and complete our initial business combination with a company that can benefit from (i) the deal experience of our management team, (ii) additional capital and (iii) access to public securities markets. We seek to leverage our management team’s experience in the sustainability sector to identify opportunities where we have a competitive advantage and are well-positioned to be value-enhancing partners following the completion of the business combination. Our ultimate objective is to generate sustainable returns and create long-term value for our stockholders.
We believe the strong secular trends driving the sustainability sector are creating immense opportunities for companies that are promoting sustainability through innovative products, services, and technologies, as well as companies that help their customers achieve their own sustainability objectives. Furthermore, we believe the economic dislocation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may give rise to further government action prioritizing sustainability initiatives, similar to the stimulus that arose from the 2008 financial crisis, thereby creating even more sustainability-related investment opportunities in the near-term.
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We apply a disciplined strategy and thematic approach of identifying and reviewing attractive investment opportunities. Example sectors may include, but are not limited to, the following: smart building technologies, smart grid and smart city, energy efficiency & decarbonization, renewable energy & distributed generation, electric vehicles & mobility, agriculture & food technology, recycling & remediation, and water & bioresources.
We will source initial business combination opportunities by leveraging the broad, established networks of proprietary and public transaction sources of our management team, sponsor and affiliates. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed an extensive network of contacts and corporate relationships, including seasoned executives and operators, private equity investors, venture capitalists, lenders, attorneys and family offices, which we believe will provide us with a robust flow of acquisition opportunities. Overall, we believe successful special purpose acquisition companies must employ a notable investment thesis and credible team, pursue great targets, commit to broad marketing, be disciplined in evaluation, and be motivated to act with timeliness.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with this strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We have used and will continue to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. While we will continue to utilize these criteria in evaluating business combination opportunities, that no individual criterion will entirely determine a decision to pursue a particular opportunity.
Middle-Market Business. We seek to acquire one or more businesses with an enterprise value in between $750 million and $2 billion, determined in the sole discretion of our officers and directors according to reasonable accepted valuation standards and methodologies. We believe that the middle-market segment provides the greatest number of opportunities for investment and where we believe we have the strongest network to identify opportunities.
Differentiation Aligned with Sustainability. We seek to acquire one or more businesses that offer innovative and unique products, services and technology solutions that promote and profit from sustainability, including energy efficiency, decarbonization, resource efficiency and productivity improvement, and/or help their customers achieve their own sustainability objectives.
Defensible Market Position. We seek to acquire one or more businesses that have a defensible position within its target market(s) as a result of a differentiated technology, distribution capabilities, customer service or other competitive advantages.
Established Businesses. We seek to acquire one or more businesses or assets that have a history of, or potential for, strong and stable cash flow generation with predictable and recurring revenue streams.
Robust Growth Prospects. We are focusing on candidates who have strong long-term growth prospects and will benefit from access to additional capital to accelerate organic growth and/or inorganic growth through future add-on acquisitions. We believe that our ability to source proprietary opportunities and execute such transactions will help the business we acquire serve as a platform for further consolidation.
Strong Management Teams with a Proven Track Record. We seek candidates who have strong management teams with a proven track record of driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability and generating strong free cash flow. We are seeking to partner with the potential target’s management team and expect that the operating and financial abilities of our management and board will help the potential target company to unlock opportunities for future growth and enhanced profitability.
Benefit from our Capabilities. We seek to acquire a business where the collective capabilities of our management, board and sponsor can be leveraged to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target.
Benefit from Being a Public Company. We are pursuing a business combination with a company that we believe will benefit from being publicly traded and can effectively utilize the broader access to capital and public profile that are associated with being a publicly traded company.
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Risk-Adjusted Return. We intend to acquire one or more companies that we believe can offer attractive risk-adjusted return on investments for our stockholders.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant.
In the event that we decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this report, would be in the form of proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents that we would file with the SEC.
Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions). In connection with the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will be seeking an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria and that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value meets the 80% fair market value test, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion. We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We will structure our initial business combination either (i) in such a way so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses, or (ii) in such a way so that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders, or for other reasons, including an Affiliated Joint Acquisition as described below. However, we will only complete an initial business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the target businesses together as the initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable.
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We may, at our option, pursue a business combination opportunity jointly with one or more entities affiliated with CGGI and/or one or more investors in funds or separate accounts managed by CGGI, which we refer to as an “Affiliated Joint Acquisition.” Any such parties would co-invest only if (i) permitted by applicable regulatory and other legal limitations; (ii) we and CGGI considered a transaction to be mutually beneficial to us as well as the affiliated entity; and (iii) other business reasons exist to do so, such as the strategic merits of including such co-investors, the need for additional capital beyond the amount held in our trust account to fund the initial business combination and/or the desire to obtain committed capital for closing the initial business combination. An Affiliated Joint Acquisition may be effected through a co-investment with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. We refer to this potential future issuance, or a similar issuance to other specified purchasers, as a “specified future issuance” throughout this report. The amount and other terms and conditions of any such specified future issuance would be determined at the time thereof. We are not obligated to make any specified future issuance and may determine not to do so. This is not an offer for any specified future issuance. Pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of our Class B common stock, any such specified future issuance would result in an adjustment to the conversion ratio such that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees, if any, would retain their aggregate percentage ownership of founder shares at 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of our initial public offering plus all shares issued in the specified future issuance, unless the holders of a majority of the then-outstanding shares of Class B common stock agreed to waive such adjustment with respect to the specified future issuance at the time thereof. We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B common stock at the time of any such specified future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A stockholders on structuring an initial business combination; (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock; or (iv) as part of the Affiliated Joint Acquisition. If such adjustment is not waived, the specified future issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B common stock, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A common stock. If such adjustment is waived, the specified future issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our common stock.
Our Business Combination Process
In evaluating prospective business combinations, we conduct a due diligence review process that encompasses, among other things, a review of historical and projected financial and operating data, meetings with management and their advisors (if applicable) discussion with customers, legal reviews and other reviews as we deem appropriate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with CGGI, its affiliates, our sponsor, or our officers or directors. In connection with the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will be seeking an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions with respect to that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value meets the 80% fair market value test, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
Our officers and directors indirectly own founder shares and insider warrants. Because of this ownership, our sponsor and our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Certain members of our management team are employed by CGGI. CGGI is continuously made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for an initial business combination. CGGI and our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors were to be included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
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CGGI and each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations to present the opportunity to such entity, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of CGGI and our officers or directors will not materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which CGGI, investment funds advised by CGGI or an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such entity. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue, and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. The determination of whether an opportunity has been expressly offered to a director or officer solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company will be made based on express statements by the person offering the opportunity, and if a director or officer is unsure of whether an opportunity was offered in such capacity, he or she shall seek guidance on such determination from the audit committee of our board of directors.
In addition, our sponsor and our 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. 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 Management Team
Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters, but they will devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that any member of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
We believe our management team’s transaction experience and relationships with companies provide us with a substantial number of potential business combination targets. Over the course of their careers, the members of our management team have developed a broad network of contacts and corporate relationships in various industries. This network has grown through the activities our management team’s relationships with sellers, financing sources and target management teams and the experience of our management team in executing transactions under varying economic and financial market conditions.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure makes us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As a public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would have greater access to capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with stockholders’ interests than it would as a private company. A target business can further benefit by augmenting its profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock in the target business for our shares of Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our shares of Class A common stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers.
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Although there are various costs and obligations associated with being a public company, we believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with an initial business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed initial business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) ending on December 31, 2026, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position
With funds available for an initial business combination (including amounts held in trust) as of March 22, 2021 in the amount of approximately $207,233,285, before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt or leverage ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
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Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations other than finding a business combination for an indefinite period of time. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately, or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and investment professionals. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us by calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read our initial public offering prospectus and Exchange Act reports, and know what types of businesses we are targeting. CGGI, our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors and our sponsor and their affiliates. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee, advisory fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which our sponsor or officers are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation by the company prior to, or in connection with any services rendered for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). None of our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination. However, we will pay Canaccord a business combination marketing advisory fee equal to $7,783,200, which fee will only be due if we complete an initial business combination. Additionally, we may pay Canaccord, or another affiliate of our sponsor, cash compensation for acting as placement agent for a private placement or for services in connection with our initial business combination that are in addition to the services required to be performed pursuant to the business combination marketing agreement that are payable to Canaccord, contingent on the closing of our initial business combination, in amounts consistent with market standards for comparable services. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with an initial business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, or our officers or directors or making the initial business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In connection with the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will be seeking an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions with respect to that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value meets the 80% fair market value test, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which CGGI or an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such entity.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of our Initial Business Combination
Nasdaq rules require that we must consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions). In connection with the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will be seeking an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria and that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value meets the 80% fair market value test, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our stockholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion. We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent valuation or appraisal firm that regularly prepares fairness opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to stockholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of Nasdaq’s 80% fair market value test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
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To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct a due diligence review, which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us and other reviews as we deem appropriate. We may also retain consultants with expertise relating to a prospective target business.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. In addition, we intend to focus our search for an initial business combination in a single industry. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
● | subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and |
● | cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services. |
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’ management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following an initial business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
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Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.
TYPE OF TRANSACTION | WHETHER STOCKHOLDER APPROVAL IS REQUIRED |
||
Purchase of assets | No | ||
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company | No | ||
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company | No | ||
Merger of the company with a target | Yes |
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
● | we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of Class A common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of our Class A common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding; |
● | any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of Class A common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of Class A common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of Class A common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial securityholders; or |
● | the issuance or potential issuance of common stock will result in our undergoing a change of control. |
The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and legal reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: (i) the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine stockholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek stockholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company; (ii) the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote; (iii) the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination; (iv) other time and budget constraints of the company; and (v) additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.
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The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrantholders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of common stock if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchases are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Stockholders upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.00 per public share. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a stockholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, as described above under the heading “— Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination.” Asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s stockholder approval rules.
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The requirement that we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above is contained in provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon.
If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:
● | conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and |
● | file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies. |
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than a specified number of public shares which are not purchased by our sponsor, which number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
If we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a stockholder meeting, we will:
● | conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and |
● | file proxy materials with the SEC. |
If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after our initial public offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, HB Strategies has agreed to vote only its founder shares in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need only 7,762,500, or approximately 37.5%, of the 20,700,000 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all outstanding shares are voted) in order to have our initial business combination approved. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial stockholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether it votes for or against the proposed transaction.
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Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides 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. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if we Seek Stockholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” Such restriction shall also be applicable to our affiliates. We believe this restriction will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed initial business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem no more than 20% of the shares sold in our initial public offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with an initial business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Stock Certificates in Connection with Redemption Rights or a Tender Offer
We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their stock certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal at Custodian) system prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. If we conduct redemptions in connection with a stockholder vote, a public stockholder seeking redemption of its public shares must also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the vote in which the name of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public stockholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for stockholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
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Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed initial business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete an initial business combination with a different target until July 13, 2022 (or until January 13, 2023, if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months).
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if no Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only until July 13, 2022 (or until January 13, 2023 if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months) to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the required time period.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month (or, if extended, 24-month) period after the closing of our initial public offering. However, if our initial stockholders, officers or directors acquire public shares in or after our initial public offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination on or before July 13, 2022 (or, if extended by resolution of our board, on or before January 13, 2023), unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $300,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any franchise and income tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay franchise and income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
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If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of initial public offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be substantially less than $10.00. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than Withum), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in 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. Withum, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
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. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification 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 may choose not to do so if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations and we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per public share.
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We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than Withum), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $300,000 from the proceeds of our initial public offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. Because the offering expenses of our initial public offering (including underwriting commissions and expenses) were less than our estimate of $1,700,000, the amount of funds initially available to us outside the trust account following closing of the offering increased from approximately $300,000 to approximately $333,335.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination on or before July 13, 2022 (or on or before January 13, 2023 if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months) may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination on or before July 13, 2022 (or on or before January 13, 2023, if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months), we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible after July 13, 2022 and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent 10 years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than Withum), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result of this obligation, the claims that could be made against us are significantly limited and the likelihood that any claim that would result in any liability extending to the trust account is remote. Further, our sponsor may be liable only to the extent necessary to ensure that the amounts in the trust account are not reduced below (i) $10.00 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest withdrawn to pay taxes, but will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. 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.
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If we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend any provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by July 13, 2022 (or on or before January 13, 2023, if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months), and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our business combination by July 13, 2022 (or on or before January 13, 2023, if we, by resolution of our board, extend the period of time by an additional six months), subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the initial business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its redemption rights as described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic business combinations. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than we do. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the initial business combination of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders 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.
Facilities
Our executive offices are located at 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, and our telephone number is (212) 389-8109. Our executive offices are provided to us by our sponsor free of charge. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three officers. 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 our officers 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 initial business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
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Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our units, Class A common stock and warrants are registered under the Exchange Act and we have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to stockholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2021 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
In connection with our initial public offering, we filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) ending on or after December 31, 2026, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of Class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the prior June 30.
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Item 1A. | Risk Factors |
As a smaller reporting company, we are not required to include risk factors in this annual report. However, below is a summary of material risks, uncertainties and other factors that could have a material effect on the Company and its operations:
● | we are an early stage Company with no revenue or basis to evaluate our ability to select a suitable business target; |
● | we may not be able to select an appropriate target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination in the prescribed time frame; |
● | our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses may not be realized; |
● | we may not be successful in retaining or recruiting required officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination; |
● | our officers and directors may have difficulties allocating their time between the Company and other businesses and may potentially have conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination; |
● | we may not be able to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or reduce the number of stockholders requesting redemption; |
● | We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time; |
● | you may not be given the opportunity to choose the initial business target or to vote on the initial business combination; |
● | trust account funds may not be protected against third party claims or bankruptcy; |
● | an active market for our public securities’ may not develop and you will have limited liquidity and trading; |
● | the availability to us of funds from interest income on the trust account balance may be insufficient to operate our business prior to the business combination; and |
● | our financial performance following a business combination with an entity may be negatively affected by their lack an established record of revenue, cash flows and experienced management. |
For the complete list of risks relating to our operations, see the section titled “Risk Factors” contained in our Form S-1 dated January 11, 2021. Other than the risks described in the above-referenced Form S-1, the Company is subject to the following risks:
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price which is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the approval by our Board of Directors of such an issuance shall not be deemed to constitute a violation of our directors’ fiduciary duties to the Company.
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We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon 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 after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing transactions. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective 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.
We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.00. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.
Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments |
None.
Item 2. | Properties |
Our executive offices are located at 535 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10022, and our telephone number is (212) 389-8109. Our executive offices are provided to us by our sponsor free of charge. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Item 3. | Legal Proceedings |
To the knowledge of our management team, there is no litigation currently pending or contemplated against us, any of our officers or directors in their capacity as such or against any of our property.
Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures |
Not applicable.
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Item 5. | Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters, and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities |
(a) | Market Information |
Our units commenced public trading on January 14, 2021 and are traded on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “ENVIU”. On March 8, 2021, our Class A common stock and warrants began trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbols “ENVI” and “ENVIW”, respectively.
(b) | Holders |
On March 23, 2021, 2021, there was 1 holder of record of our units, 1 holder of record of our shares of Class A common stock, 5 holders of our shares of Class B common stock and 6 holders of record of our warrants.
(c) | Dividends |
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our Board of Directors at such time. In addition, our Board of Directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
(d) | Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans. |
None.
(e) | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities |
None.
(f) | Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers |
None.
(g) | Use of Proceeds from the Initial Public Offering |
On January 13, 2021, the Company consummated its initial public offering (the “IPO”) of 20,700,000 Units, including 2,700,000 Units issued pursuant to the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option in full. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share, and one-half of one redeemable warrant of the Company (“Warrant”), with each whole Warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock for $11.50 per share. The Units were sold at a price of $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds to the Company of $207,000,000.
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A total of $207,000,000 of the proceeds from the IPO and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, was placed in a U.S.-based trust account at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested by the trustee only in U.S. government securities with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds investing solely in U.S. government treasury obligations and meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
For a description of the use of the proceeds generated in our initial public offering, see Part II, Item 7 of this Form 10-K.
Item 6. | Reserved |
Item 7. | MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
References to the “Company,” “us,” “our” or “we” refer to Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and related notes included herein.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this Form 10-K including, without limitation, statements under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” regarding the Company’s financial position, business strategy and the plans and objectives of management for future operations, are forward- looking statements. When used in this Form 10-K, words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions, as they relate to us or the Company’s management, identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, the Company’s management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward- looking statements as a result of certain factors detailed in our filings with the SEC. All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on the Company’s behalf are qualified in their entirety by this paragraph.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and the notes thereto contained elsewhere in this report. Certain information contained in the discussion and analysis set forth below includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties.
Overview
We are a blank check company formed under the laws of the State of Delaware on July 2, 2020, for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses. We intend to effectuate our Business Combination using cash from the proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of cash, stock and debt.
We expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete a Business Combination will be successful.
Results of Operations
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any operating revenues to date. Our only activities from inception through December 31, 2020 were organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for the Initial Public Offering, described below. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial Business Combination. We expect to generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held after the Initial Public Offering. We expect that we will incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses in connection with searching for, and completing, a Business Combination.
For the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, we had a net loss of $2,528, which consisted of formation and operating expenses.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
As of December 31, 2020, we had cash of $156,848. Until the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of common stock by the Initial Stockholders and a loan from a related party.
On January 19, 2021, we consummated the Initial Public Offering of 20,700,000 Unit, at a price of $10.00 per Unit which included the full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 2,700,000 Units, generating gross proceeds of $207,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, we consummated the sale of 2,000,000 Private Placement Warrants to the Initial Stockholders at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant generating gross proceeds of $2,000,000.
Following the Initial Public Offering, the full exercise of the over-allotment option, and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, a total of $207,000,000 was placed in the Trust Account. We incurred $773,917 in transaction costs, including $250,000 of cash underwriting fees and expenses, inclusive of $150,000 paid for underwriters concession fees, and $523,918 of other offering costs.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the Trust Account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the Trust Account (less income taxes payable), to complete our Business Combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our 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.
We intend to use 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, 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 a 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 a Business Combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to us. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our Trust Account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the Placement Units.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimate of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a Business Combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our Business Combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our Business Combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our Business Combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such Business Combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our Business Combination. If we are unable to complete our Business Combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the Trust Account. In addition, following our Business Combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
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Off-Balance Sheet Financing Arrangements
We have no obligations, assets or liabilities, which would be considered off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2020. We do not participate in transactions that create relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as variable interest entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements. We have not entered into any off-balance sheet financing arrangements, established any special purpose entities, guaranteed any debt or commitments of other entities, or purchased any non-financial assets.
Contractual Obligations
We do not have any long-term debt, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations or long-term liabilities, except as described below.
The Company paid the independent underwriter a fee of $100,000 upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. Additionally, the Company agreed to pay the underwriter $150,000 in expenses to cover seller’s concessions to selling group member in connection with the Proposed Public Offering. The independent underwriter will receive no other compensation.
The Company engaged Canaccord Genuity LLC (“Canaccord”) as advisors in connection with its Business Combination to assist the Company in arranging meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that may be interested in purchasing the Company’s securities, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with the preparation of its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay Canaccord for such services upon the consummation of a Business Combination a cash fee in an amount equal to 3.76 % of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. Pursuant to the terms of the business combination marketing agreement, no fee will be due if the Company does not complete a Business Combination.
Critical Accounting Policies
The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the period reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have not identified any critical accounting policies as of December 31, 2020.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on our financial statements.
Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk |
Not required for smaller reporting companies.
Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data |
This information appears following Item 15 of this Report and is included herein by reference.
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Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure |
None.
Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures |
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Disclosure controls are procedures that are designed with the objective of ensuring that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this Report, is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time period specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls are also designed with the objective of ensuring that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluated, with the participation of our current chief executive officer and chief financial officer (our “Certifying Officers”), the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2020, pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) under the Exchange Act. Based upon that evaluation, our Certifying Officers concluded that, as of December 31, 2020, 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.
Management’s Report on Internal Controls Over Financial Reporting
This Annual Report on Form 10-K does not include a report of management’s assessment regarding internal control over financial reporting or an attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm due to a transition period established by rules of the SEC for newly public companies.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
Not applicable.
Item 9B. | Other Information |
None.
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Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance |
Directors and Executive Officers
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
NAME | AGE | POSITION | ||
Daniel Coyne | 48 | Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | ||
Marc Marano | 49 | Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | ||
Andrew Viles | 58 | Secretary | ||
Jennifer E. Pardi | 39 | Director | ||
Deval L. Patrick | 64 | Director | ||
David Brewster | 49 | Director | ||
Dean Seavers | 60 | Director |
Daniel Coyne, our Chief Executive Officer, President and director, has over 25 years of experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets and completed transactions in diverse industries. He currently serves as Co-Head of U.S. Investment Banking of and Global Head of Sustainability Investment Banking for Canaccord, where he has been since March 1998. During his career, Mr. Coyne has worked on a variety of equity and debt financings and mergers and acquisitions assignments. Since the start of his career in 1994, he has participated in over 250 transactions with an aggregate value exceeding $20 billion. Mr. Coyne has advised companies engaged in advanced materials, energy and power technology, additive manufacturing, advanced lighting and controls, industrial technology including instrumentation, process control and capital equipment, green building products, recycling, smart grid and energy management, solar, wind, renewable power generation and energy-efficiency software/services, and water. Mr. Coyne received a B.A. from Middlebury College. He is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.
Marc Marano, our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, currently serves as a Managing Director in Canaccord’s Investment Banking Group, where he has been since June 2004. He is principally involved in identifying, negotiating, structuring and executing investment banking transactions for growth companies in the Sustainability sector at Canaccord. Mr. Marano has extensive experience with mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, follow-on equity offerings and private placements of equity securities. Prior to joining Canaccord, he worked as a consultant at Standard & Poor’s Corporate Value Consulting Group from August 2002 to June 2004, as well as a tax attorney at Ernst & Young LLP from August 1996 to June 2000. Mr. Marano received a B.S. from Boston College, a J.D. from Suffolk University School of Law, and an M.B.A. from Cornell University.
Andrew Viles, our Secretary, joined Canaccord Genuity in 2003, and since February 2019 has served as Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and US General Counsel for Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX:CF). He oversees all legal and compliance matters globally for the Company. As U.S. General Counsel. Mr. Viles is also directly responsible for all US legal matters involving the firm. Prior to this, Mr. Viles acted as Senior Managing Director and US General Counsel of the Canaccord Genuity’s US capital markets business from July 2012. Commencing in August 2017, he was responsible for all compliance activities for the firm’s North American Capital Markets business. From October 2007 through July 2012, Mr. Viles acted as head of U.S. Mergers & Acquisitions in the firm’s investment banking group. He has extensive involvement in all aspects of the firm’s investment banking practice, and has been involved in structuring a wide array of national and international capital raising and M&A transactions on behalf of the firm’s clients. Prior to October 2007, Mr. Viles acted as General Counsel of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.’s US capital markets business. Prior to joining Canaccord Genuity in 2003, he was a Partner in the international law firm of Goodwin Procter LLP, working in the firm’s Corporate Department. His practice there included mergers & acquisitions, corporate restructurings, corporate finance, and capital markets transactions. He advised clients on a wide variety of corporate and securities law matters including IPOs, public offerings and private placements of debt and equity securities, PIPEs, Rule 144A transactions, offshore financings, and mergers & acquisitions, both public and private. Mr. Viles also worked with public companies on meeting their ongoing SEC reporting and compliance obligations. Mr. Viles received a B.S. from Bates College and a J.D. from Boston University School of Law, magna cum laude. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and the American Bar Association.
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Jennifer E. Pardi, our director, has over 17 years of experience in corporate finance, equity and debt capital markets and has completed transactions in diverse industries and with complex structures. She currently serves as Global Head of Equity Capital Markets of Canaccord, where she has been since September 2003 and has extensive US and cross-border experience having been involved in the completion of over 1,000 transactions with an aggregate value of over $150 billion. Ms. Pardi holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Connecticut and an M.B.A. (with distinction) from Suffolk University. She is well qualified to serve on our Board due to her extensive experience in corporate finance and capital markets.
Deval L. Patrick serves as one of our directors. Mr. Patrick currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Bain Capital, which he founded in April 2015 and led the Double Impact Fund until November 2019, a growth equity fund that invests in commercial businesses for both competitive financial returns and positive social impact. From January 2007 to January 2015, he served as the Governor of Massachusetts. He has been a senior executive in two Fortune 500 companies, a board member of NYSE and Nasdaq listed as well as private companies, a partner in two Boston law firms, and by appointment of President Bill Clinton, the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Justice Department. Gov. Patrick received an A.B. cum laude from Harvard College in June 1978 and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in June 1982. He is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in the finance, economy and sustainability related sectors.
David Brewster serves as one of our directors. Mr. Brewster co-founded EnerNOC in 2001 and served as its President and Director until August 2017, when the company was sold to the Enel Group, a multinational energy company headquartered in Rome, Italy. EnerNOC, which was a Nasdaq-listed company from May 2007 until August 2017, was a provider of energy management software and services that enabled its customers — businesses, utilities, and power grid operators worldwide — to optimize the use of energy. He has been a member of the board of directors of Vicinity Energy since January 2020, LineVision since January 2019, and Mantis Innovation Group since August 2018. Mr. Brewster served on the board of directors of Desalitech Ltd., a closed circuit reverse osmosis company, from January 2017 to February 2019. He serves as a trustee at Shady Hill School and Milton Academy, as a global leadership council member at the World Resources Institute and as a member of the board of advisors at the Upper Amazon Conservancy. Mr. Brewster received a B.A. from Wesleyan University, a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. He is well qualified to serve on our Board due to his extensive experience in the energy sector.
Dean Seavers serves as one of our directors. Mr. Seavers currently serves on the board of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) and Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB). From December 2014 to January 2020, he served as the President at National Grid U.S. and Executive Director of National Grid, PLC (NYSE: NGG). Mr. Seavers founder of Red Hawk Fire & Security LLC in 2012, where he served as the President and Chief Executive Officer and Director until December 2018. Mr. Seavers previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Security from 2007 to 2011. He has also previously held the positions of Vice President-Operations at General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE), Member of City Light Capital LLC, Regional Manager at PepsiCo, Inc. (Nasdaq: PEP), Executive Director & President-US Business Unit at National Grid Plc and President of NG US I, Inc. (a subsidiary of National Grid Plc), President and Chief Executive Officer for UTC Fire & Security Americas Corp., Inc., President of Johnson Controls Fire Protection LP, Vice President-Operations for Tyco Capital Corp., Operations Director for Burger King Corp. and Principal at ADT LLC. Mr. Seavers received a B.A. from Kent State University and an MBA from Stanford University. He is well qualified to serve on our Board due to this extensive experience in management and energy sector.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five directors, 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 stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Ms. Pardi, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Coyne and Seavers, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Gov. Patrick and Mr. Brewster, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders.
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Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws provide that our officers may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a Chairman of the Board, Presidents, Vice Presidents, Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the Board from time to time may determine.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Our board of directors has two standing committees: an audit committee and a compensation committee. Both our audit committee and our compensation committee will be composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee is available on our website at www.eiacorp.com.
Audit Committee
Messrs. Brewster and Seavers and Gov. Patrick serve as members of our audit committee, and Mr. Brewster chairs the audit committee. All members of our audit committee are independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsor and our underwriters.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Brewster 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 auditor’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 auditors 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 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. |
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Compensation Committee
We have established a compensation committee of the board of directors. Mr. Seavers and Gov. Patrick serve as members of our compensation committee. Gov. Patrick chairs the compensation committee.
We have adopted a compensation committee charter, which 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 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, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing stockholders, 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. However, we will pay Canaccord a business combination marketing advisory fee equal to $7,783,200, which fee will only be due if we complete an initial business combination. Additionally, we may pay Canaccord, or another affiliate of our sponsor, cash compensation for acting as placement agent for a private placement or for services in connection with our initial business combination that are in addition to the services required to be performed pursuant to the business combination marketing agreement that are payable to Canaccord, contingent on the closing of our initial business combination, in amounts consistent with market standards for comparable services. 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 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.
Director Nominations
We do not have a standing nominating committee though we intend to form a corporate governance and nominating committee as and when required to do so by law or Nasdaq rules. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, a majority of the independent directors may recommend a director nominee for selection by the board of directors. The board of directors believes that the independent directors can satisfactorily carry out the responsibility of properly selecting or approving director nominees without the formation of a standing nominating committee. The directors who will participate in the consideration and recommendation of director nominees are Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers. In accordance with Rule 5605 of the Nasdaq rules, all such directors are independent. As there is no standing nominating committee, we do not have a nominating committee charter in place.
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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 of directors 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 stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
We have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We filed our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement for our initial public offering. You can review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters of the committees of our board of directors will be provided without charge upon request from us. If we make any amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this report or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Item 11. | Executive Compensation |
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
None of our officers has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We will reimburse our directors for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with fulfilling their roles as directors. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations.
In December 2020, we issued 143,750 founder shares to each of Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers, our independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding and held by our initial stockholders. Additionally, at the closing of our initial public offering on January 13, 2021, we issued 600,000 insider warrants to our sponsor and 50,000 insider warrants to each of Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers, in connection with services to be rendered by our management team in connection with our initial public offering and our business combination activities. Such warrants are identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
We will pay Canaccord a business combination marketing advisory fee equal to $7,783,200, which fee will only be due if we complete an initial business combination. Additionally, we may pay Canaccord, or another affiliate of our sponsor, cash compensation for acting as placement agent for a private placement or for services in connection with our initial business combination that are in addition to the services required to be performed pursuant to the business combination marketing agreement that are payable to Canaccord, contingent on the closing of our initial business combination, in amounts consistent with market standards for comparable services. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such payments, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
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After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders in connection with a proposed initial 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 of the proposed initial business combination, 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 will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us 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 initial 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 |
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this report based on information obtained from the persons named below, with respect to the beneficial ownership of common stock, by:
● | each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock; |
● | each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns our common stock; and |
● | all our executive officers and directors as a group. |
In the table below, percentage ownership is based on 25,875,000 shares of our common stock, consisting of (i) 20,700,000 shares of our Class A common stock and (ii) 5,175,000 shares of our Class B common stock, issued and outstanding as of the date of this report. Voting power represents the combined voting power of shares of Class A common stock and shares of Class B common stock owned beneficially by such person. On all matters to be voted upon, the holders of the shares of Class A common stock and shares of Class B common stock vote together as a single class. Currently, all of the shares of Class B common stock are convertible into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The table below does not include the Class A common stock underlying the private placement warrants held or to be held by our officers or sponsor because these securities are not exercisable within 60 days of this report.
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Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all common stock beneficially owned by them.
Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Approximate | ||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner (1) | Number
of Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class | Number of Shares Owned | Approximate Percentage of Class | Percentage of Outstanding Common Shares | |||||||||||||||
Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (2)(3) | — | — | 1,552,500 | 30 | % | 6 | % | |||||||||||||
Hudson Bay Capital Management LP (2)(4) | — | — | 3,105,000 | 60 | % | 12 | % | |||||||||||||
Daniel Coyne | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Marc Marano | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Andrew Viles | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Jennifer Pardi | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Deval Patrick (2) | — | — | 172,500 | 3.3 | % | * | ||||||||||||||
David Brewster (2) | — | — | 172,500 | 3.3 | % | * | ||||||||||||||
Dean Seavers (2) | — | — | 172,500 | 3.3 | % | * | ||||||||||||||
All directors and executive officers as a group (9 individuals)(2) | — | — | 517,500 | 10 | % | 2 | % | |||||||||||||
Other 5% Stockholders | ||||||||||||||||||||
Adage Capital Partners, L.P. (5) | 1,850,000 | 8.94 | % | — | — | 7.15 | % |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o CG Investments Inc. VI, 525 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 100232. |
(2) | Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as shares of Class B common stock. Such shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions contained therein. |
(3) | Our sponsor is the record holder of such shares. Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is the sole shareholder of our sponsor CGGI and an affiliate of Canaccord. Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. CGGI disclaims beneficial ownership over any securities directly held by our sponsor other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest it may have therein, directly or indirectly. |
(4) | Hudson Bay, the investment manager of HB Strategies LLC, has voting and investment power over these securities. Sander Gerber is the managing member of Hudson Bay Capital GP LLC, which is the general partner of Hudson Bay. Mr. Gerber disclaims beneficial ownership over these securities. |
(5) | According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on January 25, 2021, Adage Capital Partners, L.P. (“ACP”) is the owner of 1,850,000 shares of Class A Common Stock. Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C. and Adage Capital Advisors, L.L.C. are general partners, with shared voting and dispositive power over such shares owned by ACP. As managing members of each of the general partners, Phillip Gross and Robert Atchinson each has shared voting and dispositive power over such shares owned by ACP. Adage Capital Partners GP, L.L.C., Adage Capital Advisors, L.L.C., Mr. Gross and Mr. Atchinson all disclaim any beneficial ownership in such shares owned by ACP. The address of all five reporting persons is 200 Clarendon Street, 52nd Floor, Boston, Massachusetts 02116. |
Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Table
None.
Changes in Control
None.
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Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence |
In connection with our initial formation in July 2020, our sponsor, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CGGI, and HB Strategies were issued all of our outstanding equity. Our sponsor purchased 2,156,250 founder shares in August 2020, resulting in our sponsor directly and CGGI indirectly owning such founder shares. The remaining 5,031,250 founder shares were purchased by HB Strategies, our anchor investor, in September 2020. In December 2020, our sponsor and HB Strategies returned to us, at no cost, 862,500 and 2,443,750 founder shares, respectively, and we issued 143,750 founder shares to each of Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers, our independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding and held by our initial stockholders. At the conclusion of our initial public offering, the number Class B shares was reduced pro-rata among all holders of such founder shares by means of a stock split, resulting in a total of 5,175,000 shares of Class B Common Stock outstanding. The founder shares (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
HB Strategies and/or its affiliates purchased an aggregate of 2,000,000 private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $2,000,000. Additionally, our sponsor purchased 600,000 private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $0.01 per warrant and we issued 50,000 private placement-equivalent warrants to each of Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers, our independent director nominees, in connection with services to be rendered by our management team in connection with our initial public offering and our business combination activities. Such warrants are identical to the private placement warrants and will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. The private placement warrants (and private placement-equivalent warrants) are identical to the warrants sold in our initial public offering except that so long as the private placement warrants (and private placement-equivalent warrants) are held by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, such warrants (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, (iv) will be entitled to registration rights and (v) with respect to any private placement warrants (or any private placement-equivalent warrants) held by our sponsor, for so long as they are held by our sponsor, will be subject to a lock-up in compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(e), will have limitations on resale registration and will not be exercisable more than five years from the effective date of the registration statement for our initial public offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). The private placement warrants (and private placement-equivalent warrants) (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor and/or its affiliates will establish a board of directors consisting of at least five directors, comprising our Chief Executive Officer, a director designated by our sponsor and three independent directors. Only holders of shares of Class B common stock are entitled to vote for the election of directors until the completion of our initial business combination. Our operations will be managed by our board of directors through majority vote with each director casting a single vote, provided that any significant governance matter shall require approval from a majority of the securities issued to our initial stockholders, all voting as a single class.
If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us. We may, at our option, pursue an Affiliated Joint Acquisition opportunity with an entity to which CGGI or an officer or director has a fiduciary or contractual obligation. Any such entity may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the initial business combination by making a specified future issuance to any such entity.
34
Prior to the closing of our initial public offering, HB Strategies agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of the offering, of which, as of December 31, 2020, we had borrowed $108,575. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and was due at the earlier of March 31, 2021 or the closing of our initial public offering. The loan has been repaid upon the closing of our initial public offering out of the estimated $1,700,000 of offering proceeds allocated to the payment of offering expenses (including underwriting commissions and expenses).
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, HB Strategies 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 $1,500,000 of such working capital loans (including working capital loans that we obtain from HB Strategies) may be convertible into private placement-equivalent warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. The terms of such working capital loans by our sponsor, its affiliates, HB Strategies or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or HB Strategies 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.
In connection with our initial public offering, Hudson Bay purchased, directly or indirectly, on behalf of one or more of its advisory clients, 1,000,000 units in the offering at the public offering price.
Canaccord acted as book-running manager of our initial public offering and as representative of the underwriters. Additionally, we have engaged Canaccord as advisors in connection with our business combination to assist us in arranging meetings with our stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that may be are interested in purchasing our securities, assist us in obtaining stockholder approval for the business combination and assist us with the preparation of our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay Canaccord for such services, upon the consummation of our initial business combination, a cash fee equal to $7,783,200. Pursuant to the terms of the business combination marketing agreement, no fee will be due if we do not complete an initial business combination.
Additionally, we may pay Canaccord, or another affiliate of our sponsor, cash compensation for acting as placement agent for a private placement or for services in connection with our initial business combination that are in addition to the services required to be performed pursuant to the business combination marketing agreement that are payable to Canaccord, contingent on the closing of our initial business combination, in amounts consistent with market standards for comparable services.
Other than the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee 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.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
35
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares.
Item 14. | Principal Accountant Fees and Services |
The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to WithumSmith+Brown, PC, or Withum, for services rendered.
Audit Fees. Audit fees consist of fees billed for professional services rendered for the audit of our year-end financial statements and services that are normally provided by Withum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Withum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, and other required filings with the SEC for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 totaled $28,325. The above amounts include interim procedures and audit fees, as well as attendance at audit committee meetings.
Audit-Related Fees. Audit-related services consist of fees billed for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to performance of the audit or review of our financial statements and are not reported under “Audit Fees.” These services include attest services that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Withum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.
Tax Fees. We did not pay Withum for tax planning and tax advice for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.
All Other Fees. We did not pay Withum for other services for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.
Pre-Approval Policy
Our audit committee was formed upon the consummation of our Initial Public Offering. As a result, the audit committee did not pre-approve all of the foregoing services, although any services rendered prior to the formation of our audit committee were approved by our board of directors. Since the formation of our audit committee, and on a going-forward basis, the audit committee has and will pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for us by our auditors, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimis exceptions for non-audit services described in the Exchange Act which are approved by the audit committee prior to the completion of the audit).
36
Item 15. | Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules |
(a) | The following documents are filed as part of this Form 10-K: |
(1) | Financial Statements: |
(2) | Financial Statement Schedules: |
None.
(3) | Exhibits |
We hereby file as part of this Report the exhibits listed in the attached Exhibit Index. Exhibits which are incorporated herein by reference can be inspected.
Item 16. | Form 10-K Summary |
Not applicable.
37
EXHIBIT INDEX
* | Filed herewith. |
** | Furnished herewith. |
(1) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form S-1, originally filed with the SEC on December 21, 2020 (File No. 333-251593), as amended. |
(2) | Incorporated by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K, filed with the SEC on January 20, 2021. |
38
Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | F-2 | |
Financial Statements: | ||
Balance Sheet | F-3 | |
Statement of Operations | F-4 | |
Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity | F-5 | |
Statement of Cash Flows | F-6 | |
Notes to Financial Statements | F-7 to F-14 |
F-1
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholders and the Board of Directors of Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp.:
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, 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, 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
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/ WithumSmith+Brown, PC
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.
New York, New York
March 26, 2021
F-2
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEET
DECEMBER 31, 2020
ASSETS | ||||
Current asset – cash | $ | 156,848 | ||
Deferred offering costs | 181,027 | |||
TOTAL ASSETS | $ | 337,875 | ||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||
Liabilities | ||||
Current liabilities | ||||
Accrued expenses | $ | 2,528 | ||
Accrued offering costs | 12,875 | |||
Promissory note — related party | 300,000 | |||
Total Current Liabilities | 315,403 | |||
Commitments and Contingencies | ||||
Stockholders’ Equity | ||||
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | — | |||
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | — | |||
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,175,000 shares issued and outstanding (1) | 518 | |||
Additional paid-in capital | 24,482 | |||
Accumulated deficit | (2,528 | ) | ||
Total Stockholders’ Equity | 22,472 | |||
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY | $ | 337,875 |
(1) | Included up to 675,000 shares of Class B common stock that were subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. In December 2020, the Company cancelled an aggregate of 3,306,250 shares of Class B common stock and issued an aggregate of 431,250 shares of Class B common stock to its independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. In January 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1.2 shares for each share of common stock outstanding, resulting in the Company’s Initial Stockholders holding an aggregate of 5,175,000 Founder Shares. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock dividend (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-3
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 2, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
Formation and operating costs | $ | 2,528 | ||
Net Loss | $ | (2,528 | ) | |
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted (1) | 4,500,000 | |||
Basic and diluted net loss per common share | $ | (0.00 | ) |
(1) | Excluded up to 675,000 shares of Class B common stock that were subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. In December 2020, the Company cancelled an aggregate of 3,306,250 shares of Class B common stock and issued an aggregate of 431,250 shares of Class B common stock to its independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of Class B common stock outstanding. In January 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1.2 shares for each share of common stock outstanding, resulting in the Company’s Initial Stockholders holding an aggregate of 5,175,000 Founder Shares. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock dividend (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-4
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 2, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
Class
B | Additional Paid-in | Accumulated | Total Stockholders’ | |||||||||||||||||
Shares | Amount | Capital | Deficit | Equity | ||||||||||||||||
Balance — July 2, 2020 (inception) | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | |||||||||||
Issuance of Class B common stock to Initial Stockholders(1) | 5,175,000 | 518 | 24,482 | — | 25,000 | |||||||||||||||
Net loss | — | — | — | (2,528 | ) | (2,528 | ) | |||||||||||||
Balance — December 31, 2020 | 5,175,000 | $ | 518 | $ | 24,482 | $ | (2,528 | ) | $ | 22,472 |
(1) | Included up to 675,000 shares of Class B common stock that were subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option was exercised. In December 2020, the Company cancelled an aggregate of 3,306,250 shares of Class B common stock and issued an aggregate of 431,250 shares of Class B common stock to its independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 shares of common stock outstanding. In January 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1.2 shares for each share of common stock outstanding, resulting in the Company’s Initial Stockholders holding an aggregate of 5,175,000 Founder Shares. All share and per-share amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the stock dividend (see Note 5). |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-5
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JULY 2, 2020 (INCEPTION) THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2020
Cash Flows from Operating Activities: | ||||
Net loss | $ | (2,528 | ) | |
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities: | ||||
Changes in operating assets and liabilities: | ||||
Accrued expenses | 2,528 | |||
Net cash used in operating activities | — | |||
Cash Flows from Financing Activities: | ||||
Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to the Initial Stockholders | 25,000 | |||
Proceeds from promissory note — related party | 180,632 | |||
Payment of offering costs | (48,784 | ) | ||
Net cash provided by financing activities | 156,848 | |||
Net Change in Cash | 156,848 | |||
Cash – Beginning | — | |||
Cash – Ending | $ | 156,848 | ||
Non-cash Investing and Financing Activities: | ||||
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs | $ | 12,875 | ||
Deferred offering costs paid through promissory note — related party | $ | 119,368 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.
F-6
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on July 2, 2020. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from July 2, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is 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 from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering.
The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on January 13, 2021. On January 19, 2021 the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 20,700,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), which includes the full exercise by the underwriter of its over-allotment option in the amount of 2,700,000 Units, at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $207,000,000 which is described in Note 3.
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 2,000,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to CG Investments Inc. VI (the “Sponsor”) and HB Strategies LLC (“HB Strategies”), the anchor investor and an affiliate of Hudson Bay Capital Management LP, generating gross proceeds of $2,000,000, which is described in Note 4.
Transaction costs amounted to $773,917, consisting of $250,000 in cash underwriting fees, inclusive of $150,000 paid for underwriters concession fees (see Note 6), and $523,917 of other offering costs.
Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on January 19, 2021, an amount of $207,000,000 ($10.00 per Unit) from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”), located in the United States and will be invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Initial Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.
F-7
The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 following any related redemptions and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. In addition, HB Strategies has agreed to vote its Founder Shares in favor of approving a Business Combination. Each Public Stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination by July 19, 2022 (or by January 19, 2023 if the Company, by resolution of it board, extends the period of time by an additional six months) and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment. HB Strategies has agreed to the foregoing terms with respect to its Founder Shares but not with respect to any Public Shares it may acquire.
The Company will have until July 19, 2022 (or until January 19, 2023 if the Company, by resolution of its board, extends the period of time by an additional six months) to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except for the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.
Liquidity and capital resources
As of December 31, 2020, the Company had approximately $157,000 in cash and a working capital deficit of approximately $143,000
The Company’s liquidity needs prior to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering were satisfied through the payment of $25,000 from the Sponsor to purchase the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), and loan proceeds from the Sponsor of $300,000 under the Note (as defined in Note 5). The Company repaid the Note in full on January 19, 2021. Subsequent to the consummation of the Initial Public Offering, the Company’s liquidity has been satisfied through the net proceeds from the consummation of the Initial Public Offering and the Private Placement held outside of the Trust Account.
Based on the foregoing, management believes that the Company will have borrowing capacity to meet its needs through the earlier of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year from this filing. The Company's Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors intend, but are not obligated, to provide working capital loans as needed to meet liquidity needs. Over this time period, the Company will be using the funds held outside of the Trust Account for paying existing accounts payable, identifying and evaluating prospective initial Business Combination candidates, performing due diligence on prospective target businesses, paying for travel expenditures, selecting the target business to merge with or acquire, and structuring, negotiating and consummating the Business Combination.
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NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 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 independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder 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 financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of December 31, 2020.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consisted of legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that were directly related to the Initial Public Offering. On January 19, 2021, offering costs amounting to $773,917 were charged to stockholders’ equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering (see Note 1). As of December 31, 2020, there were $181,027 of deferred offering costs recorded in the accompanying balance sheet.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. Deferred taxes were deemed to be de minimus as of December 31, 2020.
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ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company 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 December 31, 2020. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception. The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimus as of December 31, 2020.
Net Loss Per Common Share
Net loss per share of common stock is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture. Weighted average common shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 675,000 shares of Class B common stock that were subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the over-allotment option was not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 5). At December 31, 2020, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per common share is the same as basic loss per common share for the period presented.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC Topic 820, “Fair Value Measurement,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the Company’s balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3 — INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 20,700,000 Units, which includes a full exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option in the amount of 2,700,000 Units, at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, HB Strategies and/or its affiliates purchased an aggregate of 2,000,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($2,000,000 in the aggregate) from the Company in a private placement. Each Private Placement Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account 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.
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NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In August and September of 2020, the Company issued an aggregate of 7,187,500 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) to the Sponsor and HB Strategies (together, the “Initial Stockholders”) for an aggregate price of $25,000. In December 2020, the Sponsor and HB Strategies returned to the Company, at no cost, 862,500 and 2,443,750 Founder Shares, respectively, and the Company issued an aggregate of 431,250 Founder Shares to its independent director nominees, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 Founder Shares issued and outstanding. On January 13, 2021, the Company effected a stock dividend of 1.2 shares for each share of common stock outstanding, resulting in the Initial Stockholders holding an aggregate of 5,175,000 Founder Shares. All share and per share amounts have been retroactively restated. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 675,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common shares after the Initial Public Offering. As a result of the underwriters’ election to fully exercise their over-allotment option, no Founder Shares are currently subject to forfeiture.
The Initial Stockholders have agreed, subject to limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) six months after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 60 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On September 4, 2020, HB Strategies issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) March 31, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. As of December 31, 2020, there was $300,000 in borrowings outstanding under the Promissory Note, which was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on January 19, 2021.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, members of the Company’s management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”), which will be repaid only upon the consummation of a Business Combination. If the Company does not consummate a Business Combination, the Company may use a portion of any funds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans; however, no proceeds from the Trust Account may be used for such repayment. If such funds are insufficient to repay the Working Capital Loans, the unpaid amounts would be forgiven. Up to $1,500,000 of the Working Capital Loans may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the holder. The units would be identical to the Placement Units. As of December 31, 2020, there were no Working Capital Loans outstanding.
Sponsor and Director Compensation
At the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company issued 600,000 private placement-equivalent warrants to the Sponsor for services rendered in connection with the Initial Public Offering and 50,000 private placement-equivalent warrants to each of Gov. Patrick, Messrs. Brewster and Seavers, the Company’s independent director nominees, in connection with services to be rendered by the management team in connection with the Initial Public Offering and the Company’s Business Combination activities. Such warrants were identical to the Private Placement Warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
Underwriter
The underwriter is an affiliate of the Sponsor (see note 6).
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NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Risks and Uncertainties
Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, its results of operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on January 13, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to our Class A common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Initial Stockholders may not exercise their demand and “piggyback” registration rights after five and seven years, respectively, after the effective date of the Initial Public Offering and may not exercise its demand rights on more than one occasion.
In addition, pursuant to a registration agreement with Hudson Bay Capital Management LP (“Hudson Bay”) and its permitted transferees, the Company is required to register (i) resale of any securities purchased in the Initial Public Offering by filing a registration statement within 30 days after the closing of the Initial Public Offering and use its best effort to have such registration statement declared effective within 90 days after the closing of the Initial Public Offering; and (ii) resale of any Private Placement Warrants and shares of Class A common stock underlying the Private Placement Warrants by filing a registration statement within 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and use its best effort to have such registration statement declared effective within 90 days after the completion of a Business Combination. In the event of any delay in filing and/or effectiveness of any aforesaid registration statement under the registration agreement with Hudson Bay and its permitted transferees, the unavailability of such restatement after effectiveness or a public information failure (each, a “Registration Default”), Hudson Bay and its permitted transferees are entitled to payments from the Company equal to 2% of the purchase price on the occurrence of each Registration Default and 2% per month (or a portion thereof pro rata) that such Registration Default continues to exist.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company also engaged a qualified independent underwriter to participate in the preparation of the registration statement and exercise the usual standards of “due diligence” in respect thereto. The Company paid the independent underwriter a fee of $100,000 upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering in consideration for its services and expenses as the qualified independent underwriter. Additionally, the Company agreed to pay the underwriter $150,000 in expenses to cover seller’s concessions to selling group member in connection with the Initial Public Offering. The independent underwriter will receive no other compensation.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
The Company engaged Canaccord Genuity LLC (“Canaccord”) as advisors in connection with its Business Combination to assist the Company in arranging meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that may be interested in purchasing the Company’s securities, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with the preparation of its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay Canaccord for such services upon the consummation of a Business Combination a cash fee in an amount equal to 3.76 % of the gross proceeds of the Initial Public Offering if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full. Pursuant to the terms of the business combination marketing agreement, no fee will be due if the Company does not complete a Business Combination.
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NOTE 7 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At December 31, 2020, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2020, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At December 31, 2020, there were 5,175,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.
Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders except as otherwise required by law.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of the Business Combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of shares of Class A common stock by public stockholders), including the total number of shares of Class A common stock 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 a Business Combination, excluding (i) any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities or rights exercisable for or convertible into shares of Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination, (ii) any securities issued to the initial stockholders of the Company upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and (iii) any public shares redeemed by public stockholders in connection with a Business Combination, provided that such conversion of Founder Shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Warrants — As of December 31, 2020, there were no warrants outstanding. Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the share of Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, to cause such registration statement to become effective within 60 business days following a Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, the Company will use its best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
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Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:
● | in whole and not in part; | |
● | at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant; | |
● | upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and | |
● | if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business trading days before sending the notice of redemption to warrant holders. |
If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of Class A common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (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 its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the completion of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a 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.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that (1) the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions, (2) the Private Placement Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis, (3) the Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, and (4) the holders of the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will have certain registration rights. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Other than as described in these financial statements, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
March 26, 2021 | Environmental Impact Acquisition Corp. | |
By: | /s/ Daniel Coyne | |
Name: | Daniel Coyne | |
Title: | Chief
Executive Officer (Principal 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 | Position | Date | ||
/s/ Daniel Coyne |
Chief Executive Officer, President and Director | March 26, 2021 | ||
Daniel Coyne | (Principal Executive Officer) | |||
/s/ Marc Marano |
Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | March 26, 2021 | ||
Marc Marano | (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) | |||
/s/ Jennifer Pardi |
Director | March 26, 2021 | ||
Jennifer Pardi | ||||
/s/ Deval Patrick |
Director | March 26, 2021 | ||
Deval Patrick | ||||
/s/ David Brewster |
Director | March 26, 2021 | ||
David Brewster | ||||
/s/ Dean Seavers |
Director | March 26, 2021 | ||
Dean Seavers |
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