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Jupiter Acquisition Corp - Annual Report: 2021 (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, 2021

 

OR

 

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

 

For the transition period from            to           

 

Commission file number: 001-39505

 

jupiter acquisition corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   85-1508739
(State or other jurisdiction of   (I.R.S. Employer
 incorporation or organization)   Identification No.)

 

11450 SE Dixie Hwy, Suite 105

Hobe Sound, FL

 

 

33455

(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (212) 207-8884

 

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 Warrant   JAQCU   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share   JAQC   The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC
Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50   JAQCW   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 Act. Yes No

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.

 

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

 

As of June 30, 2021 (the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter), the registrant’s securities were not publicly traded. Accordingly, there was no market value for the registrant’s common stock on such date.

 

As of March 31, 2022, there were 16,357,087 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 3,940,462 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, issued and outstanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  Page
PART I  
     
Item 1. Business 1
Item 1A. Risk Factors 20
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 59
Item 2. Properties 60
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 60
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 60
     
PART II  
     
Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities 61
Item 6. [Reserved] 62
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 62
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 65
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 65
Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure 65
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 66
Item 9B. Other Information 66
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections 66
     
PART III  
     
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 67
Item 11. Executive Compensation 72
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters 73
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence 75
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 77
     
PART IV  
     
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 78
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary 79
     
SIGNATURES 80

 

i

 

 

CERTAIN TERMS

 

Unless otherwise stated in this Annual Report on Form 10-K (this “report”) or the context otherwise requires, references to:

 

“additional financing arrangement” are to the intent of Nomura, if requested by us, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to underwrite, arrange and/or syndicate up to $400,000,000 of additional financing for us in the form of equity or debt (or a combination thereof) in connection with our initial business combination, subject to market conditions and on terms and conditions satisfactory in all respects to Nomura in its sole judgment and determination, as described in this report and our final prospectus;

 

“anchor investors” are to the qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors not affiliated with us, our sponsor, our directors or any member of our management team, that purchased an aggregate of 13,365,000 units in our initial public offering and acquired from our sponsor an indirect interest in an aggregate of 900,000 founder shares at the original purchase price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares;

 

“common stock” are to our Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and our Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, collectively;

 

“equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Class A common stock issued in connection with our initial business combination including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt;

 

“final prospectus” are to the final prospectus for our initial public offering filed with the SEC on August 13, 2021;

 

“founders” are to James N. Hauslein, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, James N. Clarke, our Vice Chairman, Gaurav Burman, our President and one of our directors, James Thayer, our Chief Operating Officer, Jonathan Leong, our Executive Vice President of Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions, James Harrison, one of our special advisors, and Paul Smucker Wagstaff, one of our special advisors;

 

“founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock issued prior to our initial public offering, and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the conversion thereof (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class A common stock will not be “public shares”);

 

“initial stockholders” are to the holders of our founder shares prior to our initial public offering (or their permitted transferees);

 

“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;

 

“Nomura” are to Nomura Securities International, Inc., an underwriter of our initial public offering;

 

ii

 

 

“private placement units” are to the units that were sold in private placements simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering and the partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, collectively;

 

“private shares” are to the shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the private placement units;

 

“private warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the private placement units;

 

“public shares” are to the shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether 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 they 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 (i) our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in our initial public offering (whether purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter in the open market) and (ii) the private warrants and warrants underlying any units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans if such warrants are held by third parties other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees;

 

“sponsor” are to Jupiter Founders LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an affiliate of James N. Hauslein, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer; and

 

“we,” “us,” “our” or “our company” are to Jupiter Acquisition Corporation.

 

iii

 

 

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS AND RISK FACTOR SUMMARY

 

Certain of the statements contained in this report may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements under “Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. 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. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following risks, uncertainties and other factors:

 

our being a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues;

 

our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;

 

our ability to complete our initial business combination;

 

our expectations around the performance of a prospective target business or businesses;

 

our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our 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;

 

our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and resulting sanctions, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases);

 

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 being subject to claims of third parties;

 

our financial performance; and

 

the other risks and uncertainties discussed in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

 

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.

 

iv

 

 

PART I

 

Item 1. Business

 

Introduction

 

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on June 17, 2020, formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to in this report as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an initial business combination in any industry or geographic region, we have initially focused our efforts on businesses that would leverage our management team’s experience in acquiring and operating businesses, including in the Consumer industry. We seek to capitalize on our founders’ distinctive and complementary backgrounds to identify, acquire and transformatively impact a target business with a substantial portion of its activities in North America or Europe. We may pursue a transaction with a company in other parts of the world, including Asia and Latin America, given our management team’s strong relationships in the regions.

 

On July 7, 2020, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor and our independent directors for an aggregate price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor forfeited 1,437,500 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding. Our sponsor subsequently transferred to certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of their employees an aggregate of 240,001 founder shares at the original purchase price. On August 25, 2021, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, an aggregate of 372,038 founder shares were forfeited to us at no cost, and 3,940,462 founder shares remain outstanding.

 

On August 12, 2021, the registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-248411) relating to our initial public offering was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). On August 17, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 15,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, generating total gross proceeds of $150,000,000. Each unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of August 17, 2022 and 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

On August 23, 2021, the underwriters of our initial public offering notified us of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional units at $10.00 per additional unit upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, generating total gross proceeds of $7,618,500.

 

Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 580,000 private placement units to our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,800,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 15,237 additional private placement units to such purchasers at $10.00 per additional private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $152,370 (collectively, the “private placements”).

 

Of the aggregate 15,761,850 units sold in our initial public offering, 13,365,000 units were purchased by our anchor investors. In connection with the closing of our initial public offering, the anchor investors each acquired from our sponsor an indirect economic interest in 100,000 founder shares (or an aggregate of 900,000 founder shares) at the original purchase price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares. Our sponsor has agreed to distribute such founder shares to the anchor investors after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

1

 

 

A total of $157,618,500 (or $10.00 per unit sold in our initial public offering) of the net proceeds from our initial public offering, including the partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, and the private placements was placed in a trust account established for the benefit of our public stockholders (the “trust account”), with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and has been invested in U.S. government securities, within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), none of the funds held in the trust account will be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) our redemption of the public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period.

 

We incurred $9,292,595 in initial public offering related costs, including $3,152,370 of underwriting fees, $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees and $623,577 of other offering costs. As of December 31, 2021, we had $1,351,816 in our operating bank accounts, $157,618,500 in cash and marketable securities held in the trust account (including $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees) and working capital of $1,259,780, which excludes $32,313 of interest earned on the trust account that is available to pay franchise and income taxes payable.

 

Our units began trading on August 13, 2021 on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “JAQCU.” Commencing on October 1, 2021, the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units began separate trading on Nasdaq under the symbols “JAQC” and “JAQCW,” respectively. Those units not separated continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “JAQCU.”

 

We believe that the extensive operational, financial, M&A and capital markets experience of our management team led by James N. Hauslein, James N. Clarke, Gaurav Burman, James Thayer and Jonathan Leong, and accompanied by our special advisors, including Paul Smucker Wagstaff of Embassy Park Investment Company LLC (“Embassy Park”) and James Harrison and the broader resources of Clarke Capital Partners LLC (“Clarke Capital”), coupled with a collective global network to source deals, positions us extremely well to identify attractive business combination opportunities and to bring value to the business post-combination. We expect to favor potential target companies with specific industry and business characteristics where we can offer advice on strategic direction, M&A strategy, access to debt and equity capital markets, improvements in governance, and possible enhancements to operations. Key target industry characteristics include compelling long-term growth prospects, an attractive competitive landscape, unique products or services, consolidation opportunities, and favorable fundamental market shifts. Key business characteristics may include high growth or steady, long-term revenue growth, high barriers to entry, attractive steady-state margins and potential for incremental margin expansion and attractive and increasing free cash flow. In selective situations, we might consider business combinations where improvements in operations can add value to our stockholders.

 

We believe many companies in the Consumer sector and other related industries could benefit from access to the public markets but have been inhibited by several factors, including the time it takes to conduct a traditional initial public offering, market volatility and pricing uncertainty. Specifically, we believe that the COVID-19 pandemic has created dislocation and has adversely affected the ability of companies and business divisions in these sectors to access public markets to raise capital to pursue organic growth opportunities, reduce leverage, or consolidate their sectors. We believe there are many potential targets within the space that are both attractive merger candidates and positioned to deliver substantial value to stockholders in the public markets. We intend to focus on evaluating high growth emerging as well as more established companies with leading competitive positions, strong management teams, and strong long-term potential for revenue growth and margin expansion.

 

We are confident that the combined experience of our management team and special advisors positions us well to identify, source, evaluate, negotiate, structure, and execute an initial business combination with an attractive company or business in our targeted industries. The vast and global network of executives, investors, and advisors accessible to our management team and special advisors will enable us to source business combination opportunities from private equity firms, family-owned businesses, or divisions of larger corporations. We will employ a disciplined and highly selective investment process and expect to add value to a target company through advice on strategic direction, add-on acquisitions, optimization of its capital structure, and potential improvements to operations. Our management team has significant special purpose acquisition company (“SPAC”) experience, having previously worked with ten different SPACs in a variety of roles, including sponsor, board member, underwriter and M&A advisor.

 

2

 

 

With respect to the experiences of our management team and special advisors, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management’s or special advisors’ performance as indicative of our future performance.

 

Business Strategy

 

Our objective is to generate attractive returns for stockholders by identifying a high-quality target, negotiating favorable terms for a business combination, and creating the foundation for long-term financial success. After our initial business combination, we envision that the combined company’s strategy may include additional mergers and acquisitions with a focus on generating attractive risk-adjusted returns for our stockholders.

 

Our sourcing process will leverage our management team’s expansive network of contacts and corporate relationships, unique industry knowledge, and deal-sourcing capabilities in order to access a broad spectrum of potential proprietary and differentiated investment opportunities.

 

This network has been developed over decades through our founders’ demonstrated success in investing, advising, and operating businesses across a variety of industries, which has enabled us to develop a set of capabilities, including:

 

significant M&A deal experience, including originating, crafting and executing transformational transactions;

 

experience executing complex joint ventures, carve-outs, and corporate spin-offs and split-offs;

 

the ability to advise management teams in the transition from private to public markets, including from a board and governance perspective;

 

an extensive history of accessing the debt and equity capital markets across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies with transition to public ownership;

 

a history of sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling family-owned, privately owned and public businesses to create stockholder value;

 

a track record of working with companies during distressed situations to find suitable outcomes; and

 

a proven ability to close on transactions under all economic and financial market conditions.

 

We believe our founders’ expertise with acquiring and operating businesses, including Consumer businesses, and our keen awareness of industry trends and the strategic focus of the large corporate participants seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions, will furnish us with a strong flow of potential target companies via a broad aperture by which to find a suitable target company.

 

We intend to deploy a proactive, thematic sourcing strategy and to focus on companies in which we believe the combination of our operating experience, relationships, capital, and capital markets expertise can be catalysts to transform a target company and accelerate its growth and performance. In addition, we anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, which may include, but are not limited to, family offices, private equity firms, investment banks, consultants, accounting firms, and extensive business relationships in our focus industries. Upon completion of our initial public offering, members of our management team began communicating with their networks of relationships to articulate the parameters for our search for a target company and a potential business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potentially interesting leads.

 

3

 

 

Our strategy is to identify and complete our initial business combination with specific industry and business characteristics. We expect to distinguish ourselves with our ability to:

 

source targets outside of formal sale or financing processes;

 

craft a highly bespoke solution given extensive industry contacts and relationships;

 

recognize situations, given our history and experience with SPACs, where a blank check company could be a superior solution to the needs of a target company and its current owners;

 

engage with large corporations seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions and execute carve-outs, joint ventures, partnerships or other business combinations where an independent board and management focus can enhance growth and value-creation; and

 

exploit opportunities in the COVID-19 environment by providing a publicly-listed currency to facilitate access to capital for growth, debt reduction or diversification of wealth by family-owned companies.

 

Acquisition Criteria

 

Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating 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. We intend to acquire one or more businesses that we believe:

 

have a strong competitive industry position and demonstrated competitive advantages to maintain barriers to entry;

 

operate in fast-growing markets with large total addressable markets and have significant growth potential both organically and through add-on acquisitions;

 

have brand recognition and offer enduring products, with the potential for revenue, market share or distribution improvements;

 

possess proprietary aspects of products and intellectual property or other protection for products and formulas;

 

have potential to generate strong and sustainable free cash flow;

 

are fundamentally sound companies that are not operating at their full potential and could benefit from our founders’ network or expertise (strategy, marketing, operations, capital structure optimization, M&A, etc.);

 

have a committed, skilled and experienced management team whose interests and incentives are aligned with those of our stockholders;

 

is sourced through our proprietary channels;

 

have an appropriate valuation and will offer an attractive risk-adjusted return for our stockholders; and

 

can benefit from being a publicly-traded company, are prepared to be a publicly-traded company, and can utilize access to broader capital markets.

 

4

 

 

These criteria and guidelines 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 criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, criteria, and guidelines that our management may deem relevant. While we have initially focused on the Consumer industry previously described, we will consider targets outside this sector if deemed attractive to our stockholders. 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 and guidelines in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed elsewhere in this report and our final prospectus, would be in the form of tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials that we would file with the SEC.

 

Acquisition Process

 

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, an inspection of facilities and a review of financial, operational, legal and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience and utilize the expertise and employees of Clarke Capital in analyzing companies and evaluating operating projections, financial projections, and determining the appropriate return expectations given the risk profile of the target business.

 

Nomura has indicated its intent, if so requested by us, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to underwrite, arrange and/or syndicate up to $400 million of additional financing for us in the form of equity or debt (or a combination thereof) in connection with our initial business combination, subject to market conditions and on terms and conditions satisfactory in all respects to Nomura in its sole judgment and determination. The additional financing arrangement is not anticipated to have any impact on the redemption price of the Class A common stock, the conversion ratio of Class B common stock to Class A common stock or the exercise of the warrants.

 

Following our initial business combination, we also intend to develop and implement corporate strategies and initiatives to provide financial and operating flexibility so that the company can improve its growth prospects, profitability, and long-term value. In doing so, the management team anticipates evaluating corporate governance, opportunistically accessing capital markets and other opportunities to enhance liquidity, identifying acquisition and divestiture opportunities, and properly aligning management and board incentives with growing stockholder value.

 

Certain of our directors and officers directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement units and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, such directors and officers may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such directors and officers was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

 

Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity subject to his or her fiduciary duties. As a result, 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, then, subject to such officer’s and director’s fiduciary duties, he or she will need to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, before we can pursue such opportunity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties or obligations to materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any business combination 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 the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.

 

5

 

 

Our officers, directors, or special advisors may sponsor, form, or participate in other blank check companies during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates and the director and officer teams. However, we do not expect that any such other blank check company would materially affect our ability to identify and pursue business combination opportunities or complete our initial business combination.

 

In addition, our founders, officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.

 

Status as a Public Company

 

We believe our structure will make 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.

 

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 will 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.

 

Financial Position

 

With funds available in the trust account for an initial business combination of $152,101,852 as of December 31, 2021, assuming no redemptions, before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination and after payment of $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting commissions, 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, there can be no assurance third party financing 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 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 placements of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

 

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

 

We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units, 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.

 

Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

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 public filings and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as our sponsor and their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors and our sponsor and their respective industry and business contacts as well as their affiliates. We may engage the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions, 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, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, 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, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, will be allowed to receive any compensation, finder’s fees or consulting fees from a prospective business combination target in connection with a contemplated initial business combination. We have agreed to pay an affiliate of our sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor, officers, directors and special advisors for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-transaction company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an initial business combination candidate.

 

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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or a qualified independent accounting firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

 

If any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.

 

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

 

As required by Nasdaq rules, our initial business combination will be approved by a majority of our independent directors. Nasdaq rules also require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. The fair market value of our initial business combination will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as discounted cash flow valuation, a valuation based on trading multiples of comparable public businesses or a valuation based on the financial metrics of M&A transactions of comparable businesses. Even though our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgement of our board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public stockholders with our analysis of our satisfaction of the 80% fair market value test, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board of directors will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of a target’s assets or prospects. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. Subject to this requirement, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting one or more prospective target businesses, although we will not be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

In any case, we will only complete an initial business combination in which we own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquire a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. If we own or acquire less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses, the portion of such business or businesses that are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% fair market value test.

 

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.

 

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In evaluating a prospective business target, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review, which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us.

 

The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable. 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. 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 reasons. Presented in the table below is a graphic explanation of the types of initial business combinations we may consider and whether stockholder approval is currently required under Delaware law for each such transaction.

 

Type of Transaction   Whether
Stockholder
Approval is
Required
Purchase of assets   No
Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company   No
Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company   No
Merger of the company with a target   Yes

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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 law 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:

 

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;

 

the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;

 

the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;

 

other time and budget constraints of the company; and

 

additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.

 

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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 initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their respective affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (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 public shares or public warrants in such transactions prior to completion of our initial business combination.

 

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 warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our 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.

 

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

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.

 

Manner of Conducting Redemptions

 

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under Nasdaq rules, asset acquisitions and stock purchases would not typically require stockholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. If we structure an initial business combination with a target company in a manner that requires stockholder approval, we will not have discretion as to whether to seek a stockholder vote to approve the proposed initial business combination. We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC unless stockholder approval is required by law or stock exchange listing requirements or we choose to seek stockholder approval for business or other reasons. So long as we maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with such rules.

 

If a stockholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

file proxy materials with the SEC.

 

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

 

If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the initial business combination. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of outstanding capital stock of the company representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. Our initial stockholders will count toward this quorum and pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares they may purchase (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) 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 and private shares, we would need only 5,613,076, or approximately 35.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 538,689, or approximately 3.4% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 15,761,850 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Furthermore, if our anchor investors vote all of the public shares underlying the 13,365,000 units they acquired in our initial public offering in favor of an initial business combination, we would not need any of the other public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our sponsor, officers and directors, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public stockholder may elect to redeem its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

 

Our 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed initial business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed initial business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

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

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in 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 15% 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 15% 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 a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights

 

We may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s (“DTC”) DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to approve the business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. 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 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. 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 the fee and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.

 

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

 

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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 tender offer materials or the date of the stockholder meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to 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 August 17, 2023.

 

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 August 17, 2023 to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the required time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in 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 sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the required time period. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares, 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 required time period.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement (described above), we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.

 

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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 the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. We will depend on sufficient interest being earned on the proceeds held in the trust account to pay any tax obligations we may owe. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

 

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units, 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 seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will all execute such agreements or even if they do 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. We are not aware of any product or service providers who have not or will not provide such waiver other than the underwriters of our initial public offering and our independent registered public accounting firm.

 

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 of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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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.

 

We seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have access to funds held outside the trust account ($1,351,816 as of December 31, 2021) 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 the trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors.

 

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 the 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 by August 17, 2023 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 the 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 by August 17, 2023 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 do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in 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 following August 17, 2023 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.

 

17

 

 

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 ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations are 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 the underwriting agreement related to our initial public offering, we seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account. 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 and 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.

 

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 earlier 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 (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we do not complete our business combination by August 17, 2023, 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.

 

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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.

 

Employees

 

We currently have five 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 they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the 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.

 

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

 

We have registered our units, Class A common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. Such reports and other information filed by the company with the SEC are available free of charge on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The contents of this website is not incorporated into this report. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports 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, United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards (“IFRS”), depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential targets we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

 

We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”). Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination. We filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to 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.

 

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We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the 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) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the aggregate worldwide market value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates equals or 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 Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th.

 

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

Ownership of our securities involves a high degree of risk. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline and a holder of our securities could lose all or part of its investment. This report also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.

 

Risks Relating to Searching for and Consummating a Business Combination

 

Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public stockholders do not support such a combination.

 

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the initial business combination would require stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements or if we decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons. Except as required by law, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the initial business combination we complete.

 

20

 

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote.

 

Pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and private shares, as well as 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. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares and private shares, we would need only 5,613,076, or approximately 35.6% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted), or 538,689, or approximately 3.4% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted), of the 15,761,850 public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own shares representing approximately 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement units) at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor, officers and directors to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination. Furthermore, if our anchor investors vote all of the public shares underlying the 13,365,000 units they acquired in our initial public offering in favor of an initial business combination, we would not need any of the other public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved. Although our anchor investors are not contractually obligated to vote in favor of an initial business combination, their interest in certain of our founder shares may provide an incentive for them to do so.

 

Since our anchor investors have acquired an interest in certain of our founder shares from our sponsor, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

Each of the anchor investors has acquired an economic interest in 100,000 founder shares for a nominal amount, which our sponsor will distribute to our anchor investors after the completion of an initial business combination. Accordingly, the anchor investors will share in any appreciation in the value of the founder shares above that nominal amount, provided that we successfully complete a business combination. Moreover, as the anchor investors acquired all of the aggregate 13,365,000 units they purchased in our initial public offering for a purchase price of $10.00 per unit and paid approximately $0.004 per share for their interests in the founder shares, and assuming each warrant had no value and without taking into account any liquidity discount on the founder shares, the anchor investors paid an effective price of approximately $9.37 per share acquired, as compared to the $10.00 per share paid by the other public stockholders in our initial public offering. As a result, the anchor investors may have an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and, if a business combination is approved, they may make a substantial profit on such interest, even if the market price of our securities declines in value below the price to the public in our initial public offering and the business combination is not profitable for other public stockholders. In addition, as discussed above, if the anchor investors retain a substantial portion of their interests in our public shares and if the anchor investors vote those public shares in favor of a business combination, we will receive sufficient votes to approve the business combination, regardless of how any other public stockholder votes their shares. You should consider the anchor investors’ financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in our securities and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.

 

Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination will be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash, unless we seek stockholder approval of the initial business combination.

 

At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete an initial business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the initial business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote.

 

Accordingly, if we do not seek stockholder approval, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

 

21

 

 

The ability of our public stockholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into an initial business combination with a target.

 

We may seek to enter into an initial business combination agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public stockholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the initial business combination. Furthermore, 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into an initial business combination with us.

 

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

 

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

 

The requirement that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete such a business combination.

 

Nasdaq rules and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. This restriction may limit the type and number of companies with which we may complete such a business combination. If we are unable to locate a target business or businesses that satisfy this fair market value test, we may be forced to liquidate and our public stockholders will only be entitled to receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, which may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

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The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination and may decrease our ability to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

 

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning an initial business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating an initial business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

 

Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) could adversely affect, economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be, or may already have been, materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if concerns relating to COVID-19 continue to restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and service providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. Moreover, the Federal Reserve has shifted its focus to limiting inflationary and other potentially adverse effects of the extensive pandemic- related government stimulus, which signals the potential for a continued period of economic uncertainty even if the pandemic subsides. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

In addition, our ability to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing, which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.

 

Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by negative impacts on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia and subsequent sanctions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities.

 

United States and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. In response to such invasion, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (“NATO”) deployed additional military forces to eastern Europe, and the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have announced various sanctions and restrictive actions against Russia, Belarus and related individuals and entities, including the removal of certain financial institutions from the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) payment system. Certain countries, including the United States, have also provided and may continue to provide military aid or other assistance to Ukraine during the ongoing military conflict, increasing geopolitical tensions with Russia. The invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the resulting measures that have been taken, and could be taken in the future, by NATO, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other countries have created global security concerns that could have a lasting impact on regional and global economies. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine is highly unpredictable, the conflict could lead to market disruptions, including significant volatility in commodity prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain interruptions. Additionally, Russian military actions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect the global economy and financial markets and lead to instability and lack of liquidity in capital markets.

 

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Any of the abovementioned factors, or any other negative impact on the global economy, capital markets or other geopolitical conditions resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions, could adversely affect our search for a business combination and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination. The extent and duration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting sanctions and any related market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial, particularly if current or new sanctions continue for an extended period of time or if geopolitical tensions result in expanded military operations on a global scale. Any such disruptions may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities, cross-border transactions or our ability to raise equity or debt financing in connection with any particular business combination. If these disruptions or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

 

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

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants or a combination thereof in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions.

 

Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such stockholder, although still the record holder of our shares is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of such purchases 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 warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.

 

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

 

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

 

We will comply with the tender offer rules or proxy rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares, which may include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself. For example, we may require our public stockholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their certificates to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials mailed to such holders, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures, its shares may not be redeemed.

 

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In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for redemption that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their redemption rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

 

In connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public stockholder will have the right, regardless of whether he or she is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we redeem his or her shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using DTC’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares, stockholders who wish to redeem may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their redemption rights and thus may be unable to redeem their shares.

 

If, in connection with any stockholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption, such redeeming stockholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

 

If we require public stockholders who wish to redeem their shares to comply with specific requirements for redemption and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public stockholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to redeem their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed business combination until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our shares of Class A common stock may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other stockholders that did not seek redemption may be able to sell their securities.

 

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more industry knowledge than we do, and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, because we are obligated to pay cash for the shares of Class A common stock which our public stockholders redeem in connection with our initial business combination, target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. This may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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As the number of special purpose acquisition companies increases, there may be more competition to find an attractive target for an initial business combination. This could increase the costs associated with completing our initial business combination and may result in our inability to find a suitable target for our initial business combination.

 

In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many companies have entered into business combinations with special purpose acquisition companies, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many additional special purpose acquisition companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, effort and resources to identify a suitable target for an initial business combination.

 

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, including the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the resulting sanctions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find a suitable target for and/or complete our initial business combination.

 

If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate until August 17, 2023, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least until August 17, 2023, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate until August 17, 2023; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed initial business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon our liquidation. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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If the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units not being held in the trust account are insufficient, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search for an initial business combination, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

As of December 31, 2021, we had $1,351,816 in our operating bank accounts, $157,618,500 in cash and marketable securities held in the trust account (including $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees) and working capital of $1,259,780, which excludes $32,313 of interest earned on the trust account that is available to pay franchise and income taxes payable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. None of our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement-equivalent units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in the trust account. If we are unable to obtain these loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

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

 

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense and/or accept less favorable terms. Furthermore, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

 

In addition, after completion of any initial business combination, our directors and officers could be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to such initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

 

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

 

Although we may complete a business combination with an operating company in the Consumer industry in the United States (which may include a company based in the United States with operations or opportunities outside the United States), we may also pursue acquisition opportunities in other industries, except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

Past performance by members of our management team may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us or in the future performance of any business that we may acquire.

 

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

 

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

 

Although we have initially focused on identifying companies that would leverage our management team’s experience in acquiring and operating businesses, including in the Consumer industry, we will consider an initial business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if an initial business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company or we are unable to identify a suitable candidate in one of these industries after having expanded a reasonable amount of time and effort in an attempt to do so. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our securities will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in our initial public offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in an initial business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained elsewhere in this report and our final prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

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Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.

 

Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of stockholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain stockholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue, cash flow or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel, as well as risks related to any financial projections we may provide to the public, any changes in these projections or the failure to meet such projections. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business or businesses, along with our management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders.

 

Subject to the requirements in Nasdaq rules and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable) at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for such initial business combination, we have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business or businesses. Investors will be relying on management’s ability to identify business combinations, evaluate their merits, conduct or monitor diligence and conduct negotiations. Management’s flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business or businesses, along with management’s financial interest in consummating our initial business combination, may lead management to enter into an acquisition agreement that is not in the best interest of our stockholders, which would be the case if the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock after giving effect to such business combination was less than the per-share trust liquidation value that our stockholders would have received if we had dissolved without consummating our initial business combination.

 

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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from an independent accounting firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

 

Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our stockholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.

 

Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

The investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments requires substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their departure could adversely affect our ability to operate.

 

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

 

We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete an initial business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.

 

We may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:

 

default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

 

acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

 

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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;

 

our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;

 

our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;

 

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures and acquisitions, and fund other general corporate purposes;

 

limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;

 

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

 

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

 

other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.

 

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units received by us, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of services and limited operating activities. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operating results and profitability.

 

We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry.

 

Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

 

solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or

 

dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

 

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.

 

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We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.

 

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. We do not, however, intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we do not adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

 

We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

 

In pursuing our initial business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in an initial business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all, or that fails to meet the projections upon which our valuation may be based.

 

We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.

 

We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.

 

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.

 

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We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete an initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of deferred underwriting commissions (such that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our stockholders may not support.

 

In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and modified governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-initial business combination activity requires the approval of holders of 65% of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement requires a vote of holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants; provided that, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment requires only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding private warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any securities offered through the registration statement for our initial public offering, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

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

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any of its provisions related to pre-initial business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of private placement units into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein and including to permit us to withdraw funds from the trust account such that the per share amount investors will receive upon any redemption or liquidation is substantially reduced or eliminated) may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from the trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock entitled to vote thereon. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may be amended by holders of a majority of our outstanding common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the DGCL or applicable stock exchange rules. We may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our initial stockholders, who collectively beneficially own, on an as converted basis, approximately 20.0% of our common stock (not including the shares of Class A common stock included in the private placement units), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-initial business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete an initial business combination with which you do not agree. Our stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

 

Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. These agreements are contained in a letter agreement that we have entered into with our sponsor, officers and directors. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers or directors for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

 

Certain agreements related to our initial public offering may be amended without stockholder approval.

 

Certain agreements, including the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers, directors and initial stockholders, and the registration rights agreement entered into in connection with our initial public offering, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions, including transfer restrictions on our founder shares, that our public stockholders might deem to be material. It may be possible that our board of directors, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to any such agreement in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Any such amendments would not require approval from our stockholders, may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible, and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.

 

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We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

 

We intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements of the private placement units. As a result, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, the amount of additional financing we may be required to obtain could increase as a result of future growth capital needs for any particular transaction, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to repurchase for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination and/or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, as described in the risk factor entitled “If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share,” under certain circumstances our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share upon the liquidation of the trust account.

 

Our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.

 

Our initial stockholders collectively beneficially own, on an as converted basis, approximately 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (not including the shares of Class A common stock included in the private placement units). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of major corporate transactions. If our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by certain of our initial stockholders, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the initial business combination. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of our board of directors will be considered for election and our initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

 

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

 

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

 

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Our public warrants, founder shares and private placement units (including the securities contained therein) may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

 

We issued an aggregate of (i) 7,880,925 public warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, as part of the units sold in our initial public offering, and (ii) 297,618 private warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, and 595,237 private shares as part of the private placement units sold in the private placements. Our initial stockholders currently own an aggregate of 3,940,462 founder shares. The founder shares are convertible into shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as set forth herein. In addition, if our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors make any working capital loans to us, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into units, at the price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. Such units would be identical to the private placement units. To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate an initial business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants and conversion rights could make us a less attractive business combination vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the shares of Class A common stock issued to complete the initial business combination. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate an initial business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.

 

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

 

Unlike most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial stockholders or their affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the completion of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (iii) the volume-weighted average trading price of our Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we complete our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.

 

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on an initial business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, 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 target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;

 

complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

 

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

 

tariffs and trade barriers;

 

regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

 

longer payment cycles and challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

 

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

 

currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

 

rates of inflation;

 

cultural and language differences;

 

employment regulations;

 

data privacy;

 

changes in industry, regulatory or environmental standards within the jurisdictions where we operate;

 

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public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of pandemic disease such as the COVID-19 pandemic;

 

crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars, such as the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia;

 

deterioration of political relations with the United States; and

 

government appropriations of assets.

 

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

 

We may face risks related to businesses in the Consumer industry.

 

Business combinations with businesses in the Consumer industry entail special considerations and risks. If we are successful in completing a business combination with such a target business, we may be subject to, and possibly adversely affected by, the following risks:

 

an inability to compete effectively in a highly competitive environment with many incumbents having substantially greater resources;

 

an inability to manage rapid change, increasing customer or subscriber expectations and growth;

 

an inability to build strong brand identity and improve customer or subscriber satisfaction and loyalty;

 

limitations on a target business’ ability to protect its intellectual property rights, including its trade secrets, that could cause a loss in revenue and any competitive advantage;

 

a reliance on proprietary technology to provide services and to manage our operations, and the failure of this technology to operate effectively, or our failure to use such technology effectively;

 

the high cost or unavailability of materials, equipment, supplies and personnel that could adversely affect our ability to execute our operations on a timely basis;

 

an inability to attract and retain customers or subscribers;

 

an inability to license or enforce intellectual property rights on which our business may depend;

 

any significant disruption in our computer systems or those of third-parties that we would utilize in our operations;

 

seasonality and weather conditions that may cause our operating results to vary from quarter to quarter;

 

an inability by us to successfully anticipate changing consumer preferences and buying trends and manage our product line and inventory commensurate with customer demand;

 

an inability by us, or a refusal by third parties, to license content to us upon acceptable terms;

 

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potential liability for negligence, copyright, or trademark infringement or other claims based on the nature and content of materials that we may distribute or services we perform;

 

dependence of our operations upon third-party suppliers or service providers whose failure to perform adequately could disrupt our business;

 

our operating results may be adversely affected by changes in the cost or availability of raw materials and energy;

 

we may be subject to production-related risks which could jeopardize our ability to realize anticipated sales and profits;

 

changes in the retail industry and markets for consumer products affecting our customers or retailing practices could negatively impact customer relationships and our results of operations;

 

our business could involve the potential for product recalls, product liability and other claims against us, which could affect our earnings and financial condition;

 

competition for advertising revenue;

 

competition for the leisure and entertainment time and discretionary spending of subscribers or customers, which may intensify in part due to advances in technology and changes in consumer expectations and behavior;

 

disruption or failure of our networks, systems or technology as a result of computer viruses, “cyber attacks,” misappropriation of data or other malfeasance, as well as outages, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, accidental releases of information or similar events;

 

an inability to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support; and

 

our inability to comply with governmental regulations or obtain governmental approval of our products.

 

Any of the foregoing could have an adverse impact on our operations following a business combination. However, our efforts in identifying prospective target businesses are not limited to the Consumer industry. Accordingly, if we acquire a target business in another industry, these risks we will be subject to risks attendant with the specific industry in which we operate or target business which we acquire, which may or may not be different than those risks listed above.

 

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

 

Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface all material issues that may be present inside a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities.

 

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Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination.

 

We may structure an initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of Class A common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares of common stock, our stockholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares of common stock subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority stockholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger share of the company’s stock than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain our control of the target business. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

 

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

 

When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

 

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we employ after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. In addition, the officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of an initial business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an initial business combination candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an initial business combination candidate’s management team will remain associated with the initial business combination candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an initial business combination candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.

 

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Risks Relating to Conflicts of Interest of our Officers, Directors and Others

 

Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

 

Our key personnel may be able to remain with the company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the initial business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the initial business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. However, we believe the ability of such individuals to remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. There is no certainty, however, that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with us. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with us will be made at the time of our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for an initial business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors may also serve as officers or board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.

 

Certain of our officers and directors are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time and determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

 

Following the completion of our initial public offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we have engaged and will continue to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business.

 

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

 

Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our 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.

 

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Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.

 

We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into an initial business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. We do not have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us, including the formation or participation in one or more other blank check companies. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.

 

We may engage in an initial business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

 

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers, directors and initial stockholders with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or initial stockholders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. Our sponsor and our directors and officers may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Although we are not specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for an initial business combination and such transaction was approved by a majority of our disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of an initial business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the initial business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

 

We may engage one or more of the underwriters of our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, 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. Such underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust account only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.

 

We may engage one or more of the underwriters of our initial public offering or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation. Such underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. Such 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.

 

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Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

On July 7, 2020, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor and our independent directors for an aggregate price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor forfeited 1,437,500 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding. Our sponsor subsequently transferred to certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of their employees an aggregate of 240,001 founder shares at the original purchase price. On August 25, 2021, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, an aggregate of 372,038 founder shares were forfeited to us at no cost, and 3,940,462 founder shares remain outstanding. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent approximately 20% of the outstanding shares after our initial public offering (not including the shares of Class A common stock underlying the private placement units). The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees purchased an aggregate of 595,237 private placement units for a purchase price of $5,952,370, or $10.00 per unit, that will also be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed initial business combination and (B) not to redeem any founder shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, affiliates of our sponsor or an officer or director, and we may reimburse our sponsor, officers, directors and any of their respective affiliates fees and expenses in connection with identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination.

 

Since our anchor investors will acquire founder shares from our sponsor upon consummation of the initial business combination, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.

 

Our anchor investors have an indirect interest in founder shares controlled by our sponsor, which are expected to be distributed to our anchor investors after the completion of an initial business combination. Provided that we successfully complete a business combination, these anchor investors will share in any appreciation of the founder shares and, accordingly, our anchor investors’ interests in the founder shares may provide them with an incentive to vote any public shares they own in favor of a business combination, and make a substantial profit on such interests, even if the business combination is with a target that ultimately declines in value and is not profitable for other public stockholders.

 

Our initial stockholders initially paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.004 per share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders.

 

As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our initial stockholders could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public stockholders. Thus, such parties may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if our initial stockholders had initially paid the full offering price for the founder shares.

 

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The nominal purchase price paid by our initial stockholders for the founder shares may significantly dilute the implied value of the public shares in the event we consummate an initial business combination, and our initial stockholders are likely to make a substantial profit on their investment in us in the event we consummate an initial business combination, even if the business combination causes the trading price of our Class A common stock to materially decline.

 

Our initial stockholders invested an aggregate of $5,977,370 in our company in connection with our initial public offering, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $5,952,370 purchase price for the private placement units. The amount held in the trust account was $157,618,500 as of December 31, 2021, implying a value of approximately $10.00 per public share. The value of the public shares may be significantly diluted as a result of the automatic conversion of the founder shares into shares of Class A common stock upon our completion of an initial business combination.

 

The following table shows the public stockholders’ and our initial stockholders’ investment per share and how these compare to the implied value of one share of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination. The following table (i) assumes that (a) our valuation is $157,618,500 (which is the amount held in the trust account as of December 31, 2021), (b) no additional interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, (c) no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination and (d) all founder shares are held by our initial stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination, and (ii) does not take into account other potential impacts on our valuation at the time of our initial business combination such as (a) the value of the public warrants and private warrants, (b) the trading price of our shares of Class A common stock, (c) business combination transaction costs (including payment of $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting commissions), (d) any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s sellers, (e) any equity issued to other third party investors or (f) the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects.

 

Public shares   15,761,850 shares 
Founder shares   3,940,462 shares 
Private shares   595,237 shares 
Total shares   20,297,549 shares 
Total funds in trust(1)  $157,618,500 
Public stockholders’ investment per public share(2)  $10.00 
Initial stockholders’ investment per founder share(3)(4)  $0.006 
Implied value per share of Class A common stock upon completion of the initial business combination  $7.77 

 

 

(1)

Amount held in the trust account as of December 31, 2021.

 

(2)

While the public stockholders’ investment is in both the public shares and the public warrants, for purposes of this table the full investment amount is ascribed to the public shares only.

 

(3)

Investment per founder share reflects the forfeiture by our initial stockholders of 1,809,538 founder shares in the aggregate prior to our initial public offering and in connection with the partial forfeiture of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

(4) Our initial stockholders’ total investment in the equity of our company, inclusive of the founder shares and the $5,952,370 investment in the private placement units, is $5,977,370.

 

Note that redemptions of public shares in connection with our initial business combination would further reduce the implied value of our Class A common stock. For instance, in the example above, if 50% of the public shares were redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, the implied value per share would be approximately $6.35.

 

While the implied value of our public shares may be diluted, the implied value of $7.77 per share in the example above would represent a significant implied profit for our initial stockholders relative to the initial purchase price of the founder shares. At $7.77 per share, the 3,940,462 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of approximately $30,617,390. As a result, even if the trading price of our Class A common stock significantly declines (whether because of a substantial amount of redemptions of our public shares or for any other reason), our initial stockholders will stand to make significant profit on their investment in us. In addition, our initial stockholders could potentially recoup their entire investment in us even if the trading price of our Class A common stock were as low as $1.52 per share and even if the private warrants are worthless. As a result, our initial stockholders are likely to make a substantial profit on their investment in us even if we select and consummate an initial business combination that causes the trading price of our Class A common stock to decline, while our public stockholders who purchased their units in our initial public offering could lose significant value in their public shares. Our initial stockholders may therefore be economically incentivized to consummate an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or less-established target business than would be the case if our initial stockholders had paid the same per share price for the founder shares as our public stockholders paid for their public shares.

 

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This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek redemptions from the trust account. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.

 

Risks Relating to Our Securities

 

Concentration of ownership among our sponsor and the anchor investors may prevent other investors from influencing significant corporate decisions or adversely affect the trading price of our securities.

 

Our anchor investors purchased an aggregate of 13,365,000 units in our initial public offering, or approximately 84.8% of the aggregate 15,761,850 units sold. As a result, immediately following the consummation of our initial public offering, our sponsor and the anchor investors collectively beneficially owned approximately 86.1% of our outstanding shares of common stock. There can be no assurance as to the amount of units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. So long as the anchor investors hold a substantial portion of the public shares included in the units purchased, our sponsor and the anchor investors would collectively have substantial control over us and be able to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval (although we have no knowledge of any affiliation or other agreement or arrangement, as to voting of our securities or otherwise, among any such persons). For example, in the event that the anchor investors continue to hold such public shares included in the units and vote such shares in favor of our initial business combination (although they are not contractually obligated to, their interest in certain of our founder shares may provide an incentive for them to do so), we would not need any additional public shares sold in our initial public offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination to have our initial business combination approved. This potential concentration of influence could be disadvantageous to other stockholders with interests different from those of our sponsor, underwriters and the anchor investors. In addition, this potential significant concentration of share ownership may adversely affect the trading price of securities because investors often perceive disadvantages in owning shares in companies with principal stockholders and might make it more difficult to complete a business combination with targets that would prefer to enter into a transaction with a SPAC with less concentrated ownership.

 

If the anchor investors continue to hold a substantial portion of the units sold in our initial public offering, the available public float for our securities may be limited, which could affect the trading volume, liquidity and volatility of our securities, and could result in our inability to satisfy Nasdaq continued listing requirements.

 

Our anchor investors purchased an aggregate of 13,365,000 units in our initial public offering, or approximately 84.8% of the aggregate 15,761,850 units sold. There can be no assurance as to the amount of units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. So long as the anchor investors continue to hold a substantial portion of the units sold in our initial public offering, the available public float for our securities may be limited. Any such limitation in our available public float may consequently reduce the trading volume and liquidity, and increase the volatility, of our securities relative to what they would have been had such units been purchased by other public investors. Further, the anchor investors are not required to hold any units, public shares or warrants, whether purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter, for any amount of time. Accordingly, the anchor investors may sell any, or up to all, of the units, public shares or public warrants they purchased in our initial public offering or thereafter at any time. The sale of material amounts of our units, public shares or warrants, or the perception that such sales may occur, could reduce the market prices of those securities and may encourage short sales. In addition, in order to continue to satisfy Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, among other requirements, we must have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our securities. To the extent our public float is limited due to the anchor investors’ holdings, we may be more likely than other companies to fall below the required public holder threshold in the future, which could ultimately result in Nasdaq delisting our securities from trading on its exchange.

 

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your stock.

 

If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. This risk may be increasingly prevalent given recent high levels of redemptions among other SPACs completing their initial business combinations. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your stock in the open market; however, at such time our stock may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your stock in the open market.

 

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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we must complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic persists both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia and resulting sanctions may also have similar effects, and the impact of such effects on us will depend on future developments that cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and resulting sanctions, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

 

If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public stockholders may only receive $10.00 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public stockholders may receive less than $10.00 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share” and other risk factors herein.

 

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

 

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination by August 17, 2023, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

 

A market for our securities may not fully develop or be sustained, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

 

The price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and resulting sanctions, and other events (such as terrorist attacks, geopolitical unrest, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). An active trading market for our securities may not fully develop or be sustained. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from Nasdaq for any reason, and are quoted on the OTC Pink Sheets, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities not listed on a national exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were listed on Nasdaq or another national exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be fully developed and sustained.

 

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Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

 

Our securities are currently listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange. We cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum amount in stockholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $5.0 million and we would be required to have a minimum of 300 round lot holders of our Class A common stock. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

 

If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

 

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

a determination that our Class A common stock is a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;

 

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

 

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because our units, Class A common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A common stock and warrants are covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities, including in connection with our initial business combination.

 

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

 

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in our initial public offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

 

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If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders may be less than $10.00 per share.

 

Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we have sought and will continue to seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Making such a request of potential target businesses may make our acquisition proposal less attractive to them and, to the extent prospective target businesses refuse to execute such a waiver, it may limit the field of potential target businesses that we might pursue.

 

Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent registered public accounting firm) 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. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders.

 

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

 

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We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.

 

We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and not to seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and we and our board may be exposed to claims of punitive damages.

 

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

If we have not completed an initial business combination by August 17, 2023, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond August 17, 2023 before redemption from the trust account.

 

If we have not completed an initial business combination by August 17, 2023, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of the interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond August 17, 2023 before the redemption proceeds of the trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from the trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we complete our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have properly sought to redeem their Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial business combination within the required time period and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior thereto.

 

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

 

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of the 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 by August 17, 2023 may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following August 17, 2023 in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

 

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of the 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 by August 17, 2023 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.

 

We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our stockholders to elect directors.

 

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. Under Section 211(b) of the DGCL, we are, however, required to hold an annual meeting of stockholders for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with our bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, and thus we may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, they may attempt to force us to hold one by submitting an application to the Delaware Court of Chancery in accordance with Section 211(c) of the DGCL.

 

Holders of Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on any election of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.

 

Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.

 

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We have not registered the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants except on a cashless basis. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless.

 

We have not registered the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis in which case the number of shares of our Class A common stock that you will receive upon cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum number of shares equal to 0.361 shares of our Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment). However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and there is no exemption available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue-sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in our initial public offering. However, there may be instances in which holders of our public warrants may be unable to exercise such public warrants but holders of our private warrants may be able to exercise such private warrants.

 

Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer shares of Class A common stock upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.

 

If we call the warrants for redemption, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis under certain circumstances. If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of shares of Class A common stock received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash. For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the shares of Class A common stock have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 shares of Class A common stock. The holder would have received 875 shares of Class A common stock if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of Class A common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.

 

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The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.

 

In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the shares of Class A common stock. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use its commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within 15 business days of the closing of an initial business combination.

 

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on August 12, 2021, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the founder shares, the private placement units, the private shares, the private warrants, the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants held, or to be held, by them and holders of units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such units, the private shares and private warrants included in such units and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private warrants included in such units. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the stockholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders or holders of working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

 

We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 100,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of March 31, 2022, there were 75,464,370 and 6,059,538 authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of Class B common stock. As of March 31, 2022, there were no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding. Shares of Class B common stock are convertible into shares of our Class A common stock initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A common stock or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Shares of Class B common stock are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.

 

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we may not issue securities that can vote with common stockholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue shares of Class A common stock to redeem the warrants as described in our final prospectus or upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with the approval of our stockholders. However, our 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 (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their shares of common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

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The issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock or shares of preferred stock:

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of our current security holders;

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

 

Our warrants were issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in our final prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, (ii) to make any amendments that are necessary in the good faith determination of our board of directors (taking into account then existing market precedents) to allow for the warrants to be classified as equity in our financial statements or (iii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants; provided that, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private warrants that does not adversely affect any of the terms of the public warrants, such amendment will require only the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding private warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or stock, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

 

Our warrants are accounted for as derivative liabilities and were recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

 

We issued an aggregate of (i) 7,880,925 public warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, as part of the units sold in our initial public offering, and (ii) 297,618 private warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, as part of the private placement units sold in the private placements. We accounted for both the public warrants and the private warrants as derivative liabilities. At each reporting period (1) the accounting treatment of the warrants will be re-evaluated for proper accounting treatment as a liability or equity and (2) the fair value of the liability of the public warrants and the private warrants will be remeasured and the change in the fair value of the liability will be recognized in our statement of operations. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification. The impact of changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as derivative liabilities, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

 

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Our warrant agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

 

Our warrant agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

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

 

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

 

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification. We will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify such shares of common stock under the blue sky laws of the state of residence in those states in which the warrants were offered by us in our initial public offering. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

 

In addition, we have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants once they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant if, among other things, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) on the trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders. In such a case, the holders will be able to exercise their warrants for cash or on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares of Class A common stock determined by reference to the table set forth in our final prospectus based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A common stock, except as otherwise described in our final prospectus. The value received upon exercise of the warrants (i) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (ii) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares of Class A common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.

 

None of the private warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, except under limited circumstances described in our final prospectus.

 

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

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of our board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel, which may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel except any action (A) as to which the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following such determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction, or (D) any action arising under the Securities Act, as to which the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. This choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such claims, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the exclusive forum provision will be applicable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the exclusive forum provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.

 

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General Risk Factors

 

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

 

We are a blank check company with no operating results to date. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

 

We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. If we are unable to develop and maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results. 

 

In connection with the preparation of our financial statements as of September 30, 2021, management determined that at the closing of our initial public offering we had improperly valued our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption. After consultation with our independent registered public accounting firm, our management and our audit committee concluded that it was appropriate to restate our previously issued audited balance sheet as of August 17, 2021. As part of such process, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. 

 

A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented, or detected and corrected on a timely basis. 

 

Effective internal controls are necessary for us to provide reliable financial reports and prevent fraud. We continue to evaluate steps to remediate the identified material weakness. These remediation measures may be time consuming and costly and there is no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects. 

 

If we identify any new material weaknesses in the future, any such newly identified material weakness could limit our ability to prevent or detect a misstatement of our accounts or disclosures that could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements. In such case, we may be unable to maintain compliance with securities law requirements regarding timely filing of periodic reports in addition to applicable stock exchange listing requirements, investors may lose confidence in our financial reporting and our stock price may decline as a result. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, or any measures we may take in the future, will be sufficient to avoid potential future material weaknesses. 

 

We, and following our initial business combination, the post-business combination company, may face litigation and other risks as a result of the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. 

 

As part of the restatement of our previously issued audited balance sheet as of August 17, 2021, we identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. As a result of such material weakness, the restatement, the change in accounting for shares of our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption and other matters raised or that may in the future be raised by the SEC, we face potential for litigation or other disputes which may include, among others, claims invoking the federal and state securities laws, contractual claims or other claims arising from the restatement and material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and the preparation of our financial statements. As of the date of this report, we have no knowledge of any such litigation or dispute. However, we can provide no assurance that such litigation or dispute will not arise in the future. Any such litigation or dispute, whether successful or not, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or our ability to complete a business combination.

 

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

 

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate worldwide market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

 

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

 

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

 

Our security holders are not entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.

 

Because we had net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of our initial public offering and the private placements and filed a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, our security holders are not afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units were immediately tradable and we have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, offerings subject to Rule 419 would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination.

 

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Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

 

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. In addition, the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and the impact of sanctions against Russia and the potential for retaliatory acts from Russia, could result in increased cyber-attacks against U.S. companies. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents or attacks. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

 

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

 

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

 

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

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

 

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

 

registration as an investment company;

 

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

 

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

 

We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. An investment in our securities is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination by August 17, 2023 or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination by August 17, 2023, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete an initial business combination or may result in our liquidation. If we do not complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of the trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.

 

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. 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, would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target company with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.

 

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

 

Not applicable.

 

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Item 2. Properties

 

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 11450 SE Dixie Hwy, Suite 105, Hobe Sound, FL 33455. The cost for this space is included in the $15,000 per-month aggregate fee an affiliate of our sponsor began charging us for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support, commencing on August 12, 2021 pursuant to a letter agreement between us and such affiliate of our sponsor. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

 

There is no material litigation, arbitration, governmental proceeding or any other legal proceeding currently pending or known to be contemplated against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.

 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART II

 

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

 

Market Information

 

Our equity securities trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Our units began trading on August 13, 2021 on Nasdaq under the symbol “JAQCU.” Each unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. Commencing on October 1, 2021, the Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units began separate trading on Nasdaq under the symbols “JAQC” and “JAQCW,” respectively. Those units not separated continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol “JAQCU.”

 

Holders of Record

 

On March 31, 2022, there were 16 holders of record of our units, one holder of record of our Class A common stock, 22 holders of record of our Class B common stock and one holder of record of our warrants. Such numbers do not include beneficial owners holding our securities through nominee names.

 

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 an 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 conditions subsequent to completion of an initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to an initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

 

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

 

On July 7, 2020, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor and our independent directors for an aggregate price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor forfeited 1,437,500 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding. Our sponsor subsequently transferred to certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of their employees an aggregate of 240,001 founder shares at the original purchase price. On August 25, 2021, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, an aggregate of 372,038 founder shares were forfeited to us at no cost, and 3,940,462 founder shares remain outstanding. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to any such issuances. The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.

 

Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 580,000 private placement units to our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,800,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 15,237 additional private placement units to such purchasers at $10.00 per additional private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $152,370. The issuances were made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to the private placements.

 

The private placement units are identical to the units sold in our initial public offering, except that if held by the initial purchasers or any of their permitted transferees, the underlying warrants (i) may be exercised on a cashless basis, (ii) are not subject to redemption, except as described in our final prospectus, and (iii) with respect to private placement units held by the underwriters or their employees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of our initial public offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). If the private placement units are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, then the warrants included in the private placement units will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units. In addition, the private placement units (and the securities underlying the private placement units) will be subject to transfer restrictions until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, subject to certain limited exceptions, and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights.

 

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Use of Proceeds from our Initial Public Offering

 

On August 17, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 15,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit, generating total gross proceeds of $150,000,000. Each unit consisted of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The warrants will become exercisable on the later of August 17, 2022 and 30 days after the consummation of our initial business combination, and will expire five years after the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

On August 23, 2021, the underwriters of our initial public offering notified us of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional units at $10.00 per additional unit upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, generating total gross proceeds of $7,618,500.

 

Nomura, Brookline Capital Markets, a division of Arcadia Securities, LLC, and Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. served as joint book-running managers of our initial public offering. The securities sold in our initial public offering were registered under the Securities Act on a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-248411). The SEC declared the registration statement effective on August 12, 2021.

 

Of the aggregate 15,761,850 units sold in our initial public offering, 13,365,000 units were purchased by our anchor investors. In connection with the closing of our initial public offering, the anchor investors each acquired from our sponsor an indirect economic interest in 100,000 founder shares (or an aggregate of 900,000 founder shares) at the original purchase price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares. Our sponsor has agreed to distribute such founder shares to the anchor investors after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

We incurred $9,292,595 in initial public offering related costs, including $3,152,370 of underwriting fees, $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees and $623,577 of other offering costs. After deducting the underwriting fees (excluding the deferred portion of $5,516,648, which amount will be payable upon consummation of our initial business combination, if consummated) and the offering expenses, the total net proceeds from our initial public offering, including the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, and the private placements was $159,794,923, of which $157,618,500 was placed in the trust account. We repaid our sponsor $132,802 in satisfaction of outstanding loans at the closing of our initial public offering. There has been no material change in the planned use of proceeds from our initial public offering as described in our final prospectus.

 

Item 6. [Reserved]

 

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

 

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited financial statements and the notes related 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. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those set forth under “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factor Summary,” “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this report.

 

Overview

 

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation on June 17, 2020, formed 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, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash derived from the proceeds of our initial public offering, including the partial exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, and the private placements of the private placement units, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into), 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 expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to complete our initial business combination will be successful.

 

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Results of Operations 

 

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2021 were organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for our initial public offering, described below, and, subsequent to our initial public offering, identifying a target company for our initial business combination. We do not expect to generate any operating revenues until after the completion of our initial business combination, at the earliest. We generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on marketable securities held in the trust account. We incur 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, an initial business combination.  

 

For the year ended December 31, 2021, we had a net income of $1,017,839 which consists of changes in fair value of warrant liabilities of $2,272,103 and interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account of $32,313, transaction cost associated with our initial public offering of $524,859, and unrealized loss on marketable securities held in the trust account of $3,332, offset by operating and formation cost of $758,385.

 

For the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, we had a net loss of $1,000, which consisted of operating and formation cost of $1,000. 

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources 

 

Until the consummation of our initial public offering, our only source of liquidity was an initial purchase of founder shares by our sponsor and our independent directors and loans from our sponsor.

 

On August 17, 2021, we consummated our initial public offering of 15,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, generating total gross proceeds of $150,000,000. Simultaneously with the closing of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of 580,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit to our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees, generating total gross proceeds of $5,800,000.

 

On August 23, 2021, the underwriters of our initial public offering notified us of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional units at $10.00 per additional unit upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, generating total gross proceeds of $7,618,500. Simultaneously with the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated the private placement of 15,237 additional private placement units at $10.00 per additional private placement unit to our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees, generating total gross proceeds of $152,370.

 

Of the aggregate 15,761,850 units sold in our initial public offering, 13,365,000 units were purchased by our anchor investors. In connection with the closing of our initial public offering, the anchor investors each acquired from our sponsor an indirect economic interest in 100,000 founder shares (or an aggregate of 900,000 founder shares) at the original purchase price that our sponsor paid for the founder shares. Our sponsor has agreed to distribute such founder shares to the anchor investors after the completion of our initial business combination.

 

Following our initial public offering, including the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, and the private placements, a total of $157,618,500 was placed in the trust account. We incurred $9,292,595 in initial public offering related costs, including $3,152,370 of underwriting fees, $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees and $623,577 of other offering costs.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2021, cash used in operating activities was $858,929. Net income of $1,017,839 was affected by interest earned on marketable securities held in the trust account of $32,313, unrealized loss on marketable securities held in the trust account of $3,332, changes in fair value of warrant liabilities of $2,272,103, offering costs charged directly to operations of $19,659 and transaction costs associated with our initial public offering of $524,859. Changes in operating assets and liabilities used $120,202 of cash for operating activities.

 

We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable), to complete our initial business combination. To the extent that our capital stock or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.

 

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As of December 31, 2021, we had cash of $1,351,816 held outside the trust account. 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 our initial business combination, and to pay for directors and officers liability insurance premiums.

 

In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor, or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the 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 private placement units.

 

Nomura, an underwriter of our initial public offering, has indicated its intent, if so requested by us, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to underwrite, arrange and/or syndicate up to $400 million of additional financing for us in the form of equity or debt (or a combination thereof) in connection with our initial business combination, subject to market conditions and on terms and conditions satisfactory in all respects to Nomura in its sole judgment and determination.

 

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 an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to complete our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. In addition, we intend to target businesses larger than we could acquire with the net proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placements, and may as a result be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we do not complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements 

 

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of December 31, 2021.

 

Contractual Obligations 

 

We do not have any long-term debt obligations, capital lease obligations, operating lease obligations, purchase obligations or other long-term liabilities, other than an agreement to pay an affiliate of our sponsor a monthly fee of $15,000 for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. We began incurring these fees on August 12, 2021 and will continue to incur these fees monthly until the earlier of the completion of our initial business combination and our liquidation.

 

The underwriters of our initial public offering are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per unit sold in our initial public offering, or $5,516,648 in the aggregate. Subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement, the deferred fee (i) will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the trust account solely in the event that we complete our initial business combination and (ii) will be waived by the underwriters in the event that we do not complete our initial business combination.

 

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, and income and expenses during the periods reported. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates. We have identified the following critical accounting policies: 

 

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Warrant Liabilities 

 

We account for the warrants issued in connection with our initial public offering in accordance with the guidance contained in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 815-40 under which the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, we classify the warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjust the warrants to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in our statements of operations. 

 

Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption 

 

We account for our Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares of Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within our control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. Our Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of our control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ equity section of our balance sheets. 

 

Net Income (Loss) Per Common Share 

 

Net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period. We apply the two-class method in calculating net income per common share. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from net income (loss) per common share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception, and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. We adopted ASU 2020-06 effective as of January 15, 2021. The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have an impact on our financial statements.

 

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

 

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

 

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

 

Our financial statements and notes thereto begin on page F-1 of this report and are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

 

None.

 

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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer or persons performing similar functions, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

 

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of December 31, 2021. Based on this evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer has concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective, due solely to the material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to our accounting for complex financial instruments, as described in Note 2 of the notes to the financial statements included in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on November 15, 2021. As a result, we performed additional analyses as deemed necessary to ensure that our financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP. Accordingly, management believes that the financial statements included in this report present fairly in all material respects our financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the period presented.

 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

Except as set forth below, there were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

While we have processes to identify and appropriately apply applicable accounting requirements, in light of the material weakness identified and the resulting restatement, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer performed additional accounting and financial analyses related to the accounting for our complex financial instruments, including consulting with subject matter experts. Management has implemented remediation steps to improve our internal control over financial reporting. Specifically, we have expanded and improved our review process for complex securities and related accounting standards. We plan to further improve this process by enhancing access to accounting literature and utilization of third-party professionals with relevant expertise to consult regarding complex accounting applications. The elements of our remediation plan can only be accomplished over time, and we can offer no assurance that these initiatives will ultimately have the intended effects.

 

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

This report 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.

 

Item 9B. Other Information

 

None.

 

Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections

 

Not applicable.

 

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PART III

 

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

 

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows:

 

Name

  Age   Position
James N. Hauslein   62   Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
James N. Clark   49   Vice Chairman
Gaurav Burman   50   President and Director
James Thayer   44   Chief Operating Officer
Jonathan Leong   45   Executive Vice President of Strategy and M&A
Robert A. Knox   70   Director
George L. Pita   60   Director
John D. White, Jr.   63   Director

 

James N. Hauslein has served as our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer since our inception. Mr. Hauslein has served as the President and Managing Director of Hauslein & Company, Inc., a private investment firm, since 1991. In February 2015, Mr. Hauslein led the recapitalization/acquisition of Big Time Products LLC (“Big Time”), a leading supplier of workplace hand protection and related products into consumer DYI/Pro retail stores, with Big Time’s co-founders and three institutional investors. Mr. Hauslein served as Big Time’s Executive Chairman from February 2015 to September 2018 and Chief Executive Officer from November 2017 to September 2018. Under Mr. Hauslein’s leadership, Big Time completed its first add-on acquisition in August 2015 and its second add-on acquisition in May 2016. In October 2018, Big Time was sold to the Hillman Group (a portfolio company of CCMP). In 1991, Mr. Hauslein led the buyout of Sunglass Hut International, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: RAYS) (“Sunglass Hut”). Mr. Hauslein served as Chairman of Sunglass Hut from 1991 to 2001 and served as Chief Executive Officer from May 1997 to January 1998 and January 2001 to April 2001. During Mr. Hauslein’s involvement with Sunglass Hut, the company increased its revenue through organic growth and acquisitions from approximately $37 million in 1987 to approximately $680 million in fiscal 2000 prior to its sale to Luxottica Group SpA (Milan and formerly NYSE: LUX). While at Sunglass Hut, Mr. Hauslein presided over numerous add-on acquisitions in the United States and Australia as well as organic growth in North America, the Caribbean, and Europe and a joint venture in Singapore. At the time of Luxottica Group’s acquisition, Sunglass Hut operated approximately 2,000 company-owned Sunglass Hut, Watch Station, Watch World, and combination stores in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Hauslein was the primary sponsor and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Acquisition Holdings Corp., a $200 million SPAC that completed its initial public offering in 2008. Mr. Hauslein has also served on the board of directors of Freedom Acquisition Holdings (formerly AMEX: FRH), a $528 million general purpose blank check company that initially completed a business combination with GLG Partners, Inc. (formerly NYSE: GLG) (“GLG Partners”) in a transaction valued at approximately $3.4 billion, GLG Partners, a $25 billion in asset alternative asset manager sold to the Mann Group in October 2010, Liberty Acquisition Holdings Corp. (formerly NYSE AMEX: LIA), a $1 billion SPAC that merged with Grupo Prisa in an $8 billion merger completed in November 2010, Elephant Capital LLC, a publicly traded private equity investment firm headquartered in Delhi, India, and Easterly Acquisition Corporation, a $200 million SPAC. Mr. Hauslein is currently a member of the board of directors of the Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association and the American Swiss Foundation, and was formerly a Trustee of the Pine School and a director of The Jamestown Foundation. Mr. Hauslein is also a director of Brookline Capital Acquisition Corp., a $57.5 million SPAC focused on the life sciences industry that competed its initial public offering in February 2021. Mr. Hauslein received a Master of Business Administration from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management in 1984 and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University in 1981. He was previously a member of each of the Advisory Council of Cornell’s Entrepreneurship and Personal Enterprise program, The Johnson Graduate School of Management, the Athletics Advisory Council and the Engineering College Advisory Council.

 

James N. Clarke has served as our Vice Chairman since August 2021. He has over 25 years of entrepreneurship, operating and investing experience and is the CEO of Clarke Capital, a private investment firm he founded in 2011. Mr. Clarke founded CLEARLINK in 2001, which became a pioneer in online retail as a channel partner for brands like AT&T, Comcast, DirectTV and ADT. Mr. Clarke sold CLEARLINK in 2011 to Pamlico Capital, and today it is a Sykes (NASDAQ:SYKE) portfolio company. In 2011, Mr. Clarke was an early lead investor in PetIQ serving as Chairman of the Board until May 2016 and as Board Member and Chair of the Nomination and Governance Committee until December 31, 2020, when he completed his Board Service. Under Mr. Clarke’s leadership, PetIQ grew to revenues of $709.4 million in 2019 and the company’s market capitalization has grown to $1 billion as of February 2021. Mr. Clarke is also the Chairman of Brandless and Governor appointed Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees at Utah Valley University, Utah’s largest university. Mr. Clarke earned an AA in Business from Brigham Young University Idaho in 1996, completed the Harvard Business School Owner/President Management (OPM) program in 2007 and earned a Master of Science Degree in Major Program Management from the University of Oxford in 2012.

 

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Gaurav Burman has served as our President and one of our directors since August 2021. He has over 25 years of private equity and operational experience, with a considerable focus on the consumer, media, healthcare and financial services industries. Mr. Burman is a fifth-generation member of the family that founded Dabur India Ltd. (“Dabur”) 130 years ago. Dabur is one of the largest branded consumer goods companies in India with approximately US$2 billion in revenue and over US$12 billion in market capitalization. The Burman family continues to own approximately 70% of Dabur. Mr. Burman sits on the Board of Dabur International Ltd., the holding company for Dabur’s international business activities, and manages Burman Family Holdings, a private investment firm, which has invested over $500 million in the last 20 years and includes joint ventures with leading Fortune 100 companies globally such as Aviva Life Insurance, Experian and Yum Brands. Mr. Burman was President of Atlas Acquisition Holdings Corp., a $200 million SPAC that completed its initial public offering in 2008, and founded Elephant Capital in 2006, a US$100 million AIM, London Stock Exchange listed fund focused on investing in growth companies in India. Mr. Burman was a member of Dresdner’s Global Private Equity Group in London and New York from 1997 to 2006 and began his career in the Business Development Group of Dabur from 1993 to 1997. Mr. Burman is a board member of DMI Finance Pvt. Ltd., Experian India, Healthcare at Home India, Burman Hospitality and M3 India, serves on the International Board of Tufts University, the Board of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, and the Advisory Board of Sesame Street India, and is also a member of the Young Presidents Organisation. Mr. Burman received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and History from Tufts University in 1993. 

 

James Thayer has served as our Chief Operating Officer since August 2021. He has over 20 years of legal, operating and investing experience and is a Managing Director and Senior Counsel at Clarke Capital since 2017. Mr. Thayer is currently the Board Secretary of Brandless and an Audit and Compensation Committee Member of Curza. In 2015, Mr. Thayer founded Unifylegal, an online marketplace for legal services. From 2011 to 2015, Mr. Thayer was an Executive Director and Senior Counsel at Goldman Sachs in London, and from 2006 to 2011 was an Associate at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in London and Frankfurt. Mr. Thayer earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and Global Trade from Brigham Young University in 2001 and Juris Doctor and Master of International and Comparative Law from Duke University Law School in 2005.

 

Jonathan Leong has served as our Executive Vice President of Strategy and M&A since August 2021. He has 20 years of Investment Banking experience in the Consumer & Retail industries. Mr. Leong was a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Food Investment Banking Group at Nomura from 2017 to 2020. Prior to Nomura, Mr. Leong was a Managing Director in the Consumer Investment Banking Group at Jefferies LLC from 2014 to 2016, and prior to that was a Principal in the Consumer & Retail Investment Banking Group at Bank of America Merrill Lynch (and its predecessor firm, Banc of America Securities LLC) from 2001 to 2014 in New York and London. He received his Bachelor of Arts in French and Business Studies from the University of Sheffield in 2000.

 

Robert A. Knox has served as one of our directors since August 2021. Mr. Knox is the Senior Managing Director of Cornerstone Equity Investors, L.L.C. (“Cornerstone”), a private equity firm which he founded in 1984. The investment principals of Cornerstone have funded over 120 companies through middle market buyouts and expansion financings since 1984, including Dell Computer, Health Management Associates, Linear Technology, Micron Technology, Centurion, Team Health Corporation, Comdata and Sunglass Hut. Cornerstone manages the capital of its founding general partners and does not manage institutional investments. Prior to the formation of Cornerstone, Mr. Knox was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Equity Investors, Inc., the private equity subsidiary of Prudential Financial, where he designed and executed the initial Alternative Asset investment strategy at Prudential. During his investment career, Mr. Knox has served on the boards of more than 25 private and public companies, including as the lead independent director and chair of the compensation committee of Health Management Associates, Inc. (NYSE: HMA) prior to its acquisition by Community Health Systems. Mr. Knox has also been a trustee of Boston University for 20 years, serving as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2008 to 2016. Mr. Knox received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Boston University in 1974, a Master of Business Administration from Boston University in 1975 and an Honorary Degree from Boston University in 2017.

 

George L. Pita has served as one of our directors since August 2021. Mr. Pita currently serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of MasTec, Inc. (NYSE: MTZ), an energy and telecommunications infrastructure construction company. Mr. Pita joined MasTec in February 2013 and during this tenure, annual revenue has grown over 90%, with 2019 revenue of approximately $7.2 billion. Mr. Pita previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Stuart Weitzman Holdings, LLC from 2007 to 2013, where he played a key management role during the $550 million sale of the company to Jones Group (formerly NYSE: JAG) in 2010. From April 2002 to June 2007, Mr. Pita served in various positions at Perry Ellis International (formerly NASDAQ: PERY), a leading apparel company, including as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2004 to 2007. From 1989 to 2002, Mr. Pita served in a variety of financial and operating positions, including Chief Financial Officer, at Sunglass Hut (formerly NASDAQ: RAYS), where he played a key role in the $650 million sale of the company to the Luxottica Group SpA (Milan and formerly NYSE: LUX) in 2001. Mr. Pita began his career in the audit division of Arthur Andersen, LLP, and has been a certified public accountant for over 30 years. He is a member of the advisory board for the Miami Business School of Accounting and serves as a board and audit committee chair of various non-profit entities including Goodwill Industries of South Florida and Easter Seals of South Florida. From January 2008 through February 2010, Mr. Pita served as a special advisor to Atlas Acquisition Holdings Corp. (formerly AMEX: AXG), a $200 million SPAC that completed its initial public offering in 2008. Mr. Pita received a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Miami in 1983.

 

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John D. White, Jr. has served as one of our directors since August 2021. Mr. White is currently Managing Member of Founders Equity, Inc. (“Founders”), and its affiliates, a private equity firm focusing on lower middle market investments. He has over 30 years of investment and operating experience. Since 1994, Mr. White has been a partner at Founders where he has led a number of investments through its investment funds and on a direct basis. At Founders, Mr. White has led the investment activities, has served and currently serves on the boards of a number of Founders’ portfolio companies, and has led all investment activities in healthcare and information tech-enabled services. Mr. White received his MBA from The Wharton School in 1987, Masters in Taxation from Bentley College in 1985 and Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Babson College in 1980. Mr. White currently serves on the Babson Advisory Board.

 

Special Advisors

 

We currently expect our special advisors, to (i) assist us in sourcing and negotiating with potential business combination targets, (ii) provide business insights when we assess potential business combination targets and (iii) upon our request, provide business insights as we work to create additional value in the business or businesses that we acquire. In this regard, our special advisors will fulfil some of the same functions as our board members; however, they will not owe any fiduciary obligations to us nor will they perform board or committee functions or have any voting or decision-making capacity on our behalf. They will also not be required to devote any specific amount of time to our efforts. None of our special advisors have any employment, consulting fee or other similar compensation arrangements with us.

 

James Harrison, one of our special advisors, has over 25 years of experience operating and investing in several Consumer, Technology, Financial and Healthcare businesses, and is a Partner and Managing Director of Clarke Capital. Mr. Harrison is currently a Director of Brandless, PX.com, Curza and Pet Assistant. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Harrison was the CEO of Contour. Mr. Harrison is from the UK and before moving to the United States in 2011 was the founder and CEO of Insurancewide.com, the first insurance comparison website in the UK which he founded in 1999 after the successful exit from Safeonline.com, an online security company he founded in 1997. Mr. Harrison earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Spanish from the University of Bristol in 1994 and completed the Harvard Business School Owner/President Program (OPM) in 2007.

 

Paul Smucker Wagstaff, one of our special advisors, has over 25 years of operating experience as a senior executive in the Food industry. Mr. Wagstaff is a fourth-generation member of the Smucker family that founded the food company, The J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) (“Smucker”). From 1996 to 2015, Mr. Wagstaff held increasingly senior roles at Smucker including Board Member and President of U.S. Retail Consumer Foods, a division with over $2 billion in revenue. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Wagstaff was the CEO of Eagle Foods, which he founded in partnership with Kelso & Company. Eagle Foods was a platform company that successfully carved-out the Eagle brand from Smucker and completed two add-ons acquisitions of Cornfield’s Inc. and Popcorn Indiana. Since 2018, Mr. Wagstaff has been the Co-Founder of Embassy Park, a private investment and advisory firm in the Consumer sector. Mr. Wagstaff is a Board Member of leading Canadian dairy cooperative, Agropur, pet food contract manufacturing business, Alphia, and Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School. Mr. Wagstaff earned a Bachelor of Science in International Relations from the College of Wooster in 1992 and a Master’s of International Business from Pepperdine University in 1994.

 

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

 

Our board of directors consists of five directors and is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of 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 Mr. White, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Knox and Pita, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Messrs. Hauslein and Burman, will expire at the third annual meeting of stockholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on our board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares.

 

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Our officers are appointed by our board of directors and serve at the discretion of our 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 Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, President, Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Secretaries and such other offices as may be determined by our board of directors.

 

Committees of the Board of Directors

 

Our board of directors has three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of our audit committee, compensation committee and nominating and corporate governance committee is composed solely of independent directors.

 

Audit Committee

 

Our audit committee consists of Messrs. Pita (chair), Knox and White, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Each member of the audit committee is financially literate, and our board of directors has determined that Mr. Pita qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules because he meets the requirement for past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting or comparable experience. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) the independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and the independent registered public accounting firm;

 

the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;

 

pre-approving all audit and permitted non-audit services to be provided by the independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;

 

setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent registered public accounting firm, including but not limited to, as required by applicable laws and regulations;

 

setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (i) the independent registered public accounting firm’s internal quality-control procedures, (ii) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues and (iii) all relationships between the independent registered public accounting firm and us to assess the independent registered public accounting firm’s independence;

 

meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent registered public accounting firm, 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 registered public accounting firm, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the FASB, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.

 

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Compensation Committee

 

Our compensation committee consists of Messrs. White (chair), Knox and Pita, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards and applicable SEC rules. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, if any is paid by us, 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 on an annual basis to our board of directors with respect to (or approving, if such authority is so delegated by our board of directors) the compensation, if any is paid by us, and any incentive-compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval, of our other officers;

 

reviewing on an annual basis 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;

 

if required, 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, until the earlier of the consummation of our initial business combination or our liquidation and the payment to an affiliate of our sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support and reimbursement of expenses, and in connection with potentially providing financing or other investments in connection with our initial business combination, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our sponsor, officers, directors or special advisors, 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. 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.

 

Our Compensation Committee Charter also provides that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.

 

Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee

 

Our nominating and corporate governance committee consists of Messrs. Knox (chair), Pita and White, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The nominating and corporate governance committee’s duties, which are specified in our Nominating and Corporate Governance Charter, include, but are not limited to:

 

identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors and recommending to our board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on our board of directors;

 

developing and recommending to our board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;

 

coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of our board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and

 

reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.

 

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The Nominating and Corporate Governance Charter also provides that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.

 

Director Nominations

 

Our nominating and corporate governance committee will recommend to our board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of the stockholders. 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, our 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.

 

Code of Ethics and Committee Charters

 

We have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to all of our directors, officers and employees (if any). We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics, Audit Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter and our Nominating and Corporate Governance Charter as exhibits to our registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-248411), which exhibits are incorporated by reference as exhibits to this report. You may review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of our Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request to us in writing at 11450 SE Dixie Hwy, Suite 105, Hobe Sound, FL 33455 or by telephone at (212) 207-8884. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a current report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 11. Executive Compensation

 

None of our officers has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on August 12, 2021, we are obligated to pay an affiliate of our sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. In no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, 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). 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. We do not have a policy that prohibits our sponsor, officers, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, from negotiating for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by a target business. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, special advisors 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 officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination.

 

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 team’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.

 

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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 March 31, 2022, by:

 

each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding shares of common stock;

 

each of our executive officers and directors; and

 

all our executive officers and directors as a group.

 

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of our warrants, including the private warrants, as such securities are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this report.

 

We have based our calculation of the percentage of beneficial ownership on 20,297,549 shares of common stock outstanding on March 31, 2021, consisting of 16,357,087 shares of Class A common stock and 3,940,462 shares of Class B common stock.

 

   Class A Common Stock   Class B Common Stock   Approximate 
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)  Number of Shares Beneficially Owned   Approximate Percentage of Class   Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2)   Approximate Percentage of Class  

Percentage of

Outstanding

Common Stock

 
Jupiter Founders LLC(3)   432,575    2.6%   3,678,841    93.4%   20.3%
James N. Hauslein(3)   432,575    2.6%   3,678,841    93.4%   20.3%
James N. Clarke                    
Gaurav Burman                    
James Thayer                    
Jonathan Leong                    
Robert A. Knox           21,016    *   *
George L. Pita           21,016    *   *
John D. White, Jr.           21,016    *   *
All directors and executive officers as a group (eight individuals)   432,575    2.6%   3,741,889    95.0%   20.6%
D. E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, L.L.C.(4)   1,485,000    9.1%           7.3%
Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P.(5)   1,398,700    8.6%           6.9%
Atalaya Capital Management LP(6)   1,206,860    7.4%           5.9%
Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.(7)   1,185,000    7.2%           5.8%
Centiva Capital, LP(8)   1,043,904    6.4%           5.1%
Fir Tree Capital Management LP(9)   1,005,398    6.1%           5.0%

CaaS Capital Management LP(10)

   

942,550

    

5.8

%   

    

    

4.6

%

 

 
*Less than one percent.

 

(1)Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the persons and entities is 11450 SE Dixie Hwy, Suite 105, Hobe Sound, FL 33455.

 

(2)Interests shown include 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.

 

(3)Represents shares held by our sponsor directly and indirectly through its subsidiary, Jupiter Founders Subsidiary LLC (the “Sponsor Subsidiary”), as managing member of the Sponsor Subsidiary. Mr. Hauslein is the manager of our sponsor, and as such, has voting and investment discretion with respect the securities beneficially owned by our sponsor and may be deemed to beneficially own all of the reported shares. Mr. Hauslein disclaims beneficial ownership of any securities held by our sponsor or the Sponsor Subsidiary except to the extent of his pecuniary interest therein. Our sponsor also disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities held by the Sponsor Subsidiary except to the extent of its pecuniary interest therein.

 

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(4)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on August 27, 2021, on behalf of D. E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, L.L.C., D. E. Shaw & Co., L.L.C., D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P. and David E. Shaw. The reported shares are held directly by D. E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, L.L.C. By virtue of Mr. Shaw’s position as President and sole shareholder of D. E. Shaw & Co., Inc., which is the general partner of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P., which in turn is the investment adviser of D. E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, L.L.C., and by virtue of Mr. Shaw’s position as President and sole shareholder of D. E. Shaw & Co. II, Inc., which is the managing member of D. E. Shaw & Co., L.L.C., which in turn is the manager of D. E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, L.L.C., Mr. Shaw may be deemed to have the shared power to vote or direct the vote of, and the shared power to dispose or direct the disposition of, the reported shares and, therefore, Mr. Shaw may be deemed to be the beneficial owner of such shares. Mr. Shaw disclaims beneficial ownership of such shares. The business address of this stockholder is 1166 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10036.

 

(5)According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, on behalf of Radcliffe Capital Management, L.P. (“RCM”), RGC Management Company, LLC (“RGC”), Steven B. Katznelson, Christopher Hinkel, Radcliffe SPAC Master Fund, L.P. (“RSMF”) and Radcliffe SPAC GP, LLC (“RSG”). RCM is the relevant entity for which RGC, Mr. Katznelson and Mr. Hinkel may be considered control persons. RSMF is the relevant entity for which RSG, Mr. Katznelson and Mr. Hinkel may be considered control persons. The business address of this stockholder is 50 Monument Road, Suite 300, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.

 

(6)According to a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on December 14, 2021, on behalf of Atalaya Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (“ASPIF II”); ACM ASOF VII (Cayman) Holdco LP (“ASOF”); ACM Alameda Special Purpose Investment Fund II LP (“Alameda”); ACM Alamosa (Cayman) Holdco LP (“Alamosa”); Atalaya Capital Management LP (“ACM”); Corbin ERISA Opportunity Fund, Ltd. (“CEOF”); Corbin Capital Partners GP, LLC (“Corbin GP”); Corbin Capital Partners Group, LLC; and Corbin Capital Partners, L.P. (“CCP”). The shares are directly held by ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda, Alamosa and CEOF (the “Direct Holders”). As ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda and Alamosa’s investment manager, ACM has the power to vote and direct the disposition of all shares held by ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda and Alamosa. As CEOF’s investment manager, CCP has the power to vote and direct the disposition of all shares held by CEOF. CEOF, Corbin GP and CCP disclaim beneficial ownership over the shares held directly by ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda and Alamosa. ASPIF II, ASOF, Alameda, Alamosa and ACM disclaim beneficial ownership over the shares held directly by CEOF. The business address of this stockholder is One Rockefeller Plaza, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10020.

 

(7)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 9, 2022, on behalf of Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. (“Polar”). Polar serves as the investment advisor to Polar Multi-Strategy Master Fund (“PMSMF”) with respect to the reported shares directly held by PMSMF. The business address of this stockholder is 16 York Street, Suite 2900, Toronto, ON, Canada M5J 0E6.

 

(8)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, on behalf of Centiva Capital, LP. The business address of this stockholder is 55 Hudson Yards, Suite 22A, New York, NY 10001.

 

(9)According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on February 14, 2022, on behalf of Fir Tree Capital Management LP. The business address of this stockholder is 55 West 46th Street, 29th Floor New York, NY 10036.
  
(10)

According to a Schedule 13G filed with the SEC on March 21, 2022, on behalf of CaaS Capital Management LP (“CaaS LP”), CaaS Capital Management GP LLC (“CaaS GP”) and Siufu Fu. CaaS GP, as the general partner of CaaS LP, and Siufu Fu, as the Managing Member of CaaS GP, may each be deemed to have beneficially owned the reported shares beneficially owned by CaaS LP. Each such reporting person disclaims beneficial ownership of the reported shares except to the extent of such person’s pecuniary interest therein. The business address of this stockholder is 800 Third Avenue, 26th Floor, New York, NY 10022.

 

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Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

 

On July 7, 2020, we issued an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares to our sponsor and our independent directors for an aggregate price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On July 23, 2021, our sponsor forfeited 1,437,500 founder shares, resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares outstanding. Our sponsor subsequently transferred to certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of their employees an aggregate of 240,001 founder shares at the original purchase price. On August 25, 2021, in connection with the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, an aggregate of 372,038 founder shares were forfeited to us at no cost, and 3,940,462 founder shares remain outstanding. The founder shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment.

 

Subject to certain limited exceptions, our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

Simultaneously with the consummation of our initial public offering, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 580,000 private placement units to our sponsor and certain of the underwriters of our initial public offering and certain of the underwriters’ employees at a price of $10.00 per private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $5,800,000. Simultaneously with the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, we consummated the private placement of an aggregate of 15,237 additional private placement units to such purchasers at $10.00 per additional private placement unit, generating total gross proceeds of $152,370. The private placement units are identical to the units sold in our initial public offering, except that if held by the initial purchasers or any of their permitted transferees, the underlying warrants (i) may be exercised on a cashless basis, (ii) are not subject to redemption, except as described in our final prospectus, and (iii) with respect to private placement units held by the underwriters or their employees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of our initial public offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). If the private placement units are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, then the warrants included in the private placement units will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units. In addition, the private placement units (and the securities underlying the private placement units) will be subject to transfer restrictions until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, subject to certain limited exceptions.

 

Nomura has indicated its intent, if so requested by us, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to underwrite, arrange and/or syndicate up to $400 million of additional financing for us in the form of equity or debt (or a combination thereof) in connection with our initial business combination, subject to market conditions and on terms and conditions satisfactory in all respects to Nomura in its sole judgment and determination. The additional financing arrangement is not anticipated to have any impact on the redemption price of the Class A common stock, the conversion ratio of Class B common stock to Class A common stock or the exercise of the warrants.

 

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.

 

Commencing on August 12, 2021, we are obligated to pay an affiliate of our sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Other than the foregoing, no compensation of any kind, including any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee or monies in respect of any payment of a loan, will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, special advisors or our or their affiliates and determines which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.

 

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Our sponsor loaned us an aggregate of $132,802 in connection with the expenses of our initial public offering, pursuant to the terms of a promissory note. We fully repaid the loans from our sponsor on August 17, 2021.

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete 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 the 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 warrant at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the private placement units. The terms of such loans by our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in the trust account.

 

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our stockholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.

 

The holders of the founder shares, private placement units, private shares, private warrants and units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the shares and warrants included therein (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private warrants and warrants included in the units that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and upon conversion of the founder shares) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on August 12, 2021, requiring us 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 we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination and rights to require us to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the underwriters of our initial public offering may not exercise their demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after August 12, 2026 and August 12, 2028, respectively, and may not exercise their demand rights on more than one occasion. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Related Party Policy

 

Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.

 

In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to our Audit Committee Charter, is responsible for reviewing and approving related party transactions to the extent that we enter into such transactions. An affirmative vote of a majority of the members of the audit committee present at a meeting at which a quorum is present will be required in order to approve a related party transaction. A majority of the members of the entire audit committee will constitute a quorum. Without a meeting, the unanimous written consent of all of the members of the audit committee will be required to approve a related party transaction. We also require each of our directors and officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

 

These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

 

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To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent directors, have obtained an opinion from independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. Furthermore, no finder’s fees, reimbursements, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation will be paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or special advisors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than the following payments, none of which have been or will be made from the proceeds of our initial public offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

repayment of $132,802 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

payment to an affiliate of our sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support;

 

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

 

repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, the terms of which have not been determined nor have any written agreements been executed with respect thereto. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into units, at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender.

 

Our audit committee reviews on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors, special advisors or our or their affiliates.

 

Director Independence

 

Nasdaq listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship which in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director. Our board of directors has determined that each of Messrs. Knox, Pita and White are “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

 

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

 

Marcum LLP (“Marcum”) acts as our independent registered public accounting firm. The following is a summary of fees paid or to be paid to Marcum 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 Marcum in connection with regulatory filings. The aggregate fees billed by Marcum for professional services rendered for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the financial information included in our Forms 10-Q for the respective periods and other required filings with the SEC for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020 totaled $106,735 and $15,450, respectively. 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 including fees related to the filing of our registration statement and its amendments that are not required by statute or regulation and consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards. We did not pay Marcum for consultations concerning financial accounting and reporting standards for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

Tax Fees. We did not pay Marcum for tax planning and tax advice for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

All Other Fees. We did not pay Marcum for other services for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020.

 

Pre-Approval Policy

 

Our audit committee was formed in connection with the effectiveness of our registration statement for 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 audit 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).

 

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PART IV

 

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

The following documents are filed as part of this report:

 

(1)Financial Statements

 

  Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm F-2
Financial Statements:  
Balance Sheets F-3
Statements of Operations F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity F-5
Statements of Cash Flows F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7 to F-20

 

(2)Financial Statement Schedules

 

None.

 

(3)Exhibits: Exhibits not incorporated by reference to a prior filing are designated by an asterisk (*) and are filed herewith; all exhibits not so designated are incorporated by reference to a prior SEC filing as indicated.

 

Exhibit No.   Description
1.1(1)   Underwriting Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, between the Company and Nomura Securities International, Inc.
3.1(2)   Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
3.2(3)   Bylaws
4.1(3)   Specimen Unit Certificate
4.2(3)   Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate
4.3(4)   Specimen Warrant Certificate
4.4(1)   Warrant Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
4.5*   Description of Securities
10.1(3)   Founder Shares Subscription Agreement, dated July 7, 2020, between the Company and Jupiter Founders LLC
10.2(3)   Founder Shares Subscription Agreement, dated July 7, 2020, between the Company and Robert A. Knox
10.3(3)   Founder Shares Subscription Agreement, dated July 7, 2020, between the Company and George L. Pita
10.4(5)   Second Amended and Restated Promissory Note issued in favor of Jupiter Founders LLC, dated June 30, 2021
10.5(1)   Letter Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, among the Company, Jupiter Founders LLC, Nomura Securities International, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc., certain securityholders and each of the officers and directors of the Company
10.6(1)   Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
10.7(1)   Private Placement Unit Subscription Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, between the Company and Jupiter Founders LLC
10.8(1)   Private Placement Unit Subscription Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, among the Company, Nomura Securities International, Inc., Ladenburg Thalmann & Co. Inc. and certain subscribers
10.9(1)   Registration Rights Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, among the Company and certain securityholders
10.10(1)   Administrative Services Agreement, dated August 12, 2021, between the Company and Hauslein & Company, Inc.
10.11(3)   Form of Indemnity Agreement
14(4)   Code of Ethics
24*   Power of Attorney (included on signature page)

 

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31.1*   Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1**   Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as Adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
99.1(4)   Audit Committee Charter
99.2(4)   Compensation Committee Charter
99.3(4)   Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter
101.INS*   Inline XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document
101.PRE*   Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
104*   Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

 

*Filed herewith.

 

**Furnished herewith.

 

(1)Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-39505), filed with the SEC on August 18, 2021.

 

(2)Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-248411), filed with the SEC on February 19, 2021.

 

(3)Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-248411), filed with the SEC on August 25, 2020.

 

(4)Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-248411), filed with the SEC on September 3, 2020.

 

(5)Incorporated by reference to an exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1/A (File No. 333-248411), filed with the SEC on July 26, 2021.

 

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

 

Not applicable.

 

79

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

 

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

  Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm (PCAOB number 688) F-2
Financial Statements:  
Balance Sheets F-3
Statements of Operations F-4
Statements of Changes in Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity F-5
Statements of Cash Flows F-6
Notes to Financial Statements F-7 to F-20

 

F-1

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of
Jupiter Acquisition Corporation

 

Opinion on the Financial Statements

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheets of Jupiter Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholders’ equity and cash flows for year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 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 audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “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 audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits 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 audits, 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 audits 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 audits 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 audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Marcum LLP

 

Marcum LLP

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2020.

 

Houston, Texas

March 31, 2022

 

F-2

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

BALANCE SHEETS

 

   Year Ended December 31, 
   2021   2020 
ASSETS        
Current assets        
Cash  $1,351,816   $5,300 
Prepaid expenses   328,331    
 
Total Current Assets   1,680,147    5,300 
           
Deferred offering costs   
    252,799 
Non-current prepaid insurance   211,238      
Marketable securities held in Trust Account   157,618,500    
 
TOTAL ASSETS  $159,509,885   $258,099 
           
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY          
Current liabilities          
Accrued expenses  $420,367   $1,000 
Accrued offering costs   
    100,297 
Promissory note – related party   
    132,802 
Total Current Liabilities   420,367    234,099 
           
Warrant liabilities   3,969,523    
 
Deferred underwriting fee payable   5,516,648    
 
Total Liabilities   9,906,538    234,099 
           
Commitments   
 
    
 
 
           
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption; 15,761,850 and no shares at redemption value at December 31, 2021 and 2020
   157,618,500    
 
           
Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity          
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding   
    
 
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized; 595,237 and no shares issued and outstanding (excluding 15,761,850 and no shares subject to possible redemption) at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively   60    
 
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 3,940,462 and 4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively (including 372,038 shares subject to forfeiture)   394    431 
Additional paid-in capital   
    24,569 
Accumulated deficit   (8,015,607)   (1,000)
Total Stockholders’ (Deficit) Equity   (8,015,153)   24,000 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY  $159,509,885   $258,099 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements. 

 

F-3

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

   Year Ended
December 31,
   For the
Period from
June 17,
2020
(inception)
through
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
         
Operating and formation costs  $758,385   $1,000 
Loss from operations   (758,385)   (1,000)
           
Other income (expense):          
Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account   32,313    
 
Unrealized loss on marketable securities held in Trust Account   (3,332)   
 
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities   2,272,103    
 
Transaction costs associated with the Initial Public Offering   (524,859)   
 
Total other income, net   1,776,225    
 
           
Net income (loss)  $1,017,840   $(1,000)
           
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class A common stock   6,077,997    
 
Basic and diluted net income per share, Class A  $0.10   $
 
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock   3,820,967    3,750,000 
Basic net income (loss) per share, Class B  $0.10    (0.00)
Weighted average shares outstanding of Class B common stock   3,940,462    
 
Diluted net income per share, Class B  $0.10   $
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements. 

 

F-4

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY

 

   Class A
Common Stock
   Class B
Common Stock
   Additional
Paid-in
   Accumulated   Total
Stockholders’
(Deficit)
 
   Shares   Amount   Shares   Amount   Capital   Deficit   Equity 
Balance — June 17, 2020 (inception)   
   $
      —
       $
        —
   $ —   $   $           — 
                                    
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor           4,312,500    431    24,569        25,000 
                                    
Net loss       
        
    
    (1,000)   (1,000)
Balance – December 31, 2020   
   $
    4,312,500   $431   $24,569   $(1,000)  $24,000 
                                    
Sale of Private Placement Units   595,237    60    
    
    5,730,570    
    5,730,630 
                                    
Forfeiture of Founder Shares   
    
    (372,038)   (37)   37    
    
 
                                    
Accretion to shares subject to redemption       
        
    (5,755,176)   (9,032,446)   (14,787,622)
                                    
Net income       
        
    
    1,017,839    1,017,840 
Balance – December 31, 2021   595,237   $60    3,940,462   $394   $
   $(8,015,607)  $(8,015,153)

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements. 

 

F-5

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

   Year Ended
December 31,
   For the
Period from
June 17,
2020
(inception)
through
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:        
Net income (loss)  $1,017,840   $(1,000)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:          
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities   (2,272,103)   
 
Interest earned on marketable securities held in Trust Account   (32,313)   
 
Unrealized loss on marketable securities held in Trust Account   3,332    
 
Offering costs charged directly to operations   19,659    
 
Transaction costs associated with the Initial Public Offering   524,859    
 
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:          
Prepaid expenses   (539,570)   
 
Accrued expenses   419,367    1,000 
Net cash used in operating activities   (858,929)   
 
           
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:          
Investment of cash into Trust Account   (157,618,500)   
 
Cash withdrawn from Trust Account to pay franchise and income taxes   28,981    
 
Net cash used in investing activities   (157,589,519)   
 
           
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:          
Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to initial stockholders   
    25,000 
Proceeds from sale of Units, net of underwriting discount paid   154,466,130    
 
Proceeds from sale of Private Placement Units   5,952,370    
 
Advances from related party   199    
 
 
Proceeds from promissory note – related party   
    132,802 
Repayment of promissory note – related party   (133,001)   
 
 
Payment of offering costs   (490,734)   (152,502)
Net cash provided by financing activities   159,794,964    5,300 
           
Net Change in Cash   1,346,516    5,300 
Cash – Beginning of period   5,300    
 
Cash – End of period  $1,351,816   $5,300 
           
Non-Cash investing and financing activities:          
Excess payment of filing fees charged directly to operations  $19,659   $
 
Offering costs included in accrued offering costs  $
   $100,297 
Accretion of Class A common stock to redemption value  $14,787,622   $
 
Deferred underwriting fee payable  $5,516,648   $
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements. 

 

F-6

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS

 

Jupiter Acquisition Corporation (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on June 17, 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 (a “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, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below, and, subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, identifying a target company for a Business Combination. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company generates non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the marketable securities held in the Trust Account (defined below).

 

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on August 12, 2021. On August 17, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 15,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit, generating gross proceeds of $150,000,000 which is described in Note 3.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 580,000 units (the “Private Placement Units”) at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit in a private placement to Jupiter Founders LLC (the “Sponsor”) and certain of the underwriters and certain of the underwriters’ employees, generating gross proceeds of $5,800,000, which is described in Note 4.

 

On August 23, 2021, the underwriters notified the Company of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional Units at $10.00 per additional Unit upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, generating gross proceeds of $7,618,500. Simultaneously with the sale of the additional Units, the Company consummated the sale of an additional 15,237 Private Placement Units at $10.00 per additional Private Placement Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $152,370.

 

Transaction costs amounted to $9,292,595, consisting of $3,152,370 of underwriting fees, net of reimbursement, $5,516,648 of deferred underwriting fees and $623,577 of other offering costs.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on August 17, 2021, an amount of $150,000,000 ($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 Units was placed in a trust account established for the benefit of the Company’s Public Stockholders (as defined below) (the “Trust Account”), with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and was invested 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 money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act that invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds in the Trust Account to the Company’s stockholders, as described below.

 

A total of $7,618,500 of the net proceeds from the sale of the additional Units and the additional Private Placement Units was deposited in the Trust Account, bringing the aggregate proceeds held in the Trust Account to $157,618,500.

 

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

 

F-7

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

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 $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). The per-share amount to be distributed to the Public Stockholders who redeem their Public Shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions the Company will pay to the underwriters (as discussed in Note 6). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants.

 

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, 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 Sponsor and other holders of the Company’s common stock prior to the Initial Public Offering (the “Initial Stockholders”) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), Private Shares (as defined in Note 4) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, 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 above, 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 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 Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

 

The Initial Stockholders have agreed (a) to waive their redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares, Private Shares and Public Shares held by them in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated 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 the Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below) 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.

 

The Company will have until August 17, 2023 (or such later date as may be approved by the Company’s stockholders) to consummate a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay 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.

 

F-8

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

The Initial Stockholders have agreed to waive their right to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Initial Stockholders acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commissions (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

 

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

 

Prior to the completion of the Initial Public Offering, the Company lacked the liquidity it needed to sustain for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. The Company has since completed its Initial Public Offering, at which time capital in excess of the funds deposited in the Trust Account and/or used to fund offering expenses was released to the Company for general working capital purposes. Accordingly, management has since re-evaluated the Company’s liquidity and financial condition and determined that sufficient capital exists to sustain operations for at least year from the date of the financial statements were issued, and therefore substantial doubt has been alleviated.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

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

 

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“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, 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.

 

F-9

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

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

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with 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 periods.

 

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. One of the more significant accounting estimates included in these financial statements is the determination of the fair value of the warrant liabilities. Such estimates may be subject to change as more current information becomes available and, 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 at December 31, 2021 and 2020. 

 

Marketable Securities Held in Trust Account

 

At December 31, 2021, substantially all of the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. Treasury securities.

 

Offering Costs

 

Offering costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs are allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities are expensed as incurred in the statements of operations. Offering costs associated with the Class A common stock issued were initially charged to temporary equity and then accreted to common stock subject to redemption upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs amounted to $9,292,595, of which $8,938,077 were charged to stockholders’ (deficit) equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering and $354,518 were expensed to the statements of operations.

 

Warrant Liabilities

 

The Company accounts for the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 5) and the Private Warrants (as defined in Note 4) (collectively, with the Public Warrants, the “Warrants”) in accordance with the guidance contained in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 and FASB ASC Topic 815 “Derivatives and Hedging” (“ASC 815”) under which the Warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment and must be recorded as liabilities. Accordingly, the Company classifies the Warrants as liabilities at their fair value and adjusts the Warrants to fair value at each reporting period. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date until exercised, and any change in fair value is recognized in the statement of operations. The Warrants for periods where no observable traded price is available are valued using a binomial/lattice model. For periods subsequent to the detachment of the Public Warrants from the Units, the Public Warrant quoted market price will be used as the fair value as of each relevant reporting date.

 

F-10

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement’s 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.

 

ASC Topic 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, 2021 and 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.

 

Class A Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

 

The Company accounts for its Class A common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in FASB ASC Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” Shares of Class A common stock subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable common stock (including common stock that features redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) is classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock is classified as stockholders’ equity. The Company’s Class A common stock features certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to occurrence of uncertain future events. Accordingly, at December 31, 2021 and 2020, 15,761,850 and no shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ (deficit) equity section of the Company’s balance sheets, respectively.

 

The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Immediately upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company recognized the accretion from initial book value to redemption amount value. The change in the carrying value of redeemable Class A common stock resulted in charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit.

 

At December 31, 2021, the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption reflected in the balance sheet is reconciled in the following table:

 

Gross proceeds  $157,618,500 
Less:     
Proceeds allocated to Public Warrants   (6,018,995)
Class A common stock issuance costs   (8,768,627)
Plus:     
Remeasurement of carrying value to redemption value   14,787,622 
      
Class A common stock subject to possible redemption  $157,618,500 

 

Net Income (Loss) per Common Share

 

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share”. Net income (loss) per common share is computed by dividing net income (loss) by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Accretion associated with the redeemable shares of Class A common stock is excluded from net income (loss) per common share as the redemption value approximates fair value.

 

F-11

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

The calculation of diluted income (loss) per share does not consider the effect of the Warrants issued in connection with the (i) Initial Public Offering, and (ii) the private placement since the exercise of the Warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events. The Warrants are exercisable to purchase 8,178,543 shares of Class A common stock in the aggregate. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company did not have any dilutive securities or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common shares and then share in the net income (loss) of the Company. As a result, diluted net income (loss) per common share is the same as basic net income (loss) per common share for the periods presented.

 

The following table reflects the calculation of basic and diluted net income (loss) per common share (in dollars, except per share amounts):

 

   Year Ended
December 31,
   For the Period from
June 17, 2020
(Inception) through
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
   Class A    Class B   Class A   Class B 
Basic net income (loss) per common share                
Numerator:                
Allocation of net income (loss), as adjusted  $624,957   $392,883   $
   $(1,000)
Denominator:                    
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding   6,077,997    3,820,967    
    3,750,000 
Basic net income (loss) per common share  $0.10   $0.10   $
   $(0.00)

 

   Year Ended
December 31,
   For the Period from
June 17, 2020
(Inception) through
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
   Class A    Class B   Class A   Class B 
Diluted net income per common share                
Numerator:                
Allocation of net income, as adjusted  $617,503   $400,337   $
      —
   $
         —
 
Denominator:                    
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding   6,077,997    3,940,462    
    
 
Diluted net income per common share  $0.10   $0.10   $
   $
 

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution, which, at times may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Corporation coverage limit of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts.

 

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 balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature, except for warrant liabilities (see Note 10).

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted ASU 2020-06 effective as of January 15, 2021. The adoption of ASU 2020-06 did not have an impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

F-12

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

Management does not believe that any other 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 15,761,850 Units at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit, including 761,850 additional Units pursuant to the underwriters’ partial exercise of their over-allotment option. 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 an exercise price of $11.50, subject to adjustment (see Note 10).

 

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering and the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option, the Sponsor and certain of the underwriters and certain of the underwriters’ employees purchased an aggregate of 595,237 Private Placement Units at a price of $10.00 per Private Placement Unit for an aggregate purchase price of $5,952,370 in private placements. Each Private Placement Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock (“Private Share”) and one-half of one warrant (each, a “Private Warrant”). Each whole Private Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Units were added to the proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Units and all underlying securities will expire worthless. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Private Placement Units or the underlying securities. 

 

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder Shares

 

On July 7, 2020, the Initial Stockholders purchased 5,750,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate price of $25,000. On July 23, 2021, the Sponsor forfeited 1,437,500 Founder Shares resulting in an aggregate of 4,312,500 Founder Shares outstanding. The sponsor has agreed to transfer to certain of the underwriters and certain of their employees an aggregate of 240,001 shares of Class B common stock. All shares and per-share data has been retroactively restated. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 562,500 Founder Shares that were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part. On August 23, 2021, the underwriters notified the Company of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional Units at $10.00 per additional Unit upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option. As a result of the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, an aggregate of 372,038 Founder Shares were forfeited and 190,462 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture, resulting in an aggregate of 3,940,462 Founder Shares outstanding at August 25, 2021.

 

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) one year after the completion of a Business Combination and (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after 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 Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

 

F-13

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

Of the aggregate 15,761,850 Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, 13,365,000 Units were purchased by certain funds and accounts that are not affiliated with the Company, the Sponsor, the Company’s directors or any member of the Company’s management team (the “Anchor Investors”).

 

In connection with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Anchor Investors each acquired from the Sponsor an indirect economic interest in 100,000 Founder Shares (or an aggregate of 900,000 Founder Shares) at the original purchase price that the Sponsor paid for the Founder Shares. The Sponsor has agreed to distribute such Founder Shares to the Anchor Investors after the completion of a Business Combination. The Company estimated the aggregate fair value of the Founder Shares attributable to the Anchor Investors to be $4,464,000, or $4.96 per share. The fair value of the Founder Shares were valued using a binomial/lattice model. The excess of the fair value of the Founder Shares was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. Accordingly, the offering cost was allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs related to the Founder Shares amounted to $4,464,000, of which $170,341 were expensed in the statement of operations and included in transactions costs attributable to warrant liabilities and the remaining $4,296,659 netted to additional paid in capital resulting in only a charge to accumulated deficit of $170,341.

 

Administrative Services Agreement

 

The Company entered into an agreement on August 12, 2021, through the earlier of the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination and its liquidation, to pay an affiliate of the Sponsor an aggregate of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the Company incurred $75,000 in fees for these services, of which $15,000 is included in accrued expenses in the accompanying balance sheet. For the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, the Company did not incur any fees for these services.

  

Promissory Note — Related Party

 

On June 24, 2020, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company could borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $250,000. The Promissory Note was subsequently amended on December 31, 2021 and 2020 to extend the maturity date. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 and (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were $0 and $132,802 outstanding, respectively, under the Promissory Note. The outstanding balance under the Note was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on August 17, 2021, and the Promissory Note was terminated.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit at the option of the lender. The units would be identical to the Private Placement Units. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, there were no Working Capital Loans outstanding.

 

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

 

Registration Rights

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on August 12, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Units, Private Shares, Private Warrants, and units that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants and warrants included in the units that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion to the Company’s 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the underwriters may not exercise their demand and “piggy-back” registration rights after August 12, 2026 and August 12, 2028, respectively, and may not exercise their demand rights on more than one occasion. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

F-14

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company granted the underwriters a 45-day option beginning August 12, 2021 to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, at the Initial Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions. On August 23, 2021, the underwriters notified the Company of their exercise of the over-allotment option in part and concurrent forfeiture of the remaining portion of such option. As such, on August 25, 2021, the underwriters purchased 761,850 additional Units upon the closing of the partial exercise of the over-allotment option.

 

The underwriters are entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $5,516,648 in the aggregate. Subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement, the deferred fee (i) will become payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination and (ii) will be waived by the underwriters in the event that the Company does not complete a Business Combination.

 

Financing Arrangement

 

Nomura Securities International, Inc. (“Nomura”), an underwriter of the Initial Public Offering, has indicated its intent, if so requested by the Company, to use its commercially reasonable efforts to underwrite, arrange and/or syndicate up to $400 million of additional financing for the Company in the form of equity or debt (or a combination thereof) in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination, subject to market conditions and on terms and conditions satisfactory in all respects to Nomura in its sole judgment and determination. The additional financing arrangement is not anticipated to have any impact on the redemption price of the Class A common stock, the conversion ratio of Class B common stock to Class A common stock or the exercise of the Warrants.

 

NOTE 7. STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) 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, 2021 and 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, 2021, there were 595,237 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding, excluding 15,761,850 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption which are presented as temporary equity. 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 10,000,000 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, 2021, there were 3,940,462 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding. At December 31, 2020, there were 4,312,500 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares of Class B common stock were subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of shares of Class B common stock would equal 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Initial Public Offering (not including the Private Shares underlying the Private Placement Units). As a result of the underwriters’ election to partially exercise their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of the remaining portion of such over-allotment option, 372,038 Founder Shares were forfeited and 190,462 Founder Shares are no longer subject to forfeiture, resulting in an aggregate of 3,940,462 Founder Shares outstanding at August 25, 2021.

 

F-15

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

Only holders of Class B common stock have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s stockholders except as otherwise required by law.

 

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination, or earlier at the option of the holder, 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 excess of the amounts offered in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering (not including the Private Shares underlying the Private Placement Units) plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any private placement-equivalent warrants issued to the Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company).

 

NOTE 8. WARRANTS LIABILITIES

 

At December 31, 2021, there were 7,880,925 Public 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) August 17, 2022. 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 shares of 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 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise have 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, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration under the Securities Act of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following a Business Combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. 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.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00.    Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

  in whole and not in part;
     
  at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
     
  upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
     
  if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the shares of Class A common stock for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities).

 

F-16

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise its redemption right if the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or the Company is unable to effect such registration or qualification, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration.

 

Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00.    Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

  in whole and not in part;
     
  at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table in the prospectus for the Initial Public Offering, based on the redemption date and the fair market value of the Class A common stock;
     
  if, and only if, the Reference Value equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities); and
     
  if the Reference Value is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and certain issuances of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities) the Private Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms (except as described above with respect to a holder’s ability to cashless exercise its warrants) as the outstanding Public Warrants

 

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, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of Class A common stock at a price below the 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 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 its initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of its initial 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 prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 and $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 100% and 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, respectively.

 

As of December 31, 2021, there were 297,618 Private Warrants outstanding. The Private Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units sold in the Initial Public Offering, except that the Private Warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions, and the holders thereof are entitled to certain registration rights. Additionally, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Warrants: (i) will not be redeemable by the Company (except for certain limitations); (ii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (iii) with respect to Private Warrants held by the underwriters or their employees, will not be exercisable more than five years from the commencement of sales of the Initial Public Offering in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8)(A). If the Private Warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their respective permitted transferees, the Private Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

 

F-17

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

NOTE 9. INCOME TAX

 

The Company did not have any significant deferred tax assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2021 and 2020.

 

The income tax provision for the year ended December 31, 2021 and for the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2021 consists of the following:

 

   Year Ended
December 31,
   Year Ended
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
Federal        
Current  $
   $
 
Deferred   (153,174)   
 
           
State and Local          
Current   
    
 
Deferred   (20,423)   
 
           
Change in valuation allowance   173,598    
 
           
Income tax provision  $
   $
 

 

The Company’s net deferred tax assets (liability) at December 31, 2021 and 2020 are as follows:

 

    December 31,     December 31,  
    2021     2020  
Deferred tax assets            
Net operating loss carryforward   $ 40,809     $
 
Startup/Organization Expenses     132,789      
 
Total deferred tax assets     173,598      
 
Valuation Allowance     (173,598 )    
 
Deferred tax assets   $
    $
 
Change in valuation allowance     173,598      
 
                 
Income tax provision   $
    $
 

  

As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, the Company had U.S. federal and state net operating loss of $171,468 which can be carried forward indefinitely.

 

In assessing the realization of the deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion of all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. The ultimate realization of deferred tax assets is dependent upon the generation of future taxable income during the periods in which temporary differences representing net future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax liabilities, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all of the information available, management believes that significant uncertainty exists with respect to future realization of the deferred tax assets and has therefore established a full valuation allowance. For the year ended December 31, 2021, the change in the valuation allowance was $173,598. For the period from June 17, 2020 (inception) through December 31, 2020, the change in the valuation allowance was $0.

 

F-18

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate at December 31, 2021 and 2020 is as follows:

 

   December 31,
2021
   December 31,
2020
 
         
Statutory federal income tax rate   21.0%   0.0%
State taxes, net of federal tax benefit   2.8%   0.0%
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities   (53.1)%   0.0%
Transaction costs associated with the Initial Public Offering   12.3%   0.0%
Valuation allowance   17.1%   (0.0)%
Income tax provision   0.0%   0.0%

  

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal and Florida state jurisdiction and are subject to examination by the various taxing authorities.

 

NOTE 10. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS 

 

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities reflects management’s estimate of amounts that the Company would have received in connection with the sale of the assets or paid in connection with the transfer of the liabilities in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In connection with measuring the fair value of its assets and liabilities, the Company seeks to maximize the use of observable inputs (market data obtained from independent sources) and to minimize the use of unobservable inputs (internal assumptions about how market participants would price assets and liabilities). The following fair value hierarchy is used to classify assets and liabilities based on the observable inputs and unobservable inputs used in order to value the assets and liabilities:

 

  Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. An active market for an asset or liability is a market in which transactions for the asset or liability occur with sufficient frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.
     
  Level 2: Observable inputs other than Level 1 inputs. Examples of Level 2 inputs include quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities and quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in markets that are not active.
     
  Level 3: Unobservable inputs based on our assessment of the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability.

 

The following table presents information about the Company’s assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis at December 31, 2021, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:

 

Description  Level   December 31,
2021
 
Assets:        
Marketable securities held in Trust Account   1    157,618,500 
           
Liabilities:          
Warrant liability- Public Warrants   1    3,824,613 
Warrant liability- Private Warrants   3    144,910 

 

At December 31, 2020, there were no assets or liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis.

 

F-19

 

 

JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2021 

 

The Warrants were accounted for as liabilities in accordance with ASC Topic 815-40 and are presented within warrant liabilities in the accompanying December 31, 2021 balance sheet. The warrant liabilities are measured at fair value at inception and on a recurring basis, with changes in fair value presented within the statement of operations.

 

On August 17, 2021, the “Public Warrants” were valued using a Monte Carlo Simulation model, which is considered to be a Level 3 fair value measurement. On August 17, 2021 and on December 31, 2021, the Private Warrants were valued using a Black Scholes model, considered a level 3 fair value measurement. The primary unobservable input utilized in determining the fair value of the Warrants is the expected volatility of the common stock. The expected volatility as of the Initial Public Offering date was derived from observable public warrant pricing on comparable ‘blank-check’ companies without an identified target. On December 31, subsequent to the detachment of the Public Warrants from the Units, the close price of the Public Warrant price was used as the fair value of the Public Warrants.

 

The following table provides quantitative information regarding Level 3 fair value measurements at August 17, 2021 (Initial Measurement) for the public and private warrants and at December 31, 2021 for the private warrants:

 

  

August 17,
2021
(Initial
Measurement)

   December 31,
2021
 
Stock price  $          9.77   $        9.61 
Exercise price  $11.50   $11.50 
Expected term (in years)   6.0    5.8 
Volatility   20%   10.1%
Risk-free rate   0.90%   1.33%
Dividend yield   0.0%   0.0%

 

The following table presents the changes in the fair value of Level 3 warrant liabilities:

 

   Private
Placement
   Public   Warrant
Liabilities
 
Fair value as of June 17, 2020 (inception)  $
-
   $
-
   $
-
 
Initial measurement   228,480    6,013,146    6,241,626 
Change in valuation inputs or other assumptions   (83,570)   (2,188,533)   (2,272,103)
Transfer to level 1   
-
    (3,824,613)   (3,824,613)
Fair value as of December 31, 2021  $144,910   $
-
   $144,910 

 

Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2 and 3  are recognized at the end of the reporting period in which a change in valuation technique or methodology occurs. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants was transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 fair value measurements during the year ended December 31, 2021. There were no transfers in or out of Level 3 from other levels of the Private Warrants in the fair value hierarchy for the year ended December 31, 2021.

 

NOTE 11. 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. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

F-20

 

 

SIGNATURES 

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

  JUPITER ACQUISITION CORPORATION  
     
Date: March 31, 2022   By: /s/ James N. Hauslein
  Name:  James N. Hauslein  
  Title: Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

 

POWER OF ATTORNEY 

 

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints James N. Hauslein, jointly and severally, his attorney-in-fact, each with the full power of substitution, for such person, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might do or could do in person hereby ratifying and confirming all that each of said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or his substitute, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. 

 

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 date indicated.

 

 

Signature   Title   Date
         

/s/ James N. Hauslein

  Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
(Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)
  March 31, 2022
James N. Hauslein        
         
/s/ Gaurav Burman   President and Director   March 31, 2022
Gaurav Burman        
         
/s/ Robert A. Knox   Director   March 31, 2022
Robert A. Knox        
         
/s/ George L. Pita   Director   March 31, 2022
George L. Pita        
         
/s/ John D. White, Jr.   Director   March 31, 2022
John D. White, Jr.        

 

80