SEP Acquisition Corp. - Quarter Report: 2022 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

(Mark One)

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

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022

☐ 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 001-40679

Mercury Ecommerce Acquisition Corp.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

3737 Buffalo Speedway, Suite 1750

Houston, TX 77098

(Address of principal executive offices and zip code)

(713) 715-6820

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

As of May 13, 2022, there were 18,041,500 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 4,510,375 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share issued and outstanding.

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

		For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2022				For the Period from March 1, 2021 (inception) Through March 31, 2021
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Net income (loss)		$	1,671,654			$	(11,768	)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Realized gain on investments held in Trust Account			(18,428	)			—
Unrealized gain on investments held in Trust Account			(53,063	)			—
Change in fair value of warrant liabilities			(1,873,651	)			—
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Prepaid expenses			39,127				—
Accounts payable and accrued expenses			(95,265	)			800
Accounts payable - related party			—				10,000
Franchise tax payable			(117,123	)			—
Net cash used in operating activities			(446,749	)			(968	)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Proceeds from promissory note - related party			—				60,000
Payment of deferred offering costs			—				(68,643	)
Proceeds from sale of Class B common stock to Sponsor			—				25,000
Net cash provided by financing activities			—				16,357
Net Change in Cash			(446,749	)			15,389
Cash - Beginning of period			842,059				—
Cash - End of period		$	395,310			$	15,389
Non-cash investing and financing activities
Subsequent accretion of Class A common stock subject to redemption to redemption amount as of March 31, 2022		$	71,491			$	—
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs		$	—			$	275,179

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND LIQUIDITY AND GOING CONCERN

 

Mercury Ecommerce Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in Delaware on March 1, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

 

As of March 31, 2022, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Initial Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

 

The registration statement for the Company's Initial Public Offering was declared effective on July 27, 2021. On July 30, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 17,500,000 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 $175,000,000 which is described in Note 3.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 7,850,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to Mercury Sponsor Group I LLC (the “Sponsor”), generating gross proceeds of $7,850,000, which is described in Note 4.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering and partial exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option, a total of $182,219,150 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering, the sale of the Private Placement Warrants, the sale of the Over-Allotment Units, and the sale of the Over-Allotment Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with maturities 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, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.

 

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of such Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required under 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 “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the holders of the Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) have agreed to vote their Founder Shares and any Public Shares purchased in or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination and to waive their redemption rights with respect to any such shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem its Public Shares, without voting, and if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against a proposed Business Combination.

 

 

 

The Company will have until 18 months, or 24 months if the Company has signed a definitive agreement with respect to an initial Business Combination within such 18-month period (or up to 24 months if the Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business Combination) from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”) to complete a Business Combination. 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, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, 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 (net of permitted withdrawals and 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 the Company’s remaining stockholders and 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 an initial Business Combination within the Combination Period.

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying condensed financial statements of the Company 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. Certain information or footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial reporting. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes necessary for a comprehensive presentation of financial position, results of operations, or cash flows. In the opinion of management, the accompanying condensed financial statements include all adjustments, consisting of a normal recurring nature, which are necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, operating results and cash flows for the periods presented. The accompanying condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Company’s Form 10-K as filed with the SEC on March 8, 2022. The interim results for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2022 or for any future periods.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

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

 

Further, section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such 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 condensed 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 condensed financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.

 

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the condensed financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ from those estimates. The initial valuation of the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 3), Private Placement Warrants, and Class A common stock subject to redemption required management to exercise significant judgement in its estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021.

 

Investments Held in Trust Account

 

As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the assets held in the Trust Account were held in U.S. government treasury obligations with maturities of 185 days or less, which were invested in U.S. Treasury securities. Trading securities are presented on the condensed balance sheets at fair value at the end of each reporting period. Gains and losses resulting from the change in fair value of these securities is included in unrealized gains (losses) on investments held in Trust Account in the accompanying condensed statements of operations.

 

Common Stock Subject to Possible Redemption

 

The Company accounts for its common stock subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity (“ASC 480”). 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 feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, common stock are classified as stockholders’ equity (deficit). The Company’s Class A common stock includes certain redemption rights that are outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events and therefore is classified as temporary equity. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, 18,041,500 shares of Class A common stock subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the stockholders’ deficit section of the Company’s condensed balance sheets.

 

The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable Class A common stock to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable Class A common stock are recorded against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit. The Company recorded an initial accretion of carrying value to redemption valuation of $25,012,764 upon consummation of the Initial Public Offering. The Company subsequently recorded accretion of carrying value to redemption value of $29,687 due to the unrealized gain on the investments held in the Trust Account for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through December 31, 2021, and accretion of carrying value to redemption value of $71,491 due to the realized and unrealized gains on the investments held in the Trust Account for the three months ended March 31, 2022, as the holders of the Class A common stock subject to redemption have the right to redeem their shares for a pro rata portion of the amount held in the Trust Account including 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.

 

As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption reflected in the condensed financial statements are reconciled in the following table:

 

 

Warrant Liabilities

 

The Company accounts for warrants as either equity-classified or liability-classified instruments based on an assessment of the warrant’s specific terms and applicable authoritative guidance in ASC 480 and ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging (“ASC 815”). The assessment considers whether the warrants are freestanding financial instruments pursuant to ASC 480, meet the definition of a liability pursuant to ASC 480, and whether the warrants meet all of the requirements for equity classification under ASC 815, including whether the warrants are indexed to the Company’s own common stock, among other conditions for equity classification. This assessment, which requires the use of professional judgment, is conducted at the time of warrant issuance and as of each subsequent quarterly period end date while the warrants are outstanding.

 

For issued or modified warrants that meet all of the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded as a component of additional paid-in capital at the time of issuance. For issued or modified warrants that do not meet all the criteria for equity classification, the warrants are required to be recorded at their initial fair value on the date of issuance, and each balance sheet date thereafter. Changes in the estimated fair value of the warrants are recognized as a non-cash gain or loss on the condensed statements of operations. See Note 10 for details regarding the valuation of the Public Warrants (as defined in Note 3) and the Private Placement Warrants.

 

Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering

 

The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A, Expenses of Offering. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs directly attributable to the issuance of an equity contract to be classified in equity are recorded as a reduction in equity. Offering costs for equity contracts that are classified as assets and liabilities are expensed immediately. The Company incurred offering costs amounting to $15,401,418 as a result of the Initial Public Offering (consisting of $3,608,300 of underwriting fees, $6,314,525 of deferred underwriting fees, $764,193 of other offering costs, and $4,714,400 of the excess fair value of the Founder Shares sold over the purchase price of $4,150 (see Note 5)). Offering costs recorded to equity amounted to $14,638,901 and offering costs that were expensed amounted to $762,517.

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the condensed financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.

 

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

 

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. The Company has not considered the effect of the warrants sold in the Initial Public Offering and private placement to purchase an aggregate of 17,033,200 shares in the calculation of diluted income (loss) per share, since the exercise of the warrants is contingent upon the occurrence of future events. In order to determine the net income (loss) attributable to both the public Class A common stock and Class B common stock, the Company first considered the total income (loss) allocable to both sets of shares. This is calculated using the total net income (loss) less any dividends paid. For purposes of calculating net income (loss) per share, any remeasurement of the accretion to redemption value of the Class A common stock subject to possible redemption was considered to be dividends paid to the public stockholders. Subsequent to calculating the total income (loss) allocable to both sets of shares, the Company split the amount to be allocated using a ratio of 80% for the Class A common stock and 20% for the Class B common stock for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and a ratio of 0% for the Class A common stock and 100% for the Class B common stock for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021, reflective of the respective participation rights.

 

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

 

 

 

The Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and share in earnings. As a result, diluted income (loss) per share is the same as basic income (loss) per share for the periods presented.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement (“ASC 820”), approximates the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying condensed balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

The Company applies ASC 820, which establishes a framework for measuring fair value and clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework. ASC 820 defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the Company’s principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy established in ASC 820 generally requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are developed based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the entity’s own assumptions based on market data and the entity’s judgments about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are to be developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

 

The fair value of the Company’s financial assets and liabilities, other than the investments held in the Trust Account and warrant liabilities, approximate the carrying amounts represented in the accompanying condensed balance sheets, primarily due to their short-term nature.

 

Level 1 — Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.

 

Level 2 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.

 

Level 3 — Inputs to the fair value measurement are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the assets or liabilities.

 

See Note 10 for additional information on assets and liabilities measured at fair value.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

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

 

NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 17,500,000 Units, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 8).

 

The Company had granted the underwriter in the Initial Public Offering a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,625,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any. On August 20, 2021, the underwriter partially exercised the over-allotment option and purchased an additional 541,500 Over-Allotment Units, generating gross proceeds of $5,415,000, and incurred $108,300 in cash underwriting fees and $189,525 that will be payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions.

 

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor purchased an aggregate of 7,850,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($7,850,000 in the aggregate). Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless. Upon the purchase of the Private Placement Warrants by the Sponsor, the Company recorded the excess proceeds received over the fair value of the Private Placement Warrants as additional paid-in capital.

 

Simultaneously with the underwriter partially exercising the over-allotment option, the Sponsor purchased an additional 162,450 Over-Allotment Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Over-Allotment Private Placement Warrant ($162,450 in the aggregate).

 

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder Shares

 

On March 4, 2021, the Sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for the issuance of 5,031,250 shares of Class B common stock (the “Founder Shares”). The outstanding Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 656,250 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option was not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor would own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor did not purchase any Public Shares in the Initial Public Offering). The underwriter partially exercised their over-allotment option on August 20, 2021 and forfeited the remainder of the option; thus, 520,875 Founder Shares were forfeited by the Sponsor.

 

A total of ten anchor investors purchased 14,402,000 Units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per Unit; seven anchor investors purchased 1,732,500 Units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per Unit, and such allocations were be determined by the underwriter; one Anchor Investor purchased 1,400,000 Units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per unit; and two anchor investors purchased 437,500 Units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per Unit. Pursuant to such Units, the anchor investors have not been granted any stockholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to the Company’s other public stockholders. Further, the anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any Units, Class A common stock or warrants they may purchase in the Initial Public Offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A common stock they may own at the applicable time in favor of the Business Combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their Public Shares at the time of the Business Combination. The anchor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the Trust Account with respect to the Class A common stock underlying the Units they may purchase in the Initial Public Offering as the rights afforded to the Company’s other public stockholders.

 

Each anchor investor has entered into separate investment agreements with the Company and the Sponsor pursuant to which each anchor investor agreed to purchase a specified number of Founder Shares, or an aggregate of 830,000 Founder Shares, from the Sponsor for $0.005 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $4,150 at the closing of the Initial Public Offering, subject to such anchor investor’s acquisition of 100% of the Units allocated to it by the underwriter in the Initial Public Offering. Pursuant to the investment agreements, the anchor investors have agreed to (a) vote any Founder Shares held by them in favor of the Business Combination and (b) subject any Founder Shares held by them to the same lock-up restrictions as the Founder Shares held by the Sponsor and independent directors.

 

The Company estimated the fair value of the Founder Shares attributable to the anchor investors to be $4,714,400 or $5.68 per share. The excess of the fair value of the Founder Shares sold over the purchase price of $4,150 (or $0.005 per share) was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. Accordingly, the offering costs were allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering in proportion to the amount allocated to the Class A common stock and Public Warrants, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities were expensed immediately in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares were charged to temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.

 

Promissory Note - Related Party

 

On March 4, 2021, the Company issued an unsecured promissory note to the Sponsor (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company could borrow up to an aggregate of $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering. The Promissory Note was non-interest bearing and was payable on the earlier of (i) August 30, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there was no outstanding balance under the Promissory Note. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note of $300,000 was repaid at the closing of the Initial Public Offering on July 30, 2021.

 

Administrative Support Agreement

 

The Company entered into an agreement to pay the Sponsor a total of $10,000 per month for administrative, financial and support services. Upon the completion of an initial Business Combination, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees. During the three months ended March 31, 2022 and the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021, the Company incurred expenses of $30,000 and $0 under this agreement, respectively.

 

Related Party Loans

 

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds held in 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 is not completed, 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 convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

 

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

 

Registration and Stockholder Rights Agreement

 

Pursuant to a registration rights agreement entered into on July 27, 2021, the holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) are entitled to registration rights requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after conversion into shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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 an initial Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The Company had granted the underwriter in the Initial Public Offering a 45-day option to purchase up to 2,625,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any. On August 20, 2021, the underwriter partially exercised the over-allotment option and purchased an additional 541,500 Units (the “Over-Allotment Units”), generating gross proceeds of $5,415,000, and incurred $108,300 in cash underwriting fees and $189,525 that will be payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions.

 

The underwriter were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $3,608,300 in the aggregate, upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering and partial exercise of the over-allotment option. In addition, $0.35 per unit, or $6,314,525 in the aggregate will be payable to the underwriter for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee will become payable to the underwriter from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

NOTE 7. WARRANTS

 

 

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 a share of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.

 

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days after the closing of an initial 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. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration or redemption 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 sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of an initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Company’s shares of Class A common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00—Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding warrants (except with respect to the Private Placement Warrants):

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

The fair market value of the Company’s Class A common stock shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A common stock during the 10 trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. The Company will provide its warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 shares of Class A common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).

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 an 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 Sponsors 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 an initial Business Combination on the date of the completion of an initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume-weighted average trading price of the shares of Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company completes an 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 described adjacent to “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $10.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per share of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00” 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.

 

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

 

 

The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments required that the Company record the warrants as derivative liabilities at fair value upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants were allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value. The warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liabilities are adjusted to current fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s condensed statements of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.

 

NOTE 8. STOCKHOLDERS’ (DEFICIT) EQUITY

 

Preferred stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 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. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were no preferred shares issued or outstanding.

 

Class A common stock — The Company is authorized to issue 150,000,000 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. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were 18,041,500 shares of Class A common stock issued and none outstanding, excluding 18,041,500 Class A common stock subject to possible redemption.

 

Class B common stock — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. On March 4, 2021, the Sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for the issuance of 5,031,250 Class B common stock. The underwriter partially exercised their over-allotment option on August 20, 2021 and forfeited the remainder of the option; thus, 520,875 shares of Class B common stock were forfeited by the Sponsor. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, there were 4,510,375 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding.

Only holders of Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of the Company's directors prior to the consummation of an initial Business Combination.

 

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of an initial Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Initial Public Offering and related to the closing of an initial 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 anti-dilution 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 total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of the Initial Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with an initial Business Combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with an initial Business Combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in an initial Business Combination and any warrants issued upon the conversion of Working Capital Loans made to the Company.

 

NOTE 9. INCOME TAX

 

The Company considers any tax activity for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021 to be immaterial. The Company’s net deferred tax assets (liabilities) as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are as follows:

 

 

The income tax provision for the three months ended March 31, 2022 consists of the following:

 

 

As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, the Company has available U.S. federal operating loss carry forwards of approximately $218,000 and $167,000 that may be carried forward indefinitely, respectively.

 

In assessing the realization of deferred tax assets, management considers whether it is more likely than not that some portion or 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 future deductible amounts become deductible. Management considers the scheduled reversal of deferred tax assets, projected future taxable income and tax planning strategies in making this assessment. After consideration of all 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 three months ended March 31, 2022, the valuation allowance was $46,289.

 

A reconciliation of the federal income tax rate to the Company’s effective tax rate as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 are as follows:

 

 

The Company files income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction which remain open and subject to examination.

NOTE 10. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

The following tables present information about the Company’s financial assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, and indicate the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:

 

 

 

Upon initial measurement as of July 30, 2021, the Company utilized a binomial/lattice model to value the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants. The estimated fair value upon the initial measurement of the warrant liabilities as of July 30, 2021, was determined using Level 3 inputs. The Company estimated volatility based on research on comparable companies with the same type of warrants along with the implied volatilities shortly after they start trading. The risk-free interest rate was based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants was assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate was based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipated to remain at zero. As of March 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021, since both Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants are subject to the certain make-whole provisions, Private Placement Warrants will have the same value as the Public Warrants and the public trading price is used.

 

Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2 and 3 are recognized at the end of the reporting period. The estimated fair value of the Public Warrants transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 1 fair value measurement in September 2021 after the Public Warrants were separately listed and traded.  The estimated fair value of the Private Placement Warrants transferred from a Level 3 measurement to a Level 2 fair value measurement in September 2021 due to the use of an observable market quote for a similar asset in an active market.

 

The following table provides the significant unobservable inputs used in the binomial/lattice model for the initial valuation of the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants as of July 30, 2021:

 

 

The following table provides a summary of the changes in the fair value of the Company’s Level 3 financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

 

 

The Company recognized gains in connection with changes in the fair value of warrant liabilities of $1,873,651 and $0 within the condensed statements of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through March 31, 2021, respectively. The gains on the change in fair value of warrant liabilities were due in large part to the decrease in the publicly traded price of the Public Warrants.

 

NOTE 11. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the condensed balance sheet date up to the date that the condensed 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 condensed financial statements.

Item 2.

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

		As of July 30, 2021 (Initial Measurement)
Stock price		$	9.47
Exercise price		$	11.50
Dividend yield			—	%
Expected term (in years)			5.5
Volatility			20.0	%
Risk-free rate			0.80	%
Fair value		$	0.95

Item 3.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Item 4.

Controls and Procedures.

ITEM 1A.

RISK FACTORS

ITEM 2.

UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

ITEM 3.

DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

ITEM 4.

MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

ITEM 5.

OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 6.

EXHIBITS

Exhibit No.		Description
31.1*		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2*		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Securities Exchange Act Rules 13a-14(a) and 15(d)-14(a), as adopted Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1**		Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2**		Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
101.INS*		XBRL Instance Document
101.CAL*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.SCH*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.DEF*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE*		XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

*	Filed herewith.

**	Furnished.

	Mercury Ecommerce Acquisition Corp.
Date: May 13, 2022	By:	/s/ Andrew White
		Name: Andrew White
		Title: Chief Executive Officer

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