As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 29, 2021.
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Delaware
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
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6770
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
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86-1273146
(IRS Employer
Identification Number)
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600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 542-4540
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
J. Carney Hawks
c/o Hawks Acquisition Corp
Chief Executive Officer
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 542-4540
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
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Brian M. Janson, Esq.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
(212) 373-3000
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Gregory P. Rodgers, Esq.
Latham & Watkins LLP
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 906-2918
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Ryan J. Maierson, Esq.
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77002
(713) 546-7420
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Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
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.
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Large accelerated filer
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Accelerated filer
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Non-accelerated filer
☒
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Smaller reporting company
☒
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Emerging growth company
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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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
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Title of each Class of Security
Being Registered
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Amount Being
Registered
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Proposed Maximum
Offering Price
per Security(1)
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Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)
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Amount of
Registration Fee
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Units, each consisting of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable public warrant(2)
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23,000,000 Units
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$10.00
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$230,000,000
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$25,093
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Shares of Class A common stock included as part of the units(3)
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23,000,000 Shares
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—
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—
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—(4)
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Redeemable public warrants included as part of the units(3)
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11,500,000 Public Warrants
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—
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—
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—
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Total
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$230,000,000
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$25,093
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(1)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
(2)
Includes 3,000,000 units, consisting of 3,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 1,500,000 redeemable public warrants, which may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.
(3)
Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.
(4)
No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act.
The Registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 29, 2021
$200,000,000
Hawks Acquisition Corp
20,000,000 Units
Hawks Acquisition Corp is a newly incorporated blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We may pursue an initial business combination target in any business or industry.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the public warrants. Only whole public warrants are exercisable. The public warrants will become exercisable on the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering (the “warrant exercise date”), and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation (the “warrant expiration date”), as described in this prospectus. Subject to the terms and conditions described in this prospectus, we may redeem the public warrants for cash once the public warrants become exercisable. We have also granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of our Class A common stock in connection with 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 described below calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of amounts withdrawn to fund our working capital requirements, subject to an annual limit of $1,000,000, and/or to pay our taxes (“permitted withdrawals”)), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, which can be extended at our sponsor's option up to 6 months, as described herein (“completion window”), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Hawks Sponsor LLC, has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 private placement warrants (or 7,100,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate, or $7,100,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering (the “Private Placement”). We refer to these warrants throughout this prospectus as the private placement warrants. Our sponsor has an option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus.
Certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other anchor investor), which we refer to as the anchor investors, have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $[ ] million of units in this offering at the offering price, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to offer to the anchor investors up to such number of units and no more than 9.9% of the units in this offering per anchor investor. There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In addition, none of the anchor investors has any obligation to vote any of their public shares in favor of our initial business combination. For a discussion of certain additional arrangements with our anchor investors, see “Summary — The Offering — Expression of Interest.”
Our initial stockholders, which includes our sponsor, currently hold 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised). The total number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding after this offering and the expiration of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units will equal 20% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock outstanding at such time. The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule or as otherwise described in this prospectus.
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our units, Class A common stock or public warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “HWKZ.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. The Class A common stock and public warrants will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus, subject to certain conditions. Once the securities constituting the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “HWKZ” and “HWKZ WS,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves risks. Please see “Risk Factors.” Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the SEC nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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Per Unit
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Total
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Price to public
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$
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10.00
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$
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200,000,000
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Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)
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$
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0.55
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$
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11,000,000
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Proceeds, before expenses, to us
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$
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9.45
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$
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189,000,000
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(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in the aggregate, payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination. Does not include certain fees and expenses payable to the underwriters in connection with this offering. See also “Underwriting” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200.0 million, or $230.0 million if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2021.
Joint Bookrunners
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BTIG
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Mizuho Securities
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Co-Manager
Imperial Capital
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the units offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this prospectus is current only as of its date.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1
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34
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72
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73
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76
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77
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79
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80
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86
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116
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126
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130
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133
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148
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156
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163
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163
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163
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F-1
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Trademarks
This prospectus contains references to trademarks and service marks belonging to other entities. Solely for convenience, trademarks and trade names referred to in this prospectus may appear without the ® or ™ symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that the applicable licensor will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, its rights to these trademarks and trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, trademarks or service marks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies.
SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
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“anchor investors” are to certain qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management team, our sponsor or any other anchor investor) that have collectively expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $[ ] million of units in this offering, as further described herein, and to the extent such purchases are made, will become a member of our sponsor at the closing of this offering;
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“amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our certificate of incorporation to be in effect upon the completion of this offering;
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“common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock;
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“completion window” is the period following the completion of this offering at the end of which, if we have not completed our initial business combination, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions and as further described herein. The completion window ends 18 months from the closing of this offering, unless our sponsor elects to exercise its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months or such other time period in which we must consummate an initial business combination pursuant to an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation;
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“directors” are to our directors;
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“equity-linked securities” are to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for shares of our Class A common stock issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of such securities;
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“founder shares” are to shares of our Class B common stock and the shares of our Class A common stock issued upon the automatic conversion thereof at the time of our initial business combination as provided herein;
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“initial stockholders” are to our sponsor and any other holders of our founder shares immediately prior to this offering;
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“letter agreement” refers to the letter agreement, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part;
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“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;
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“our advisor” refers to J. Soren Reynertson, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of GLCA Securities, LLC (“GLC Securities” and co-founder and a Managing Director of GLC Advisors & Co., LLC (“GLC Advisors”) (GLC Securities and GLC Advisors, together, are collectively referred to as “GLC”);
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“permitted withdrawals” means amounts withdrawn to fund our working capital requirements, subject to an annual limit of $1,000,000, and/or to pay our taxes;
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“Private Placement Transaction” are to a subscription of 6,500,000 warrants (or 7,100,000 warrants in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate, or $7,100,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) by our sponsor in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
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“private placement warrants” are to the warrants to be issued to our sponsor in a private placement transaction simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, and to those warrants issued in connection with our sponsor electing to exercise its option to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by 6 months;
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“public shares” are to shares of our Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
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“public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor, officers and directors to the extent our sponsor, officers or directors purchase public shares, provided that each of their status as a “public stockholder” shall only exist with respect to such public shares;
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“public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
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“sponsor” are to Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company;
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“underwriters’ option to purchase additional units” are to the underwriters’ 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any;
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“warrants” are, collectively, to the public warrants and the private placement warrants;
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“warrant agreements” are, together, to our public warrant agreement and private warrant agreement;
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“warrant exercise date” are to the date on which the warrants will become exercisable, which is the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering;
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“warrant expiration date” are to the date on which the warrants expire, which is five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation; and
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“we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 750,000 founder shares.
General
We are a newly incorporated blank check company whose business purpose is to effect a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but expect to focus on a target in an industry where we believe our management team and founder’s expertise will provide us with a competitive advantage.
Our sponsor was formed by JC Hawks & Co., which is led by J. Carney Hawks, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hawks was founding partner of Brigade Management until his retirement from the firm at the end of 2019. At Brigade, Mr. Hawks was the Head of Special Situations and sat on the Investment Committee. Prior to his role at Brigade, Mr. Hawks was a Managing Director in the high yield group at Mackay Shields. These positions have provided Mr. Hawks in excess of 20 years of experience investing in the public and private markets for distressed debt and post-restructured equities. Mr. Hawks has served on numerous official and ad hoc creditors’ committees, as well as corporate boards. Through these roles, Mr. Hawks has developed extensive understanding of the issues that face businesses that have emerged from bankruptcy, as well as a knowledge of the characteristics of companies that thrive following a corporate restructuring. We have retained GLC, and its co-founder and Managing Director of GLC Advisors, J. Soren Reynertson, to provide us with financial advisory services. These services will include (i) profiling and sourcing potential target companies, (ii) preparing financial analysis related to potential targets and researching relevant industries, (iii) assisting in the due diligence of the targets and (iv) assisting in negotiating and structuring the financial aspects of any potential transaction. Mr. Reynertson will serve as our advisor.
The extensive experience of our CEO and directors, and the investment professionals at GLC, have allowed the team to foster deep relationships within the distressed industry that we believe will provide us with a competitive advantage compared to other blank check companies in sourcing and negotiating a business combination within this area. Our network of contacts includes distressed credit focused investment firms as well as high yield bond- and leveraged loan-focused investment managers that invest in the debt securities of companies with stressed capital structures. Through these positions, these firms often acquire controlling stakes in businesses following a corporate reorganization. Our other contacts include restructuring focused financial advisors, law firms and board directors, all of which can be accessed to facilitate discussions with potential combination targets.
The economic collapse caused by the COVID crisis beginning in early 2020 has significantly increased the universe of companies that are either stressed or were forced to restructure their balance sheets through an in-court or out-of-court process. Often, these types of companies would benefit from the capital infusion provided by a combination with a blank check company whose post-reorganization capital structures are sometimes designed to meet the requirements of pre-reorganization creditors instead of being optimized to allow the businesses to reach their full potential. Further, the public listing obtained by combining with a blank check company would provide these companies with a public currency they can use to engage in mergers and acquisition opportunities. Finally, it would provide the owners of these companies, who are often not natural holders of illiquid equity positions, with liquidity to better manage their holdings in these businesses.
Our executive officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”. Past performance of our management team does not guarantee either (i) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical performance record of our management team as indicative of our future performance.
For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the sections entitled “Management” and “Proposed Business.”
Business Strategy
Our business strategy focuses on two types of companies: those that have emerged privately from bankruptcy court protection and are owned by their former creditors or those that are privately owned and could benefit from an infusion of equity capital as part of a balance sheet recapitalization. We believe there is a sizable universe of companies that meet the prior criteria. While many of these companies are subscale or continue to struggle to turnaround their business operations, there is a meaningful subset of quality companies whose growth and performance are being limited by excessive leverage or the constraints imposed on them from restrictive covenants and tight liquidity that result from their reorganization/bankruptcy. We believe that these companies would greatly benefit from the capital infusion and public listing a combination with a blank check company would provide. We also believe that members of our management team and board would provide expertise to these companies as they navigate the post-reorganization time period.
Private companies that have either emerged from bankruptcy or out-of-court recapitalization and are now owned by their former creditors often trade over-the-counter and are marked by their investors at a substantial valuation discount to where their public competitors are priced for the following reasons:
•
The high leverage, tight covenants and/or limited liquidity imposed on these companies restricts their abilities to reinvest in attractive growth opportunities and expand their revenue and income. Further, the high cost of debt of these companies can be a red flag, which prevents some investors from even considering the names as an investment.
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Obtaining financial information on private companies can be difficult, and, even when obtained, the information is often lacking in detail and reliability compared to public filers. This can deter new investors from attempting to analyze these companies.
•
Because these companies are private, any transactions in their equity securities take place in the over-the-counter market where price discovery is weak and trading volumes are thin. The inability to have certainty and the lack of ability to build a meaningful position in a reorganized equity can prevent new investors from investing in these companies.
•
While buyers are scarce for the reason described above, those wishing to sell the stock of these companies often are unnatural holders who either are required or highly incentivized to sell their positions. Therefore, these sellers are often less price sensitive, which can cause such sales to take place at very discounted prices.
Private companies with excessive leverage are likely to be willing to accept an equity infusion at an attractive price for the new investors for the following reasons:
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The high leverage and resulting elevated cost of capital limits the ability for these companies to generate free cash flow or pursue growth opportunities that allow the company to ultimately support its leverage.
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Companies with no public equity and an excessively indebted capital structure have a limited ability to pursue merger and acquisition opportunities.
•
For the reasons listed above, the owners of these companies are often forced to hold their investments without good current alternatives or a path in the future for an exit from the position.
Combining with a blank check company can provide both of these types of private companies with numerous benefits. First, the cash infusion received from the transaction would allow these businesses to reduce or refinance their debts. This can lead to lower interest expenses or amortization requirements and thereby free up cash flow for growth opportunities or further debt reduction. Also, the public listing provides these companies with a currency they can use to invest in the business and to pursue opportunistic mergers and acquisitions. The owners of these businesses would receive publicly-tradeable equity, which would allow them to better manage their ownership in these companies and ultimately provide exit ability. Finally, following a combination with a blank check company such as us, these businesses may gain the expertise of
the management team and board of the blank check company in managing the issues that face post-reorganized or highly leveraged businesses.
Business Combination Criteria
We believe the following general criteria and guidelines are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, but we may decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
Investing in post-reorganized or highly levered companies can be risky. The universe of these businesses is full of companies with many challenges beyond simply their capital structures. We will look to mitigate the risks associated with investing in this area by adhering to an investment process which seeks to find good businesses with challenging balance sheets that will benefit from a combination with a blank check company. Among the criteria we will seek to use to select an attractive combination target are:
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Middle market companies with an implied equity value of at least $500 million: While attractive businesses do exist with smaller equity values, we believe that focusing on businesses with at least $500 million in implied equity value will increase the likelihood of an attractive combination. Companies with meaningful equity value are more likely to be established businesses with a significant amount of enterprise value in excess of their debt. This provides a margin of safety for an investment in these businesses. Further, the resulting company following a combination with a blank check company is likely to have the required size to attract institutional investors into the newly public entity.
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Companies that are valued at a substantial discount to public market peers: We seek to combine with a company that is valued at a significant discount to its publicly traded competitors. The reduced leverage and public listing provided by the transaction will allow this valuation gap to shrink as the merged entity continues to execute its business plan.
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Companies with high market share or a defensible competitive position: Our objective will be to find good businesses that completed a restructuring or have accumulated debt for identifiable reasons that are no longer pressuring the company. We seek companies that have experienced a rapid economic deterioration, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak or from cyclical changes and that have since recovered and can now continue on a path of recovery and future growth.
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Companies that generate meaningful free cash on an unlevered basis: We seek to invest in businesses that have difficulty in generating free cash flow as a result of a troubled balance sheet (too much leverage and/or a high cost of debt capital) and not a capital-intensive business model. Companies with solid operational cash flow will benefit the most from the debt reduction and refinancing made possible by a combination with a blank check company.
•
Companies that are already on a growth trajectory despite their balance sheet: We will focus on companies that have already shown several quarters of improving financials and have further growth potential with higher levels of internally generated cash flow that can be obtained follow a combination with a blank check company. We will avoid companies with secular headwinds, that participate in highly competitive industries or that are still in the process of turning around their operations.
•
Companies with strong management teams: While our management team and board have many years of experience providing strategic direction to restructured companies, we are not looking for situations that require a large-scale change to existing management. Instead, we seek companies with good existing management that will further benefit from the expertise we can provide following a combination.
•
Situations in which both the companies and their owners will benefit from a public listing: Companies with acquisition opportunities are aided in these efforts by the reduced leverage and public listing provided by a combination with a blank check company. Owners of effectively private equity holdings, especially those who are not natural holders of illiquid equity investments, will benefit from the ability to manage their holdings once the combined entity trades on a public stock exchange.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as
other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.
In addition to any potential target business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a potential target business, we expect to conduct a comprehensive due diligence review to seek to determine a company’s quality and its intrinsic value. That due diligence review may include, among other things, financial statement analysis, detailed document reviews, multiple meetings with management, consultations with relevant industry experts, competitors, customers and suppliers, as well as a review of additional information that we will seek to obtain as part of our analysis of a target company.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our team, including our officers and directors, will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target company is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public stockholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). See “Risk Factors — Since our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public stockholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.” Certain of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers, directors, and management team members was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to such business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and
duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Initial Business Combination
We will have up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, subject to our sponsor purchasing additional private placement warrants. Our stockholders will not be entitled to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in order to extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination in such a manner, our sponsor, upon no less than five days' advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must purchase an additional 2,000,000 private placement warrants, or 2,300,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, and deposit the proceeds of such purchase proceeds into the trust account on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor is not obligated to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor has the option to accelerate its purchase of the up to 2,000,000 private placement warrants (or up to 2,300,000 private placement warrants to the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised) at any time following the closing of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination with the same effect of extending the time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months.
In addition to our sponsor's ability to extend our deadline to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months by purchasing additional private placement warrants as described above, we may also hold a stockholder vote at any time to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders' rights or pre-initial business combination activity). As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (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), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our
remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in each case, to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
The NYSE’s rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that we will not do so. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE’s rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders’ own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all the target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates 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 in connection with 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 with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public stockholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our 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 upon expiration of the completion window. 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.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be 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.
Risk Factors Summary
Our business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those highlighted in the section titled “Risk Factors” immediately following this prospectus summary. These risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with:
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being a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues;
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our ability to complete our initial business combination, including risks arising from the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;
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our public stockholders’ ability to exercise redemption rights;
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the requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the completion window;
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the possibility that NYSE may delist our securities from trading on its exchange;
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being declared an investment company under the Investment Company Act;
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complying with changing laws and regulations;
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the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;
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our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
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the pool of prospective target businesses available to us and the ability of our officers and directors
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to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
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the issuance of additional Class A common stock in connection with a business combination that may dilute the interest of our stockholders;
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the incentives to our sponsor, officers and directors to complete a business combination to avoid losing their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed;
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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;
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our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
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our ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
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our ability to amend the terms of public warrants in a manner that may be adverse to the holders of public warrants;
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our ability to redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise;
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our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading; and
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provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law that may have the effect of inhibiting a takeover of us and discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, and limiting our stockholders’ abilities to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees, agents or stockholders.
We are a newly incorporated company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate
no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. Please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in this prospectus.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Our executive offices are located at 600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022 and our telephone number is (212) 542-4540. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be www.hawksacquisitioncorp.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
The Offering
In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors.”
20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
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one share of Class A common stock; and
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one-half of one redeemable public warrant to purchase one share of Class A common stock.
Units: “HWKZ.U”
Class A Common Stock: “HWKZ”
Public Warrants: “HWKZ WS”
Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and public warrants
The units are expected to begin trading promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and public warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless BTIG, LLC and Mizuho Securities USA LLC inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and the public warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and public warrants. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant.
In no event will the Class A common stock and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.
Units:
Number outstanding before this offering
None.
Number outstanding after this offering:
20,000,000(1)
Common Stock:
Number outstanding before this offering:
5,750,000(2)(4)
Number outstanding after this offering:
25,000,000(1)(3)(4)
Warrants:
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement transaction simultaneously with this offering:
6,500,000(1)
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of private placement warrants:
16,500,000(1)
Each whole public warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of our Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided herein, and only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade.
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one public warrant, with each whole public warrant exercisable for one share of Class A common stock, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole public warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the public warrants in connection with our initial business combination, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
$11.50 per share of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) 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
(1)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture by our sponsor of 750,000 founder shares.
(2)
Consists solely of founder shares and includes up to 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.
(3)
Includes 20,000,000 public shares and 5,000,000 founder shares.
(4)
Founder shares are classified as shares of Class B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
combination at an issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such 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 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 our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) 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 consummate 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 the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and, in the case of the public warrants only, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of public warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The warrants will become exercisable on the warrant exercise date, which is the later of:
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30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and
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12 months from the closing of this offering;
provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the public and private warrant agreements, as applicable).
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants at this time. However, 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 reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the public warrants expire or, in the case of public warrants only, are redeemed, as specified in the public or private warrant agreement, as applicable. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, public warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any other period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise public warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with
Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our 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 we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares of Class A common stock under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the warrant expiration date, which is five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any public warrant, the public warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of public warrants
Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding public warrants:
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in whole and not in part;
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at a price of $0.01 per public warrant;
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upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and
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if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any ten (10) trading days within the twenty (20) trading-day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the public warrant holders.
We will not redeem the public warrants for cash unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period or we have elected to require the exercise of the public warrants on a “cashless basis” as described below.
If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If we call the public warrants for redemption for cash, as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their public warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our public warrants.
In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the fair market value (as defined below) over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” means the volume-weighted last reported price of the Class A common stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise of the public warrants is sent to the warrant agent from the holder of such public warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
Election of directors; voting
rights
Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to vote on the election of directors; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. Other than pursuant to the provision in the preceding sentence, holders of the Class A common stock will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule, holders of our Class A common stock and holders of our Class B common stock will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. Nevertheless, in connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into a stockholders agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or equity financing providers that provide such persons with greater voting rights, board representation or other corporate governance rights than other holders of our Class A common stock following completion of the initial business combination.
The anchor investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other anchor investor) have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $[ ] million of the units in this offering at the offering price, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to offer to the anchor investors up to such number of units and no more than 9.9% of the units in this offering per anchor investor. Further, each of the anchor investors is expected to enter into a separate agreement with our sponsor and certain of its members pursuant to which, subject to the conditions set forth therein, each such investor will agree to purchase equity interests in our sponsor from such members representing an indirect beneficial interest in founder shares upon closing of this offering (and will have no direct or
indirect beneficial interest in any other securities held by our sponsor). The obligation of such members of our sponsor to sell such interests in our sponsor to each anchor investor is conditioned upon each such anchor investor purchasing all of the units in this offering, if any, it may be offered by the underwriters (which shall not exceed 9.9% of the units in this offering). The negotiations between our sponsor and each anchor investor were separate and there are no arrangements or understandings among the anchor investors with regard to voting, including voting with respect to our initial business combination.
The anchor investors have not been granted any stockholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public stockholders, and will only be issued equity interests in our sponsor, with no right to control our sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by our sponsor. Further, unlike some anchor investor arrangements of other blank check companies, the anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A common stock or warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any shares of Class A common stock they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial 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 this offering as the rights afforded to our other public stockholders.
There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that the anchor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination.
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial officer and our advisor, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the
company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
The founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
•
only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election and removal of directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors;
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the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;
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our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed: (1) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them, as applicable, in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (2) to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window; and (3) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window). If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial
stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised) in order to have such initial business combination approved;
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the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described in more detail below; and
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the holders of the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
Transfer restrictions on founder shares
Our sponsor, founder, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; or (2) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our 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, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up.
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. 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 this offering and related to the closing of our 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 this offering plus all shares of Class A common
stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination in consideration for such seller’s interest in the business combination target and any private placement warrants issued upon the conversion of working capital loans made to us.
Private placement warrants
Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 private placement warrants (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per private placement warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate, or $7,100,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in a private placement transaction. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us and will be exercisable on a cashless basis (see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Private Placement Warrants”).
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
Cashless exercise of private placement warrants
If holders of private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) of the Class A common stock over the exercise price of the private placement warrants by (y) the “fair market value.” For purposes of this paragraph, “fair market value” means the volume-weighted average reported closing price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise of the private placement warrants is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that the private placement warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether our sponsor or its permitted transferees will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If our sponsor or its
permitted transferees remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that restrict insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods.
Proceeds to be held in trust account
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200.0 million ($10.00 per unit), or $230.0 million ($10.00 per unit) if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and an aggregate of approximately $2.0 million will be used to pay expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations.
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us as described below, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of our Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination or pre-initial business combination business activity; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public stockholders.
Anticipated expenses and funding sources
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except permitted withdrawals. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate
approximately $40,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year); however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,500,000 in expenses relating to this offering, from interest withdrawn from the trust account and from any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation or other duty to loan funds to, or invest in, us, and provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us in connection with our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we expect to repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of all loans made to us by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender at the time of the business combination. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor.
Conditions to completing our initial business combination
We will have up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, subject to our sponsor purchasing additional private placement warrants. Our stockholders will not be entitled to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in order to extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination in such a manner, our sponsor, upon no less than five days' advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must purchase an additional 2,000,000 private placement warrants, or 2,300,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full and deposit the proceeds of such purchase into the trust account on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor is not obligated to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor has the option to accelerate its purchase of the up to 2,000,000 private placement warrants (or up to 2,300,000 private placement warrants to the extent to which the over-allotment option
is exercised) at any time following the closing of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination with the same effect of extending the time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months.
In addition to our sponsor's ability to extend our deadline to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months by purchasing additional private placement warrants as described above, we may also hold a stockholder vote at any time to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders' rights or pre-initial business combination activity). As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (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), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in each case, to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. The NYSE’s rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if applicable, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case.
If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 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. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test, provided that in the event that our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates
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 any of their respective 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 or other duty to do so. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire securities. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants such persons may purchase, or any restriction on the price that they may pay. Any such price per share may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its public shares in connection with our initial business combination. However, such persons have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under
the Exchange Act. Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to:
(1)
refrain from purchasing securities when they are in possession of any material non-public information; and
(2)
to clear all trades with our compliance personnel or legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
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. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases if such purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
We expect that 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. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
The purpose of any such purchases of public shares could be to vote such public 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 public warrants on any matters submitted to the public 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 public shares of Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with our initial business
combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares in connection with 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 our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. Such amount will be increased by an anticipated $0.10 per public share pursuant to our sponsor's option to purchase additional private placement warrants for a 6 month extension of our time to consummate an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their public shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. 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 the proposed transaction. There will be no redemption rights with respect to our public warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares in connection with our initial business combination either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. 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 typically require stockholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions pursuant to a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons.
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:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
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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, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we and 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, in order 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 the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. 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.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will:
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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
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.
If we seek stockholder approval, unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rules, 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 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, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. We expect that at the time of any stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock entitled to vote thereon. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised) in order to have such initial business combination approved. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements 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 or whether they were a stockholder on the record date for the stockholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any public shares, and all shares of common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Tendering share 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 our 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 DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, rather than simply voting
against the initial 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 will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares.
Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, 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 will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our affiliates 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 this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, 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 a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Redemption rights in connection with proposed amendments to our certificate of
incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to fund the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock. In
all other instances (other than the election of directors), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock entitled to vote thereon, subject to applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, or applicable stock exchange rules. Prior to an initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may 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 may choose. 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 to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public 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 (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public 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 and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination
At the time of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Proposed Business — Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. 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 redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, 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.
Redemption of public shares and distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (net of permitted withdrawals and up to $100,000 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 (3) 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 public warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such completion window.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates acquires public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
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 to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public 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 (net of permitted withdrawals and
up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.
Limited payments to insiders
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments may be made to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisor, or our or any of their respective affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from (i) funds held outside the trust account or (ii) permitted withdrawals:
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repayment of an aggregate of up to $750,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
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payment to GLC or an affiliate of GLC of a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, assuming our sponsor exercises its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses;
•
payment of transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination to GLC or an affiliate of GLC;
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reimbursement of legal fees and expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers or directors in connection with our formation, the initial business combination and their services to us;
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reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination; and
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repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender; and
•
payment of a fee of $10,000 per month to our Chief Operating Officer for service provided to us in such capacity.
Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisor or our or any of their respective affiliates.
Prior to the effectiveness of this registration statement, we will have established and will maintain an audit committee to, among other
things, monitor compliance with the terms described above and the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to immediately take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. Please see “Management — Committees of the Board of Directors — Audit Committee” for additional information.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As further described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described above). 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.
The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.
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: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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 $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations.
Summary Financial Data
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
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As of June 30, 2021
(Actual)
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As of June 30, 2021
(As Adjusted)
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Balance Sheet Data:
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Total assets
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$
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449,651
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$
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201,807,851
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Total liabilities
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$
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426,800
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$
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7,000,000
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Total stockholders’ equity
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|
|
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$
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22,851
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$
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5,000,001
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. 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 you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Our Search for, and Consummation of or Inability to Consummate, an Initial Business Combination
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, 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 not hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the 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. For instance, the NYSE’s rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek stockholder approval of such business combination. However, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed 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. Even if we seek stockholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our outstanding public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. Please see “Proposed Business — Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination” for additional information.
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.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised) in order to have such initial business combination approved. We expect that our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees will own at least 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock at the time of any such stockholder vote. Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, it is more likely that the necessary stockholder approval will be received than would be the case if our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees agreed to vote their founder shares in accordance with the majority of the votes cast by our public stockholders. In addition, in the event that our anchor investors purchase all of the approximately $[ ] million of units that they have collectively expressed an interest in purchasing in this offering and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any 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 such business combination.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Additionally, since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination. 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.
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 a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public 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 business combination. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with a business combination and such amount of deferred underwriting discount is not available for us to use as consideration in an initial business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us. If we are able to consummate an initial business combination, the per-share value of shares held by non-redeeming stockholders will reflect our obligation to pay the deferred underwriting commissions.
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, we 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 is submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B common stock results in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, the amount of deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters is not required to be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial 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 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 increases. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your 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.
The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the completion window may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 receive only $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that we must complete our initial business combination within the completion window. 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.
If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than 10 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 (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 (3) 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 receive only $10.00 per share, or less than $10.00 per share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or public warrants from the public, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our securities.
If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors,
officers, advisors or any of their respective 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 or other duty to do so. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how such persons will determine from which stockholders to seek to acquire public shares or public warrants. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such public stockholder, although still the record holder of our public 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 any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling public stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their public shares. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its public shares in connection with our initial business combination. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such public shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such public shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such public warrants on any matters submitted to the public 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. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a 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, the tender offer documents or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or redeem public shares. For example, we may require our public 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 or proxy materials documents 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 procedures, its shares may not be redeemed. Please see “Proposed Business — Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. To liquidate your investment, therefore, you may be forced to sell your public shares or public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (1) the completion of our 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; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In addition, if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window for any reason, compliance with Delaware law may require that we submit a plan of dissolution to our then-existing stockholders for approval prior to the distribution of the proceeds held in our trust account. In that case, public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond the completion window before they receive funds from our trust account. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of public warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the public warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or public warrants, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on our redemption of their stock, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there will be numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. Our sponsor, any of its affiliates or any of their respective clients may make additional investments in us, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation or other duty to do so.
This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, in the event we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we are obligated to pay cash for public shares that are redeemed, it will potentially reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating and completing a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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.
If the funds available to us outside of the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
We believe that the funds available to us outside of the trust account, including permitted withdrawals and loans or additional investments from our sponsor, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the completion window; 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 or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 will depend on permitted withdrawals and loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search, to pay our taxes and to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to obtain such loans, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $1,000,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,500,000, we may fund such excess with funds held outside the trust account, loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,500,000, the excess would be held outside of the trust account. We expect to fund a portion of our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination with permitted withdrawals from the interest earned on the trust account. In addition, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required to fund our working capital requirements. Based upon current interest rates, we expect the trust account to generate approximately $40,000 of interest annually (assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year); however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their respective affiliates is under any obligation or other duty to loan funds to us in such circumstances. Any such loans would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us in connection with our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In such case, our public stockholders may receive only $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and the price of our securities, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present with a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully
identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post-combination debt financing. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
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 will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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, 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 we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 amount 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 discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such 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.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and executive officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our directors and executive officers to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our directors and executive officers have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. 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 directors and executive officers members may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors and executive officers members for breach of their fiduciary duties. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and executive officers, 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 directors and executive officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
Our independent 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: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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 permitted withdrawals, 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 may choose not to do so in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may 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.
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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public 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 by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages.
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 public stockholders in connection with our liquidation would be reduced.
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:
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restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
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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:
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registration as an investment company with the SEC;
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adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
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reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and compliance with other rules and regulations that we are currently not subject to.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long-term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale.
We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in 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. This offering 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 primary business objective, which is a 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 to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (iii) absent a business combination, 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 do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to consummate our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share on the liquidation of our 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 if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Please 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 laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating target businesses in a particular industry nor have we identified 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’s operations.
We may seek to complete a business combination with an operating company in any industry or sector. However, 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. Because we have not yet identified or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these criteria and guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of 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 applicable law or
stock exchange rules, 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities in acquisition targets that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination in sectors which may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise if such business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive acquisition opportunity for our company. In the event we elect to pursue an acquisition outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this 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 relevant to such acquisition. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business, a post-reorganized company, a highly leveraged company or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings, which could subject us to volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with an early stage company, a financially unstable business, a post-reorganized company, a highly leveraged company, or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm 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 stockholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity, we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that the price we are paying is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.
In addition, if our board of directors is not able to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, in connection with the NYSE rules that require that an initial business combination be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if applicable, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
Other than the two circumstances described above, 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. 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 tender offer documents or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
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 described herein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 20,000,000 and 5,000,000 (assuming in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their option to purchase additional units) authorized but unissued shares of Class A and Class B common stock, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not upon the conversion of the Class B common stock. Shares of Class B common stock are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock, and may issue shares of preferred stock, in order 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 will provide that we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or on our initial business combination or that would entitle holders thereof to receive funds from the trust account). We may also issue shares 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 described herein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to (1) receive funds from the trust account or (2) vote on any initial business combination. The issuance of additional shares of common or preferred stock:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our common stock or may result in holders of additional common stock having greater voting rights, board representation or other corporate governance rights;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of shares of 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
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, common stock and/or public warrants.
Resources could be wasted in researching initial business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including
those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. Please 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 only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may materially negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (which includes $7,000,000, or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset; or
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dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our acquisition strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could
be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. 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 structure our 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 business sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of 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 do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our stockholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will not provide a specified maximum redemption threshold, except that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public 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 any of their respective affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all shares of 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 modified 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, including our warrant agreements, in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that some of our stockholders or warrant holders 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 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. 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.
Certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of holders of not less than 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 will provide that any of its provisions (other than amendments relating to the election and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, which require the approval by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding) related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to fund the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances and to provide redemption rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our common stock, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our common stock. In all other instances, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that it may be amended by holders of a majority of our common stock, 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 or on our initial business combination. Our initial stockholders, who will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), may 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 will govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete our 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, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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, 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.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement warrants prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to
seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only approximately $10.00 per share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent novel coronavirus (“COVID-19”) outbreak.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization officially declared the outbreak of the COVID-19 a “pandemic.” Significant outbreaks of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases could result in widespread health crises that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our 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.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
Our sponsor has the right to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination to up to 24 months from the closing of this offering without providing our stockholders with a corresponding redemption right.
We will have until 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, subject to our sponsor purchasing additional private placement warrants. Our stockholders will not be entitled to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in order to extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination in such a manner, our sponsor must purchase an additional 2,000,000 private placement warrants, or 2,300,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, and deposit the $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, in proceeds into the trust account on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor has the option to accelerate its purchase of of the up to 2,000,000 private placement warrants (or up to 2,300,000 private placement warrants to the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised) at any time following the closing of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination with the same effect of extending the time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months. This feature is different than most other special purpose acquisition companies, in which any extension of the company's period to consummate an initial business combination would require a vote of the company's stockholders in connection with such vote, the stockholders would have the right to redeem their public shares.
Risks Relating to Our Securities
The NYSE 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.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and public warrants listed on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE’s listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on the NYSE in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on the NYSE prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and stock price levels. In general, we must maintain a minimum number of holders of our securities. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, our stock price would generally be required to be at least $4 per share. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
If the NYSE delists any of our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list such securities on another national securities exchange, we expect such securities could be quoted on an over-the-counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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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;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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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 we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A common stock and public warrants will qualify as covered securities under such statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state 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 the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under such statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the U.S. securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet of our company demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of our initial business combination. Please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419” for a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419.
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 will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not restrict 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 the Excess Shares and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your Excess Shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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 our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window 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 the 24th month from the closing of this offering 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 do not intend to comply 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, consultants, 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 our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, 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 we consummate our initial business combination and you will not be entitled to any of the corporate protections provided by such a meeting.
We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders until after we consummate our initial business combination (unless required by the NYSE) and thus may not be in compliance with Section 211(b) of the DGCL, which requires an annual meeting of stockholders be held for the purposes of electing directors in accordance with a company’s bylaws unless such election is made by written consent in lieu of such a meeting. Therefore, if our stockholders want us to hold an annual meeting prior to our 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. Moreover, our Class B stockholders will be entitled to elect all of our directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination and may elect to do so by written consent without a meeting.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, 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” and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreements, 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 reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating thereto until the warrants expire or, in the case of the public warrants only, are redeemed. 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, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis. However, no public 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 public 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 or qualification is available. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but we will use our reasonable best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws and no exemption is available. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the public warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such public warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their public 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. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our private placement warrants to exercise such private placement warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the public warrants included as part of units sold in this offering. In such an instance, our sponsor and its permitted transferees (which may include our directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their private placement warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock underlying such private placement warrants while holders of our public warrants would not be able to exercise their public warrants and sell the underlying common stock. If and when the private placement warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of Class A common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the private placement warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their public warrants.
The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of their founder shares after those shares convert to shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor and its permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the private placement warrants and the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register the resale of such warrants or the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to complete. 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 common stock owned by our initial stockholders or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants owned by our sponsor or warrants issued in connection with working capital loans are registered for resale.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our stockholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, 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:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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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;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our common stock;
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our common stock if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
Our initial stockholders will control the election of our board of directors until consummation of our initial business combination and will hold a substantial interest in us. As a result, they will elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination and may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon the closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20% of our outstanding common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). In addition, the founder shares, all of which are held by our initial stockholders, will entitle the holders to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will, other than as provided in the previous sentence, have no right to vote on the election of directors prior to consummation of the initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding. As a result, you will not have any influence over the election of directors prior to our initial business combination, other than at a stockholders’ meeting during which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders for approval, as described above.
Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. 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, as a result of their substantial ownership in our company, our initial stockholders may exert a substantial influence on other 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 influence over these actions. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will exert significant influence over actions requiring a stockholder vote. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities.”
Our sponsor contributed $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A common stock and none to the public warrants) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon the closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the public warrants, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 91.7% (or $9.17 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $0.83 and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.
The nominal purchase price paid by our sponsor for the founder shares may result in significant dilution to the implied value of your public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are offering our units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit and the amount deposited in our trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share, implying an initial value of $10.00 per public share. However, prior to this offering, our sponsor paid a nominal aggregate purchase price of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.004 per share. As a result, the value of your public shares may be significantly diluted upon the consummation of our initial business combination, when the founder shares are converted into public shares. For example, the following table shows the dilutive effect of the founder shares on the implied value of the public shares upon the consummation of our initial business combination, assuming that our equity value at that time is $200,000,000, which is the amount in cash we would have for our initial business combination in the trust account, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised, no interest is earned on the funds held in the trust account, and no public shares are redeemed in connection with our initial business combination, and without taking into account any other potential impacts on our valuation at such time, such as the trading price of our public shares, the business combination transaction costs (including payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions), any equity issued or cash paid to the target’s equityholders or other third parties, or the target’s business itself, including its assets, liabilities, management and prospects, or the impact of our public and private warrants. At such valuation, each share of our common stock would have an implied value of $7.76 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, which would be a 22.4% decrease as compared to the initial implied value per public share of $10.00 (the price per unit in this offering, assuming no value is ascribed to the public warrants).
Public shares: 20,000,000
Founder shares: 5,750,000
Total shares: 25,750,000
Total funds in trust available for initial business combination: $200,000,000
Initial implied value per public share: $10.00
Implied value per share upon consummation of initial business combination: $7.76
We may amend the terms of the public 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 public warrants could be increased, the public warrants could be converted into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our Class A common stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our public warrants will be issued in registered form under a public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The public warrant agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any other modification or amendment to the terms of the public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the public warrants, convert the public warrants into cash or stock (at a ratio different than initially provided), shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a public warrant. Our initial stockholders may purchase public warrants with the intention of reducing the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to warrantholders for approval, including amending the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. While our initial stockholders have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for such transactions, there is no limit on the number of our public warrants that our initial stockholders may purchase and it is not currently known how many public warrants, if any, our initial stockholders may hold at the time of our initial business combination or at any other time during which the terms of the public warrants may be proposed to be amended. Please see “Proposed Business — Permitted purchases of our securities.”
We may redeem your unexpired public warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your public warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per public warrant, if, among other things, the closing price of our Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any ten (10) trading days within a twenty (20) trading-day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the public warrant holders. If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the issued and outstanding public warrants could force you to: (1) exercise your public warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so (2) sell your public warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your public warrants; or (3) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding public warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your public warrants. The private placement warrants will be nonredeemable so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (except as described below under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
Our management’s ability to require holders of our public warrants to exercise such public warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A common stock upon their exercise of the public warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their public warrants for cash.
If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its public warrants (including any public warrants held by our sponsor, officers, directors or their permitted transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A common stock received by a holder upon
exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised their public warrants for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in us.
Our warrants and founder shares 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 will be issuing public warrants to purchase 10,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 11,500,000 shares of our Class A common stock if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), at a price of $11.50 per whole share (subject to adjustment as provided herein), as part of the units offered by this prospectus. Simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we also will be issuing in the private placement transaction an aggregate of 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Our initial stockholders currently hold 5,750,000 founder shares (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised). 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, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted into warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
To the extent we issue shares of Class A common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants or conversion rights could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Any such issuance will increase the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants and founder shares may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering except that: (1) they will not be redeemable by us; (2) they (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; (3) they may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis; and (4) the holders thereof (including with respect to the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants) are entitled to registration rights.
Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable public warrant and only a whole public warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, no fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole public warrants will trade. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and one whole public warrant to purchase one share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the public warrants upon completion of a business combination since the public warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for a half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole public warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if they included a public warrant to purchase one whole share.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives
of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and public warrants, include:
•
the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
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prior offerings of those companies;
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business;
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a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
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our capital structure;
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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying suitable acquisition opportunities;
•
general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
•
other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering size, price and the terms of the units, including the Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, 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 outbreak. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
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 a business combination include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Since our anchor investors will have an indirect beneficial interest in founder shares held by the sponsor, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for our initial business combination.
Our anchor investors are also (or will be) members of our sponsor with an indirect beneficial interest in founder shares held by our sponsor. These anchor investors, through their interests in the sponsor, will share in any appreciation of the founder shares, provided that we successfully complete a business combination. Accordingly, our anchor investors’ interests in the founder shares held by our sponsor 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.
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, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such initial business combination.
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 will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include three-year director terms and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Section 203 of the DGCL affects the ability of an “interested stockholder” to engage in certain business combinations, for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder becomes an “interested stockholder.” We will elect in our certificate of incorporation not to be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. Nevertheless, our certificate of incorporation will contain provisions that have the same effect as Section 203 of the DGCL, except that it will provide that affiliates of our sponsor and their transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and will therefore not be subject to such restrictions. These charter provisions may limit the ability of third parties to acquire control of our company.
Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial stockholders will receive additional 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 concurrently with or immediately in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis. However, if additional Class A common stock or any other equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus (ii) the total number of shares of common stock issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A common stock or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A common stock issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants
issued to our sponsor upon conversion of working capital loans, provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the aggregate value of the assets held in the trust account such that the per share redemption amount received by public stockholders may be less than your anticipated per share redemption amount.
The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury bills 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 not released to us, net of taxes payable. Negative interest rates could impact the per share redemption amount that may be received by public stockholders.
Our warrant agreements will designate the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, 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 agreements will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreements will be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, 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 agreements will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be 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 agreements, is filed in a court other than a court of the City of New York, County of New York, 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, and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such action brought in such court to enforce the forum provisions 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. Warrant holders who are unable to bring their claims in the judicial forum of their choosing may be required to incur additional costs in pursuit of actions which are subject to our choice-of-forum provision. However, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions (including exclusive federal forum provisions for actions, suits or proceedings asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act) in other companies’ organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceedings, and there is uncertainty as to whether courts would enforce the exclusive forum provisions in our warrant agreements. Additionally, our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Alternatively, if a court were to find these provisions of our warrant agreements to be 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.
A provision of our warrant agreements may make it more difficult for us to consummate 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 a newly issued price of less than $9.20 per share;
(ii)
the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation 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 consummate our initial business combination is below $9.20 per share,
then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the greater of 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 consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price and, in the case of the public warrants only, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants — Redemption of public warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of 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 consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price. This could make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
Risks Relating to Our Management Team
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 a business combination and their other responsibilities. We may not have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our business combination. Certain of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
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. Please see “Management — Directors and Executive Officers” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs.
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. 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 other 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.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be 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, we do not currently expect that any of them will do so. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may cause our key personnel to have conflicts of interest in determining whether to proceed with a particular business combination. However, we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. 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, as we do not expect that any of our key personnel will remain with us after the completion of our initial business combination. 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.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may affect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders who choose to remain a stockholder or warrant holder following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
The officers and directors of an initial business combination candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an 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 acquisition 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 acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. As a result, we may need to reconstitute the management team of the post-transaction company in connection with our initial business combination, which may adversely impact our ability to complete an initial business combination in a timely manner or at all.
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 determining to which entity a particular business opportunity or other transaction should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and officers and directors are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities (such as operating companies or investment vehicles) that are engaged in a similar business. We do not have employment contracts with our officers and directors that will limit their ability to work at other businesses. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. 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 will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Please see “Management — Directors and Executive Officers,” “Management — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for a discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and potential conflicts of interest.
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. 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. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
In particular, affiliates of our sponsor, our directors and our officers have invested, and may in the future invest, in a broad array of sectors, including those in which our company may invest. As a result,
there may be substantial overlap between companies that would be a suitable business combination for us and companies that would make an attractive target for such other affiliates. Please see “Proposed Business — Certain Potential Conflicts of Interest” for additional information.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors with other businesses, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with or competitive with our sponsor, officers and directors, and their respective affiliates. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management — Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be 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 a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business — Effecting our Initial Business Combination” and “— Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and 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 stockholders from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public stockholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial advisor and our advisor, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. Additionally, each of the anchor investors is expected to enter into a separate agreement with our sponsor and certain of its members pursuant to which, subject to the conditions set forth therein, each such investor will agree to purchase equity interests in our sponsor from such members representing an indirect beneficial interest in founder shares upon closing of this offering. As a result of the indirect beneficial interest in founder shares that our anchor investors may hold, they may have different interests with respect to a vote on an initial business combination than other public stockholders. In addition, our sponsor will purchase 6,500,000 private placement warrants (or 7,100,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable for one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, for a purchase price of $6,500,000 (or $7,100,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete a business combination. Holders of founder shares have agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by them in favor of any proposed 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. 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.
The personal and financial interests of the holders of our founder shares and our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination and may result in a misalignment of interests between the holders of our founder shares and our officers and directors, on the one hand, and our public stockholders, on the other. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at approximately $0.004 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including members of our management team that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public stockholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their shares of Class A common stock (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). For example, a holder of 1,000 founder shares would have paid approximately $4.00 to obtain such shares. At the time of an initial business combination, such holder would be able to convert such founder shares into 1,000 shares of our Class A common stock, and would receive the same consideration in connection with our initial business combination as a public stockholder for the same number of shares of our Class A common stock. If the value of the shares of our Class A common stock on a post-combination basis (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination) were to decrease to $5.00 per share of our Class A common stock, the holder of our founder shares would obtain a profit of approximately $4,996 on account of the 1,000 founder shares that the holder had converted into shares of common stock in connection with the initial business combination. By contrast, a public stockholder holding 1,000 shares of Class A common stock would lose $5,000 in connection with the same transaction.
Since our initial stockholders will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may hold), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial advisor and our advisor, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination.
In addition, our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $6,500,000 (or $7,100,000, if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), or $1.00 per private placement warrant, that will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors; (2) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (3) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (a) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (b) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public
shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window; and (c) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window); (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights.
The personal and financial interests of our sponsor, officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the deadline for completing our initial business combination nears.
Provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and Delaware law may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, that (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us, our directors, officers or employees governed by the internal affairs doctrine may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware, except any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery of 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. If an action is brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, a court may determine that this provision is unenforceable, and to the extent it is enforceable, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers, although our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. 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. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
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 an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Our management team and our sponsor may make a profit on any initial business combination, even if any public stockholders who did not redeem their shares would experience a loss on that business combination. As a result, the economic interests of our management team and our sponsor may not fully align with the economic interests of public stockholders.
Like most special purpose acquisition companies, our structure may not fully align the economic interests of our sponsor and those persons, including our officers and directors, who have interests in our sponsor with the economic interests of our public stockholders. Upon the closing of this offering, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option, our sponsor will have invested in us an aggregate of $6,525,000, comprised of the $25,000 purchase price for the founder shares and the $6,500,000 purchase price for the private placement warrants. Assuming a trading price of $10.00 per share upon consummation of our initial business combination, the 5,750,000 founder shares would have an aggregate implied value of $57,500,000. Even if the trading price of our Class A common stock was as low as $1.13 per share, and the private placement warrants were worthless, the value of the founder shares would be equal to the sponsor’s initial investment in us. As a result, so long as we complete an initial business combination, our sponsor is likely to be able to recoup its investment in us and make a substantial profit on that investment, even if our public shares lose significant value. Accordingly, our sponsor and members of our management team who own interests in our sponsor may have incentives to pursue and consummate an initial business combination quickly, with a risky or not well established target business, and/or on transaction terms favorable to the equityholders of the target business, rather than continue to seek a more favorable business combination transaction that could result in an improved outcome for our public stockholders or liquidate and return all of the cash in the trust to the public stockholders. For the foregoing reasons, you should consider our sponsor’s and management team’s financial incentive to complete an initial business combination when evaluating whether to invest in this offering and/or redeem your shares prior to or in connection with an initial business combination.
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. Certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including related to those companies or otherwise. The defense or of these matters could be time-consuming and could divert our management’s attention, and may have an adverse effect on us, which may impede our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers, executives or employees of other companies. As a result of their involvement and positions in these companies, certain of those persons have been, may be or may in the future become involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings, including relating to the business affairs of such companies, transactions entered into by such companies, or otherwise. Any litigation, investigations or other proceedings may divert the attention and resources of our management team and board of directors away from identifying and selecting a target business or businesses for our initial business combination and may negatively affect our reputation, which may impede our ability to complete an initial business combination.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If our management team pursues a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
•
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations and complying with 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;
•
tax consequences;
•
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
•
rates of inflation;
•
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
•
cultural and language differences;
•
employment regulations;
•
crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars;
•
deterioration of political relations with the United States;
•
obligatory military service by personnel; and
•
government appropriation of assets.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, any or all of our management could resign from their positions as officers of the Company, and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination could remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with U.S. securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with U.S. securities laws, they may have to expend time
and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
General Risk Factors
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a newly incorporated company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination with one or more target businesses. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Certain agreements related to this offering may be amended without stockholder approval.
Certain agreements, including the underwriting agreement relating to this offering, the letter agreement among us and our sponsor, officers and directors, and the registration rights agreement among us and our initial stockholders, may be amended without stockholder approval. These agreements contain various provisions that our public stockholders might deem to be material. While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to any of these agreements prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, 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.
We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth 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 market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of any second quarter of a fiscal year, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the end of such fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt
out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has 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.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of June 30, 2021, we had $74,401 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $352,399. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A common stock and the one-half of a public warrant to purchase one Class A common stock included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants are unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the public warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our common stock suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined below in “United States Federal Income Tax Considerations”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income
tax purposes. See the section titled “United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
There has been and may in the future be diversity in the capital structure, financial accounting policies, and resultant financial reporting by special purpose acquisition companies, which may impact the market price for our Class A common stock and our ability to complete a business combination.
On April 12, 2021, the staff of the SEC issued a statement related to warrants issued by special purpose acquisition companies (the “SEC Statement”), which resulted in the warrants issued by many special purpose acquisition companies being classified as liabilities rather than equity as previously reported. While we are accounting for our warrants as equity, further statements by the SEC relating to accepted accounting of special purpose acquisition companies could result in the correction of accounting errors in previously issued financial statements, restatements of previously issued audited financial statements, the filing of notices that previously issued financial statements may not be relied upon, and findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies in internal controls over financial reporting.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some statements contained in this prospectus, and certain oral statements made from time to time by our representatives in connection with this offering, are forward-looking in nature. 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,” “intends,” “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. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
•
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 ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic;
•
actual and potential conflicts of interest relating to our directors, officers and other affiliates;
•
our ability to draw from the support and expertise of our directors, officers and other affiliates;
•
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
•
our pool of prospective target businesses, including the location and industry of such target businesses;
•
the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
•
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
•
the lack of a market for our securities;
•
the availability to us of funds from interest income on the trust account balance;
•
the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; and
•
our financial performance following this offering.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus 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, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward- looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 20,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
|
|
|
|
Without Option
to Purchase
Additional Units
|
|
|
Option to
Purchase
Additional Units
Exercised in Full
|
|
|
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)
|
|
|
|
$
|
200,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
230,000,000
|
|
|
|
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement
|
|
|
|
|
6,500,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,100,000
|
|
|
|
Total gross proceeds
|
|
|
|
$
|
206,500,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
237,100,000
|
|
|
|
Estimated offering expenses and other operating expenses(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)
|
|
|
|
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
4,600,000
|
|
|
|
Legal fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
400,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
400,000
|
|
|
|
Printing and engraving expenses
|
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
SEC/FINRA Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
60,093
|
|
|
|
|
|
60,093
|
|
|
|
Travel and road show
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
Directors and officers insurance premiums
|
|
|
|
|
785,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
785,000
|
|
|
|
NYSE listing and filing fees
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous expenses(4)
|
|
|
|
|
89,907
|
|
|
|
|
|
89,907
|
|
|
|
Total estimated offering expenses and other operating expenses (other than underwriting commissions)
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,500,000
|
|
|
|
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses and other operating expenses.
|
|
|
|
$
|
201,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
231,000,000
|
|
|
|
Held in trust account(3)
|
|
|
|
$
|
200,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
230,000,000
|
|
|
|
Percent of public offering size
|
|
|
|
|
100%
|
|
|
|
|
|
100%
|
|
|
|
Not held in trust account
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,000,000
|
|
|
The following table shows the use of the estimated $1,000,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(5)
|
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
% of Total
|
|
|
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any
business combination
|
|
|
|
$
|
400,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
40%
|
|
|
|
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations
|
|
|
|
|
60,093
|
|
|
|
|
|
6.0%
|
|
|
|
Stock exchange continued listing fees
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
8.5%
|
|
|
|
Payment for office space and secretarial and administrative services
|
|
|
|
|
240,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
24%
|
|
|
|
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses and reserves
|
|
|
|
|
214,907
|
|
|
|
|
|
21.5%
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100%
|
|
|
(1)
Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2)
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $750,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 30, 2021, there was $100,000 outstanding under such promissory note. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,500,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the
payment of offering expenses and other operating expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. In the event that offering expenses and other operating expenses are less than as set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses. In the event that the offering expenses and other operating expenses are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with loans or additional investments from our sponsor.
(3)
The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions equal to 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account and the remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
(4)
Includes organizational and administrative expenses and may include amounts related to above-listed expenses in the event actual amounts exceed estimates.
(5)
These expenses are estimates only and include estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Assuming an interest rate of 0.02% per year, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $40,000 per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.
The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), including $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will, upon the consummation of this offering, be placed in a U.S.-based trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. The funds held in the trust account, except with respect to permitted withdrawals, will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance and timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay taxes.
The net proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we ultimately complete our initial business combination. 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 redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account
for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, 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. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
Following this offering and prior to the completion of our initial business combination, our principal use of working capital will be to fund our activities to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination. During that period, we expect our other principal expenses to include franchise and income taxes; regulatory reporting requirements; NYSE continued listing fees; and office space, administrative and support services. We will enter into the Administrative Services Agreement, pursuant to which we will pay GLC or an affiliate of GLC a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, assuming our sponsor exercises its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,500,000 in expenses relating to this offering, permitted withdrawals from the interest earned on the trust account, subject to an annual limit of $1,000,000, and permitted withdrawals to pay taxes. In addition, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in an amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock.
At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book value deficit was $352,399, or approximately $(0.06) per share of Class B common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2021 would have been $5,000,001 or $0.83 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 18,980,785 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash in connection with our initial business combination and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units) of $0.89 per share to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution of $9.17 per share or 91.7% to our public stockholders not exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional units in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.27 per share or 92.7%.
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the public warrants or the private placement warrants:
|
|
|
|
Without
overallotment
|
|
|
With
overallotment
|
|
|
Public offering price
|
|
|
|
$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
Net tangible book value before this offering
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.06)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.06)
|
|
|
|
Increase attributable to public stockholders
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.89
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.79
|
|
|
|
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the
private placement warrants
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.83
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.73
|
|
|
|
Dilution to public stockholders
|
|
|
|
$
|
9.17
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
9.27
|
|
|
|
Percentage of dilution to public stockholders
|
|
|
|
|
91.7%
|
|
|
|
|
|
92.7%
|
|
|
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units) by $189,607,850 because holders of up to approximately 94.8% of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholders meeting, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals) divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering).
The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:
|
|
|
|
Shares Purchased
|
|
|
Total Consideration
|
|
|
Average Price
per Share
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Percentage
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Percentage
|
|
|
Initial Stockholders(1)(2)
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
20.00%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.01%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.005
|
|
|
|
Public Stockholders
|
|
|
|
|
20,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
80.00%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
200,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
99.99%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
200,025,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.
(2)
Assumes conversion of Class B common stock into Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis. The dilution to public stockholders would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B common stock result in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon such conversion.
The pro forma net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2021 giving effect to the offering is calculated as follows:
|
|
Numerator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net tangible book value before this offering
|
|
|
|
$
|
(352,399)
|
|
|
|
|
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants, net of
expenses excluding cash payments for director and officer liability insurance
premiums to be paid upon closing of this offering
|
|
|
|
|
201,785,000
|
|
|
|
|
Plus: offering costs paid for in advance
|
|
|
|
|
375,250
|
|
|
|
|
Less: deferred underwriters’ commissions payable
|
|
|
|
|
(7,000,000)
|
|
|
|
|
Less: amount of Class A common stock subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001
|
|
|
|
|
(189,807,850)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
5,000,001
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering
|
|
|
|
|
5,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
Shares forfeited if option to purchase additional units is not exercised
|
|
|
|
|
(750,000)
|
|
|
|
|
Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered
|
|
|
|
|
20,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
Less: shares subject to redemption to maintain net tangible assets of $5,000,001
|
|
|
|
|
(18,980,785)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,019,215
|
|
|
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021 and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 20,000,000 units in this offering for $200,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale of 6,500,000 private placement warrants for $6,500,000 (or $1.00 per warrant) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
|
|
|
|
June 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
|
|
Actual
|
|
|
As Adjusted(1)
|
|
|
Promissory note payable
|
|
|
|
$
|
100,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred underwriting commissions
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,000,000
|
|
|
|
Class A common stock, subject to redemption(2)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
189,807,850
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’ equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued or outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Common Stock
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 80,000,000 shares
authorized (actual and as adjusted); no shares issued or outstanding
(actual); 1,019,215(3) shares issued and outstanding (excluding
18,980,785 shares subject to redemption) (as adjusted)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
102
|
|
|
|
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares
authorized (actual and as adjusted); 5,750,000(3) shares issued and
outstanding (actual); 5,000,000(3) shares issued and outstanding (as
adjusted)
|
|
|
|
|
575
|
|
|
|
|
|
500
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital(4)
|
|
|
|
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,001,548
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit
|
|
|
|
|
(2,149)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,149)
|
|
|
|
Total stockholders’ equity
|
|
|
|
|
22,851
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,001
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization
|
|
|
|
$
|
122,851
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
201,807,651
|
|
|
(1)
Assumes the full forfeiture of 750,000 shares that are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised. The proceeds of the sale of such shares will not be deposited into the trust account, the shares will not be eligible for redemption from the trust account nor will they be eligible to vote upon the initial business combination.
(2)
In connection with our initial business combination, we will provide our public stock holders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of 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 (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals), subject to the limitation that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” amount of Class A common stock, subject to redemption equals the “as adjusted” total assets of $201,807,651, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities of $7,000,000 less “as adjusted” total stockholder’s equity. The value of Class A common stock that may be redeemed is equal to $10.00 per share (which is the assumed redemption price) multiplied by 18,980,785 shares of Class A common stock, which is the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for a $10.00 purchase price per share and still maintain at least $5,000,001 of net tangible assets.
(3)
Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and the “as adjusted” share amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our sponsor.
(4)
The “as adjusted” additional paid-in capital calculation is equal to the “as adjusted” total stockholders’ equity of $5,000,001, less common stock (par value) of $610 plus the accumulated deficit of $2,149.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated on January 4, 2021 as a Delaware corporation and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of the foregoing.
The issuance of additional shares of our stock in a business combination:
•
may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;
•
may subordinate the rights of holders of our Class A common stock if preferred stock is issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A 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;
•
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the stock ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our Class A common stock and/or public warrants. Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant indebtedness, it could result in:
•
default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
•
acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
•
our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt is payable on demand;
•
our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt is outstanding;
•
our inability to pay dividends on our 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 and our ability to pay expenses, make capital expenditures, complete 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; and limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
As of June 30, 2021, we had cash of $74,401. Further, we expect to continue to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our acquisition plans. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of $25,000 from the sale of the founder shares and up to $750,000 in loans from our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from: (1) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses and other operating expenses of approximately $1,500,000 and underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 ($4,600,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full)); and (2) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $6,500,000 (or $7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), will be $201,000,000 (or $231,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). Of this amount, $200,000,000 (or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), which includes $7,000,000 (or up to $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) of deferred underwriting commissions, will be deposited into the trust account. The funds in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,500,000, we may fund such excess with loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,500,000, the excess would be held outside of the trust account.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (which interest shall be net of permitted withdrawals and deferred underwriting commissions), to complete our initial business combination. We will make permitted withdrawals from the trust account to pay our taxes, including franchise taxes and income taxes. Delaware franchise tax is based on our authorized shares or on our assumed par and non-par capital, whichever yields a lower result. Under the authorized shares method, each share is taxed at a graduated rate based on the number of authorized shares with a maximum aggregate tax of $200,000 per year. Under the assumed par value capital method, Delaware taxes each $1,000,000 of assumed par value capital at the rate of $350; where assumed par value would be (1) our total gross assets following this offering, divided by (2) our total issued shares of common stock following this offering, multiplied by (3) the number of our authorized shares following this offering. Based on the number of shares of our common stock authorized and outstanding and our estimated total gross proceeds after the completion of this offering, our annual franchise tax obligation is expected to be capped at the maximum amount of annual franchise taxes payable by us as a Delaware corporation of $200,000. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the only taxes payable by us out of the funds in the trust account will be income and franchise taxes. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our taxes. 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.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, our principal use of working capital will be to fund our activities to identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on
prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, structure, negotiate and complete a business combination, and to pay taxes to the extent the interest earned on the trust account is not sufficient to pay our taxes.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses in connection with any business combinations; approximately $60,093 for regulatory reporting requirements; approximately $85,000 for NYSE continued listing fees; approximately $240,000 for office space, administrative and support services, including under the Administrative Services Agreement; reserve for liquidation expenses; and approximately $214,907 for other miscellaneous expenses. These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses.
In addition, we may pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no- shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2021, we had $74,401 in cash. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed below. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
We expect to fund our working capital requirements prior to the time of our initial business combination from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $1,500,000 in expenses relating to this offering, permitted withdrawals from the interest earned on the trust account, subject to an annual limit of $1,000,000, and permitted withdrawals to pay our taxes. In addition, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required to fund our working capital requirements. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates 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 in connection with 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 with enterprise
values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public stockholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to backstop arrangements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our 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.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to certify an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend 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 requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid- sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
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staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
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reconciliation of accounts;
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proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
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evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
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documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting. Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money
market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk. However, if the interest rates of U.S. Treasury obligations become negative, we may have less interest income available to us for payment of taxes, and a decline in the value of the assets held in the trust account could reduce the principal below the amount initially deposited in the trust account.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations
As of June 30, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations.
Related Party Transactions
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial officer and our advisor at their original purchase price, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon the completion of this offering. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to us by the number of founder shares issued.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will also pay GLC or an affiliate of GLC a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, assuming our sponsor exercises its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Our sponsor, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of- pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $750,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2021, there was $100,000 outstanding under such promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,500,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses and other operating expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account.
We have retained GLC to provide us with financial advisory services. Those services will include (i) profiling and sourcing potential target companies, (ii) preparing financial analysis related to potential targets and researching relevant industries, (iii) assisting in the due diligence of the targets, and (iv) assisting in negotiating and structuring the financial aspects of any potential transaction.
Following this offering, we may engage GLC or an affiliate of GLC to provide us with transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory or management services in connection with our initial business combination. No fees will be payable in connection with such services prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The scope of any such services and the amount of any fees payable at the time of our initial business combination for rendering such services will be subject to the approval of our board of directors after this offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants, including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period, issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate or $7,100,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in the private placement transaction. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Pursuant to a registration rights agreement we will enter into with our initial stockholders on or prior to the closing of this offering, we may be required to register certain securities for sale under the Securities Act. Our initial stockholders, and holders of warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans, if any, are entitled under the registration rights agreement to make up to three demands that we register certain of our securities held by them for sale under the Securities Act and to have the securities covered thereby registered for resale pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders have the right to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
JOBS Act
On April 5, 2012, the JOBS Act was signed into law. The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company”, we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things: (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; (3) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis); and (4) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
PROPOSED BUSINESS
General
We are a newly incorporated blank check company whose business purpose is to effect a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We may pursue an initial business combination in any business or industry but expect to focus on a target in an industry where we believe our management team and founder’s expertise will provide us with a competitive advantage.
Our sponsor was formed by JC Hawks & Co, which is led by J. Carney Hawks, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hawks was founding partner of Brigade Management until his retirement from the firm at the end of 2019. At Brigade, Mr. Hawks was the Head of Special Situations and sat on the Investment Committee. Prior to his role at Brigade, Mr. Hawks was a Managing Director in the high yield group at Mackay Shields. These positions have provided Mr. Hawks in excess of 20 years of experience investing in the public and private markets for distressed debt and post-restructured equities. Mr. Hawks has served on numerous official and ad hoc creditors’ committees, as well as corporate boards. Through these roles, Mr. Hawks has developed extensive understanding of the issues that face businesses that have emerged from bankruptcy, as well as a knowledge of the characteristics of companies that thrive following a corporate restructuring. We have retained GLC, and its co-founder and a Managing Director of GLC Advisors, J. Soren Reynertson, to provide us with financial advisory services. These services will include (i) profiling and sourcing potential target companies, (ii) preparing financial analysis related to potential targets and researching relevant industries, (iii) assisting in the due diligence of the targets and (iv) assisting in negotiating and structuring the financial aspects of any potential transaction. Mr. Reynertson will serve as our advisor.
The extensive experience of our CEO and directors, and the investment professionals at GLC, have allowed the team to foster deep relationships within the distressed industry that we believe will provide us with a competitive advantage compared to other blank check companies in sourcing and negotiating a business combination within this area. Our network of contacts includes distressed credit focused investment firms as well as high yield bond- and leveraged loan-focused investment managers that invest in the debt securities of companies with stressed capital structures. Through these positions, these firms often acquire controlling stakes in businesses following a corporate reorganization. Our other contacts include restructuring focused financial advisors, law firms and board directors, all of which can be accessed to facilitate discussions with potential combination targets.
The economic collapse caused by the COVID crisis beginning in early 2020 has significantly increased the universe of companies that are either stressed or were forced to restructure their balance sheets through an in-court or out-of-court process. Often, these types of companies would benefit from the capital infusion provided by a combination with a blank check company whose post-reorganization capital structures are sometimes designed to meet the requirements of pre-reorganization creditors instead of being optimized to allow the businesses to reach their full potential. Further, the public listing obtained by combining with a blank check company would provide these companies with a public currency they can use to engage in mergers and acquisition opportunities. Finally, it would provide the owners of these companies, who are often not natural holders of illiquid equity positions, with liquidity to better manage their holdings in these businesses.
Our executive officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our executive officers and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such officers and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph under “Management — Conflicts of Interest”. Past performance of our management team does not guarantee either (i) success with respect to any business combination we may consummate
or (ii) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination. You should not rely on the historical performance record of our management team as indicative of our future performance.
For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the sections entitled “Management” and “Proposed Business.”
Business Strategy
Our business strategy focuses on two types of companies: those that have emerged privately from bankruptcy court protection and are owned by their former creditors or those that are privately owned and could benefit from an infusion of equity capital as part of a balance sheet recapitalization. We believe there is a sizable universe of companies that meet the prior criteria. While many of these companies are subscale or continue to struggle to turnaround their business operations, there is a meaningful subset of quality companies whose growth and performance are being limited by excessive leverage or the constraints imposed on them from restrictive covenants and tight liquidity that result from their reorganization/bankruptcy. We believe that these companies would greatly benefit from the capital infusion and public listing a combination with a blank check company would provide. We also believe that members of our management team and board would provide expertise to these companies as they navigate the post-reorganization time period.
Private companies that have either emerged from bankruptcy or out-of-court recapitalization and are now owned by their former creditors often trade over-the-counter and are marked by their investors at a substantial valuation discount to where their public competitors are priced for the following reasons:
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The high leverage, tight covenants and/or limited liquidity imposed on these companies restricts their abilities to reinvest in attractive growth opportunities and expand their revenue and income. Further, the high cost of debt of these companies can be a red flag, which prevents some investors from even considering the names as an investment.
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Obtaining financial information on private companies can be difficult, and, even when obtained, the information is often lacking in detail and reliability compared to public filers. This can deter new investors from attempting to analyze these companies.
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Because these companies are private, any transactions in their equity securities take place in the over-the-counter market where price discovery is weak and trading volumes are thin. The inability to have certainty and the lack of ability to build a meaningful position in a reorganized equity can prevent new investors from investing in these companies.
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While buyers are scarce for the reason described above, those wishing to sell the stock of these companies often are unnatural holders who either are required or highly incentivized to sell their positions. Therefore, these sellers are often less price sensitive, which can cause such sales to take place at very discounted prices.
Private companies with excessive leverage are likely to be willing to accept an equity infusion at an attractive price for the new investors for the following reasons:
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The high leverage and resulting elevated cost of capital limits the ability for these companies to generate free cash flow or pursue growth opportunities that allow the company to ultimately support its leverage.
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Companies with no public equity and an excessively indebted capital structure have a limited ability to pursue merger and acquisition opportunities.
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For the reasons listed above, the owners of these companies are often forced to hold their investments without good current alternatives or a path in the future for an exit from the position.
Combining with a blank check company can provide both of these types of private companies with numerous benefits. First, the cash infusion received from the transaction would allow these businesses to reduce or refinance their debts. This can lead to lower interest expenses or amortization requirements and thereby free up cash flow for growth opportunities or further debt reduction. Also, the public listing provides these companies with a currency they can use to invest in the business and to pursue opportunistic mergers
and acquisitions. The owners of these businesses would receive publicly-tradeable equity, which would allow them to better manage their ownership in these companies and ultimately provide exit ability. Finally, following a combination with a blank check company such as us, these businesses may gain the expertise of the management team and board of the blank check company in managing the issues that face post-reorganized or highly leveraged businesses.
Business Combination Criteria
We believe the following general criteria and guidelines are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, but we may decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines.
Investing in post-reorganized or highly levered companies can be risky. The universe of these businesses is full of companies with many challenges beyond simply their capital structures. We will look to mitigate the risks associated with investing in this area by adhering to an investment process which seeks to find good businesses with challenging balance sheets that will benefit from a combination with a blank check company. Among the criteria we will seek to use to select an attractive combination target are:
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Middle market companies with an implied equity value of at least $500 million: While attractive businesses do exist with smaller equity values, we believe that focusing on businesses with at least $500 million in implied equity value will increase the likelihood of an attractive combination. Companies with meaningful equity value are more likely to be established businesses with a significant amount of enterprise value in excess of their debt. This provides a margin of safety for an investment in these businesses. Further, the resulting company following a combination with a blank check company is likely to have the required size to attract institutional investors into the newly public entity.
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Companies that are valued at a substantial discount to public market peers: We seek to combine with a company that is valued at a significant discount to its publicly traded competitors. The reduced leverage and public listing provided by the transaction will allow this valuation gap to shrink as the merged entity continues to execute its business plan.
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Companies with high market share or a defensible competitive position: Our objective will be to find good businesses that completed a restructuring or have accumulated debt for identifiable reasons that are no longer pressuring the company. We seek companies that have experienced a rapid economic deterioration, including as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak or from cyclical changes and that have since recovered and can now continue on a path of recovery and future growth.
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Companies that generate meaningful free cash on an unlevered basis: We seek to invest in businesses that have difficulty in generating free cash flow as a result of a troubled balance sheet (too much leverage and/or a high cost of debt capital) and not a capital-intensive business model. Companies with solid operational cash flow will benefit the most from the debt reduction and refinancing made possible by a combination with a blank check company.
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Companies that are already on a growth trajectory despite their balance sheet: We will focus on companies that have already shown several quarters of improving financials and have further growth potential with higher levels of internally generated cash flow that can be obtained follow a combination with a blank check company. We will avoid companies with secular headwinds, that participate in highly competitive industries or that are still in the process of turning around their operations.
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Companies with strong management teams: While our management team and board have many years of experience providing strategic direction to restructured companies, we are not looking for situations that require a large-scale change to existing management. Instead, we seek companies with good existing management that will further benefit from the expertise we can provide following a combination.
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Situations in which both the companies and their owners will benefit from a public listing: Companies with acquisition opportunities are aided in these efforts by the reduced leverage and public listing provided by a combination with a blank check company. Owners of effectively private equity holdings,
especially those who are not natural holders of illiquid equity investments, will benefit from the ability to manage their holdings once the combined entity trades on a public stock exchange.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our stockholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.
In addition to any potential target business candidates we may identify on our own, we anticipate that other target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment market participants, private equity funds and large business enterprises seeking to divest non-core assets or divisions.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a potential target business, we expect to conduct a comprehensive due diligence review to seek to determine a company’s quality and its intrinsic value. That due diligence review may include, among other things, financial statement analysis, detailed document reviews, multiple meetings with management, consultations with relevant industry experts, competitors, customers and suppliers, as well as a review of additional information that we will seek to obtain as part of our analysis of a target company.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our team, including our officers and directors, will directly or indirectly own our securities following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target company is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. See “Risk Factors — Since our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors will lose their entire investment in us if our business combination is not completed (other than with respect to any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), and because our sponsor, officers and directors and the anchor investors who have an interest in founder shares may profit substantially even under circumstances where our public stockholders would experience losses in connection with their investment, a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.” Certain of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers, directors, and management team members was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to such business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and
duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers and directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
Initial Business Combination
We will have up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months, we may, by resolution of our board of directors if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, subject to our sponsor purchasing additional private placement warrants. Our stockholders will not be entitled to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, in order to extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination in such a manner, our sponsor, upon no less than five days' advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must purchase an additional 2,000,000 private placement warrants, or 2,300,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, and deposit the proceeds of such purchase into the trust account on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Our sponsor is not obligated to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. In the event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for us to effect an extension, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor has the option to accelerate its purchase of the up to 2,000,000 private placement warrants (or up to 2,300,000 private placement warrants to the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised) at any time following the closing of this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination with the same effect of extending the time we will have to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months.
In addition to our sponsor's ability to extend our deadline to consummate an initial business combination by 6 months by purchasing additional private placement warrants as described above, we may also hold a stockholder vote at any time to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the amount of time we will have to consummate an initial business combination (as well as to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the time periods described herein or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders' rights or pre-initial business combination activity). As described herein, our sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have agreed that they will not propose any such amendment unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (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), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our
remaining stockholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in each case, to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
The NYSE’s rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account). We refer to this as the 80% of net assets test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that we will not do so. Additionally, pursuant to the NYSE’s rules, any initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders’ own shares will own or acquire 100% of the outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all the target businesses.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, if our estimates 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 in connection with 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 with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy redemptions by public stockholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our business combination. If we are unable to complete our 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 upon expiration of the completion window. 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.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). As a result, we will be 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.
Corporate Information
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Our executive offices are located at 600 Lexington Avenue, and our telephone number is (212) 542-4540. Upon completion of this offering, our corporate website address will be www.hawksacquisitioncorp.com. Our website and the information contained on, or that can be accessed through, the website is not deemed to be incorporated by reference in, and is not considered part of, this prospectus. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer target businesses an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target business would exchange their shares of Class A common stock in the target business for shares of our Class A common stock or for a combination of shares of our 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 certain and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses incurred in marketing, road show and public reporting efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to
complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital and an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests. It 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.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of: (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $193,000,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $221,950,000 assuming no redemptions and after payment of up to $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), 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 ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third-party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
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 following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, 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.
Members of our management team are from time to time made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue, for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) engaged in any substantive discussions with a business combination target, with respect to a business combination transaction with us.
We may seek to raise additional funds in connection with the completion of our initial business combination through a private offering of equity securities or debt securities or loans, and we may effectuate
our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offerings or loans rather than using the amounts held in the trust account.
In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by applicable law, we would seek stockholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination
The NYSE’s rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if applicable, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount). The fair market value of the target or targets 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 or value of comparable businesses. If our board is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. 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 business 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 valued for purposes of the 80% of net assets test. There is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. We have retained GLC to provide us with financial advisory services. Those services will include (i) profiling and sourcing potential target companies, (ii) preparing financial analysis related to potential targets and researching relevant industries, (iii) assisting in the due diligence of the targets, and (iv) assisting in negotiating and structuring the financial aspects of any potential transaction.
Following this offering, we may engage GLC or an affiliate of GLC to provide us with transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory or management services in connection with our initial business combination. No fees will be payable in connection with such services prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The scope of any such services and the amount of any fees payable at the time of our initial business combination for rendering such services will be subject to the approval of our board of directors after this offering.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any
degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Lack of business diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business.
Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
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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
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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’s 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 highly 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 our 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.
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, subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by applicable law or 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.
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Type of Transaction
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Whether Stockholder
Approval is
Required
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Purchase of assets
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No
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Purchase of stock of target not involving a merger with the company
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No
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Type of Transaction
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Whether Stockholder
Approval is
Required
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Merger of target into a subsidiary of the company
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No
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Merger of the company with a target
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Yes
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Under the NYSE’s listing rules, stockholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) shares of common stock that will either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of shares of common stock then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding;
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any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE’s rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of shares of common stock to be issued, or if the number of shares of common stock into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of shares of common stock or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of shares of common stock or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or
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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:
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the timing or nature 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;
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the expected cost of holding a stockholder vote;
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the risk that the stockholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;
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other time and budget constraints of the company; and
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additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time-consuming and burdensome to present to stockholders.
Permitted purchases of our securities
In the event 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 any of their respective 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. There is no limit on the number of public shares or public warrants such persons may purchase. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates determine to make any such purchases at the time of a stockholder vote relating to our initial business combination, such purchases could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such 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. Prior to the consummation
of this offering, we will adopt an insider trading policy which will require insiders to (1) refrain from purchasing securities when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (2) to clear all trades with our compliance personnel or legal counsel prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of such purchases could be to vote such public shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of our initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A common stock or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors and/or any of their respective affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of our Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective 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. Such persons would select the stockholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public stockholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates will purchase shares only if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their respective affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of common stock if such 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 purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption rights for public stockholders in connection with our initial business combination
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal
to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. Such amount will be increased by an anticipated $0.10 per public share pursuant to our sponsor's option to purchase additional private placement warrants for a 6 month extension of our time to consummate an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their public shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its public shares. 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 the proposed transaction. There will be no redemption rights with respect to our public warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with our initial business combination.
Limitations on Redemptions
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 $5,000,0001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owner, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A common stock that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
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 either: (1) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination; or (2) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. 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 typically require stockholder approval. If we structure a business combination transaction 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 business combination. We currently intend to conduct redemptions pursuant to a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on the NYSE, we will be required to comply with NYSE 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:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
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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 and 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 number will be based on the requirement that we may not redeem public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable 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:
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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
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any stockholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.
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, unless otherwise required by applicable law, regulation or stock exchange rules, 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 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, officers and directors will count towards this quorum and have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock voted, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5% of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised). These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. In the event that our anchor investors purchase all of the approximately $[ ] million of units that they have collectively expressed an interest in purchasing in this offering and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public
shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination. 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 the proposed transaction. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. Redemptions of our public shares may also be subject to a higher net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all 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 business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Limitation on redemption in connection with 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 will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” 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 business combination as a means to force us or our affiliates 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 this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our affiliates 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 this offering, 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 a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our 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 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 DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will
indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its 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 business days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. 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 Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/ Withdrawal At Custodian) System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
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 a business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such 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 business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the 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 business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the completion window.
Redemption of public shares and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only the time of the completion window to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (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 (3) 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 public warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers and directors acquires public shares after this offering, it 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 completion window.
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 to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, 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 (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes or make other permitted withdrawals, 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 this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account and any permitted withdrawals or expenses for the dissolution of the trust, the per share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $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. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 described above. Under Section 281(b) of the DGCL, our plan of dissolution must provide for all claims against us to be paid in full or make provision for payments to be made in full, as applicable, if there are sufficient assets. These claims must be paid or provided for before we make any distribution of our remaining assets to our stockholders. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such
agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where we are unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. The underwriters will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a 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 discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (1) $10.00 per public share or (2) 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, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not 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 and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 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 will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses. None of our other officers will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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, in each case net of permitted withdrawals, 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 in certain instances. For example, the cost of such legal action may be deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or the independent directors may determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.00 per share. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 described above.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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 this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses and other operating expenses exceed our estimate of $1,500,000, we may fund such excess with loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their respective affiliates or other third parties. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses and other operating expenses are less than our estimate of $1,500,000, the excess would be held outside of the trust account.
Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution.
Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) 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 (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 (3) 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 the expiration of the completion window and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of such date.
Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. As described above, pursuant to the obligation contained in our underwriting agreement, we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), 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: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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 value of the trust assets, in each case net of permitted withdrawals and will not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy 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 or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public 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. Please see “Risk Factors — 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 the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.”
Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, if they redeem their respective shares for cash in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance and timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares, or if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or if they redeem their respective shares for cash in connection with our initial business combination. 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 our 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 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.
Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial business combination
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
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Redemptions in
Connection with our Initial
Business Combination
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Other Permitted Purchases
of Public Shares by our
Affiliates
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Redemptions if we fail to
Complete an Initial
Business Combination
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Calculation of redemption price
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Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The
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If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their respective affiliates may purchase
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If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will redeem all public shares at a per share price, payable in
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Redemptions in
Connection with our Initial
Business Combination
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Other Permitted Purchases
of Public Shares by our
Affiliates
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Redemptions if we fail to
Complete an Initial
Business Combination
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redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for 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 (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest (net of permitted withdrawals and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination.
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shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Such purchases will only be made to the extent such purchases are 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. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares in such transactions.
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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.
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Impact to remaining stockholders
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The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and
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If the permitted purchases described above are made, there will be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.
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The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such
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Redemptions in
Connection with our Initial
Business Combination
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Other Permitted Purchases
of Public Shares by our
Affiliates
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Redemptions if we fail to
Complete an Initial
Business Combination
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permitted withdrawals (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account).
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redemptions.
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Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their option to purchase additional units. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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Escrow of offering proceeds
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The rules of the NYSE provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account.
$200,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.
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Approximately $170,100,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering less allowable underwriting commissions, expenses and company deductions under Rule 419, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.
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Investment of net proceeds
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$200,000,000 of the net offering proceeds and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds that meet certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act and that invest only in direct U.S. government obligations.
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Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.
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Receipt of interest on escrowed funds
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Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by: (1) permitted withdrawals; and (2) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of
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Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our dissolution and liquidation.
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Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business
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The NYSE’s rules require that an initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if applicable, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount).
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The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
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Trading of securities issued
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The units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and public warrants will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless the representatives of the underwriters inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.
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No trading of the units or the underlying Class A common stock and public warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.
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Exercise of the warrants
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The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering.
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The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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or trust account.
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Election to remain an investor
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We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest, net of permitted withdrawals, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by applicable law or stock exchange rules to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a stockholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public stockholders at least 10 days prior to the stockholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such
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A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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stockholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. 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 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. 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 the proposed transaction.
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Business combination deadline
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If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (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 (3) as promptly as reasonably possible
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If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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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.
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Release of funds
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Except with respect to permitted withdrawals, the funds held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of: (1) the completion of our initial business combination; (2) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window; and (3) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law.
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The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.
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Limitation on redemption rights of stockholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a stockholder vote
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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 will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking
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Most blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of stockholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such stockholders in connection with an initial business combination.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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redemption rights with respect Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public stockholders’ inability to redeem Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell Excess Shares in open market transactions.
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Tendering stock certificates in connection with a tender offer or redemption rights
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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 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 DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public stockholders to satisfy such delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its 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 business days prior to the vote on the
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In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, holders could vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holders were seeking to exercise their redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholders to arrange for them to deliver their certificate to verify ownership.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights.
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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, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public 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.
Conflicts of Interest
Our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination. As a result, our sponsor, officers or directors could have conflicts of interest in determining whether to present business combination opportunities to us or to any other blank check company with which they may become involved.
As further described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us (including as described above). 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.
The potential conflicts described above may limit our ability to enter into a business combination or other transactions. These circumstances could give rise to numerous situations where interests may conflict. There can be no assurance that these or other conflicts of interest with the potential for adverse effects on the Company and investors will not arise.
Sponsor Indemnity
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 discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below: (1) $10.00 per public share; or (2) 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, in each case, net of permitted withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third party that executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether any such waiver is enforceable) and except as to any claims under our indemnity of the
underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have not 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 and, therefore, our sponsor may not be able to satisfy those obligations. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such obligations. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. We believe the likelihood of our sponsor having to indemnify the trust account is limited because we will endeavor to have all vendors and prospective target businesses as well as other entities execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per month fee that we will pay to GLC or an affiliate of GLC for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Human Capital Management
We currently have three officers and do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Members of our management team 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 that any such person will devote in any time period to our company will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A common stock and public warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accounting firm.
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. 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 PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such financial statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the completion window. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and no longer an emerging growth company will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business 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 acquisition.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a registration statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to
the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and 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 this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion (as adjusted for inflation pursuant to SEC rules from time to time), or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of the prior fiscal year’s second fiscal quarter; and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.
MANAGEMENT
Directors and Executive Officers
Our directors and officers are as follows:
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Name
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|
Age
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Title
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J. Carney Hawks
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46
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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John Maher
|
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49
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Chief Operating Officer
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Lois A. Mannon
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52
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Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
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Eugene Davis
|
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66
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Director
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Daniel H. Golden
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69
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Director
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Marc Heimowitz
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52
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Director
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Joseph Mills
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61
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Director
|
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J. Carney Hawks — Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. J. Carney Hawks serves as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Hawks is the Founder and CEO of JC Hawks & Co, an investment and advisory firm and an affiliate of our sponsor. Prior to that role, Mr. Hawks was a founding partner at Brigade Capital Management, a multi-billion dollar fixed income asset management firm, from its inception in 2007 until his retirement at the end of 2019. At Brigade, Mr. Hawks was the head of the Special Situations Group and sat on the firm’s Investment Committee. He also managed two funds at the firm focused on opportunities in the stressed and distressed energy sector. Through his special situation focus, Mr. Hawks has participated in the restructurings of dozens of companies, both through the bankruptcy process and after emergence. Some of Mr. Hawks’ most notable investments included positions in the Puerto Rico debt securities, where he helped the Creditor Group negotiate a restructuring of the Government Development Bank bonds. Mr. Hawks also had active roles in the General Obligation Group, as well as the PREPA Fuel Line Group. Mr. Hawks managed multiple investments in the Caesars capital structure prior to and during its bankruptcy in 2015-2016, including a lead role on the unofficial First Lien Creditor Group. In 2013, Mr. Hawks also helped lead the creditor group in the Jefferson Country sewer bonds, which was the largest municipal restructuring at the time of its default. He has also participated in the restructuring of numerous energy companies, including Parker Drilling, Jupiter Resources, Amplify Energy and Telford International. In many of these situations, Mr. Hawks remained active post-emergence either as an official or unofficial board observer. While at Brigade, Mr. Hawks sat on the boards of Aventine Resources and Jacuzzi Brands following their restructurings. Through his role at JC Hawks and Co, Mr. Hawks currently sits on the boards of directors of Cenveo Worldwide Limited and Extraction Oil & Gas. Mr. Hawks is also currently on the board of directors of Ferrellgas Partners, LP, a distributor of propane. Prior to his role at Brigade, Mr. Hawks was a Managing Director in the High Yield Group at Mackay Shields. At Mackay, Mr. Hawks covered a wide range of industries and participated in numerous restructurings of the firm’s investments. Mr. Hawks earned a Bachelor of Science with Distinction from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
John Maher — Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Maher serves as our Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Maher has worked in the investment industry for more than 25 years. From 2015 to 2021, Mr. Maher served as a Senior Investment Advisor and Managing Director at Wilmington Trust, responsible for the implementation and management of customized investment portfolios for clients, as well as evaluating tax considerations, estate planning, and cashflow projections. Throughout his career, Mr. Maher has extensive experience assessing equity investments, as a buy-side analyst and portfolio manager at Royal Bank of Canada's Global Arbitrage and Trading department (2010-2011), hedge funds Hilltop Park (2008-2010; 2011-2015) and Tupelo Capital Management (1998-2008), and as a sell-side research analyst at the Value Line Investment Survey (1996-1997). Areas of coverage included Industrials, Defense & Aerospace, Commodities, and Healthcare. Mr. Maher's role at Tupelo Capital Management, which he joined prior to launch of the company, included responsibilities related to the formation, build out, and ongoing management of operations for the organization. Mr. Maher earned a B.S. in business administration from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.
Lois A. Mannon — Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Lois A. Mannon serves as our Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Ms. Mannon is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mannon Consulting, LLC, a private firm specializing in financial advisory and financial outsourcing services for public and private businesses, which she founded in 2003. Such services include fractional CFO, financial controller, Chapter 11 bankruptcy estate and liquidating trust administration, as well as accounting, tax, and cash management. Over the past 21 years, Ms. Mannon has provided administration services to 23 liquidating and/or litigation trusts and has provided fractional CFO, financial advisory, accounting and tax services for approximately 10 other clients. Ms. Mannon has experience with businesses in various industries, including automotive, consumer retail, manufacturing, distribution/logistics, mining, telecommunications, metals and aluminum, power and energy, oil and gas, healthcare, and portfolio investments. Certain representative engagements include: Arcapita, Inc., Bluestem Group Inc., Patriot Coal Corporation, Quebecor World (USA) Inc., Seahawk Drilling, Inc., Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers of New York, and Tower Automotive, Inc. Ms. Mannon is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of Ohio and a member of both the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Ohio Society of CPAs. Ms. Mannon earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Marshall University.
Eugene Davis — Director. Mr. Davis is a Director. Mr. Davis has served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PIRINATE Consulting Group, LLC, a privately held consulting firm specializing in turnaround management, merger and acquisition consulting, hostile and friendly takeovers, proxy contests and strategic planning advisory services for domestic and international public and private business entities since 1999. Mr. Davis was the President, Vice Chairman and a director of Emerson Radio Corporation, a consumer electronics company, from 1990 to 1997 and was the Chief Executive Officer and Vice Chairman of Sport Supply Group, Inc., a direct-mail marketer of sports equipment, from 1996 to 1997. Mr. Davis currently serves on the boards of directors of FTS International, where he is Chairman of the Board, GTT Communications, Inc. and Hycroft Mining Corporation, where he is Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. During the past five years, Mr. Davis was a director of the following public or formerly public companies: Montage Resources Corp., Seadrill Limited, VICI Properties Inc., Verso Corporation, ALST Casino Holdco, LLC, Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, Inc., Atlas Iron Limited, The Cash Store Financial Services, Inc., Dex One Corp., Genco Shipping & Trading Limited, Global Power Equipment Group, Inc., Goodrich Petroleum Corp., Great Elm Capital Corp., GSI Group, Inc., Hercules Offshore, Inc., HRG Group, Inc., Knology, Inc., SeraCare Life Sciences, Inc., Spansion, Inc., Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc., Titan Energy LLC, Trump Entertainment Resorts, Inc., U.S. Concrete, Inc. and WMIH Corp. Mr. Davis received his Bachelor of Arts, Masters in International Affairs and Juris Doctorate from Columbia University. Mr. Davis was selected to serve on our Board of Directors due to his significant management and leadership experience.
Daniel H. Golden — Director. Mr. Golden is a Director. Mr. Golden has more than 40 years of experience as a practicing financial restructuring attorney representing primarily official and informal creditors’ and bondholder committees in some of the largest and most complex restructurings and bankruptcies in U.S. history. From 1999 to 2019, Mr. Golden was head of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP’s nationally and internationally renowned financial restructuring practice. Currently, Mr. Golden serves as a member of the board of managers of the Insys Liquidation Trust, a litigation/liquidation trust formed pursuant to the confirmed chapter 11 plan of Insys Therapeutics, Inc., and as the trustee of the Quorum Health Corporation Litigation Trust formed pursuant to the confirmed chapter 11 plan of Quorum Health Corporation. Additionally, Mr. Golden serves as a restructuring consultant to several plaintiffs law firms representing tens of thousands of claimants in the Boy Scouts of America, Mallinckrodt PLC and Purdue Pharma chapter 11 cases. Mr. Golden received his B.A. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a J.D. from the University of Buffalo School of Law. Mr. Golden was selected to serve on our Board of Directors due to his significant restructuring and leadership experience.
Marc Heimowitz — Director. Mr. Heimowitz is a Director. Mr. Heimowitz is the founder and Managing Member of Coda Advisory Group LLC. Coda Advisory Group is an independent advisory firm that specializes in providing advice to and advocating for parties-in-interest involved in complex restructurings and special situations, and which can act as an unconflicted professional fiduciary for litigation and liquidation trusts. Mr. Heimowitz has more than 23 years’ experience in capital markets and in managing and analyzing investments related to companies in stress or reorganization, including bankruptcy
reorganizations and liquidations, out-of-court restructurings, rescue financings and distressed acquisitions. In his personal capacity, Mr Heimowitz also acts as an independent director for companies in distress, restructuring and bankruptcy. Prior to founding Coda Advisory Group, from 2012 to 2017, Mr. Heimowitz was a portfolio manager for Claren Road Asset Management, a long-short credit hedge fund owned by The Carlyle Group. Prior to Claren Road, from 2006 to 2012, Marc was a Managing Director, Head of Credit Special Situations, and Co-Head of the Distressed Trading Desk for Citigroup Global Capital Markets. Mr. Heimowitz received his B.S.B.A. in finance with Highest Honors from the University of Florida, holds a J.D. from Columbia University, practiced law in New York and Florida and is a CFA Charterholder. Mr. Heimowitz was selected to serve on our Board of Directors due to his significant financial and leadership experience.
Joseph Mills — Director. Mr. Mills is a Director. Since February 2017, Mr. Mills has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Samson Resources II, LLC, a private E&P company, and continues to serve on its board of directors. As President and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mills sold an asset base in a series of transactions totaling $820 million. In November 2018, Mr. Mills joined the Board of Directors of Roan Resources Company (“Roan”) and in April of 2019, Mr. Mills assumed the Executive Chairman role, leading and negotiating the sale of Roan for $1 billion to Citizens Energy, a private portfolio company of Warburg Pincus. In 2006, Mr. Mills founded Montierra Minerals & Production, L.P. (“Montierra”), a limited partnership that acquired oil and gas fee minerals, royalties and non-operated working interest drilling programs across the United States, and sold the assets to Eagle Rock Energy Partners LP (“Eagle Rock”) in 2007, becoming Eagle Rock’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and serving in that capacity from 2007 to 2015. Mr. Mills was responsible for managing and creating the strategic direction and vision of the company and managing its growth as a publicly traded E&P and midstream master limited partnership. Mr. Mills served at Montierra from 2006 to 2016. Prior to his service at Eagle Rock, Mr. Mills served in various leadership roles at El Paso Production Company, an oil exploration company. Mr. Mills currently serves on the boards of directors of Riviera Resources Company and the University of Houston Energy Advisory Board. Mr. Mills received his B.B.A. in petroleum land management from the University of Texas and holds a MBA from the University of Houston. Mr. Mills was selected to serve on our Board of Directors due to his significant financial and leadership experience.
Mr. Reynertson, co-founder of GLC and a Managing Director of GLC Advisors, will also serve as our advisor. The following provides biographical information of Mr. Reynertson. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Reynertson is not an officer or director.
J. Soren Reynertson — Advisor. J. Soren Reynertson is our Advisor. Mr. Reynertson serves as the Managing Director of GLC Advisors, which he co-founded in 2009. Mr. Reynertson also serves as Chief Executive Officer of GLC Securities, which he co-founded. GLC is a FINRA-regulated investment banking boutique with more than 40 professionals focused on financial restructuring, capital raising, and mergers & acquisitions. The firm is consistently ranked in the Top 10 US Restructuring advisors by Thomson Reuters (now Refinitv). Based in the New York office, Mr. Reynertson has worked with companies and their creditors on assignments including bankruptcy reorganizations, exchange offers, out-of-court workouts, M&A, financings and recapitalizations for over 25 years. Before co-founding GLC, Mr. Reynertson was a Managing Director in UBS’ Restructuring & Leveraged Finance Group in New York from 2008 to 2009. Previously, Mr. Reynertson was a Managing Director and Head of the European Strategic Finance Group at Morgan Stanley in London from 2007 to 2008. From 1999 to 2007, Mr. Reynertson held various roles within UBS’ Restructuring team in New York and London, including Managing Director and Head of UBS’ European Restructuring team. From 1995-1999, Mr. Reynertson was a crisis manager for Jay Alix Associates (now AlixPartners), where he focused on taking operational roles in financially distressed businesses. From 1994 to 1995, Mr. Reynertson worked in PriceWaterhouse’s Dispute Analysis and Corporate Recovery Group in New York, providing advisory services to troubled companies and their creditors. Mr. Reynertson has successfully completed the following FINRA Administered Qualification Examinations: Series 7, 24, 63. Mr. Reynertson received a BA from Emory University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. Mr. Reynertson was selected as our advisor due to his significant financial and leadership experience.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect that our board of directors will consist of five members. Holders of our founder shares will have the right
to elect all of our directors prior to consummation of our initial business combination and holders of our public shares will not have the right to vote on the election of directors during such time; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding. Our board of directors will be 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. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Daniel H. Golden, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Eugene Davis and Joseph Mills, will expire at the second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of J. Carney Hawks and Marc Heimowitz, 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. Subject to any other special rights applicable to the stockholders, any vacancies on our board of directors may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors present and voting at the meeting of our board that includes any directors representing our sponsor then on our board, or by a majority of the holders of our founder shares.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint persons to the offices set forth in our bylaws as it deems appropriate. Our bylaws will provide that our officers may consist of a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a Chief Financial Officer, Vice Presidents, a Secretary, Assistant Secretaries, a Treasurer, Assistant Treasurers and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
The rules of the NYSE require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person that, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, stockholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). We expect to have “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE’s rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board has determined that each of Eugene Davis, Daniel H. Golden, Marc Heimowitz and Joseph Mills is an independent director under applicable SEC and NYSE rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Executive Officer and Director Compensation
None of our officers or directors have received any compensation for services rendered to us. Our sponsor, officers, directors and their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates. We will also pay a monthly fee to our Chief Operating Officer for service provided to us in such capacity.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other compensation from the combined company. All compensation 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 business combination. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers after the completion of our initial business combination will be determined by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors.
We are not party to any agreements with our executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business, and we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination should be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Both our audit committee and our compensation committee will be composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of the NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of the NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. The members of our audit committee will initially be Eugene Davis, Marc Heimowitz and Joseph Mills and Eugene Davis will serve as chairman of the audit committee.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the purpose and principal functions of the audit committee, including:
•
assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors;
•
the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
•
pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures;
•
reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
•
setting clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the independent auditors;
•
setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
•
obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent auditors describing (1) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
•
meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditor, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”;
•
reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be Eugene Davis, Marc Heimowitz and Joseph Mills and Marc Heimowitz will serve as chairman of the compensation committee.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibility of the compensation committee, including:
•
reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;
•
reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to (or approving, if such authority is so delegated by our board of directors) the compensation, and any incentive- compensation and equity-based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;
•
reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
•
implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
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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;
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producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
•
reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser.
However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by the NYSE and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. The members of our nominating and corporate governance will be Eugene Davis, Daniel H. Golden and Marc Heimowitz and Daniel H. Golden will serve as chair of the nominating and corporate governance committee.
We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
•
identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for election at the annual meeting of stockholders or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;
•
developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;
•
coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our stockholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, and in the past year has not served, as a member of the board of directors or compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees.
You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K. Please see “Where You Can Find Additional Information.”
Conflicts of Interest
Our management team is responsible for the management of our affairs. As described above and below, certain of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties to one or more other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. 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.
As a result, such persons may compete with us for acquisition opportunities in the same industries and sectors as we may target for our initial business combination. Consequently, we may be precluded from procuring such opportunities.
We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless (i) such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company, (ii) such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue and (iii) the director or officer is permitted to refer the opportunity to us without violating another legal obligation.
Our sponsor, officers and directors may participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other blank check company prior to completion of our initial business combination.
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
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None of our officers or directors is required to commit his or her full time to our affairs and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in allocating his or her time among various business activities.
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In the course of their other business activities, our officers and directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us as well as the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our management may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. Please see “— Directors and Executive Officers” for a description of our management’s other affiliations,
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination. Additionally, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our initial stockholders or any of our officers, directors or affiliates acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to consummate our initial business combination within the completion window. If we do not complete our initial business combination within such applicable time period, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our initial stockholders until the earlier of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; and (2) the date on which we consummate a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing 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, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. With certain limited exceptions, the private placement warrants and the shares of common stock underlying such warrants, will not be transferable, assignable or salable by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Since our sponsor, officers and directors may directly or indirectly own common stock and warrants following this offering, our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
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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 to proceed with a particular business combination.
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Our key personnel may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such key personnel was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
The conflicts described above may not be resolved in our favor.
In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:
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the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;
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the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and
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it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.
Accordingly, as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and directors have similar legal obligations and duties relating to presenting business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to multiple entities. Furthermore, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to any of our officers or directors in circumstances where the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have, and there will not be any expectancy that any of our directors or officers will offer any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to us. Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may present a conflict of interest:
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Name of Individual
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Entity Name
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Entity’s Business
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Affiliation
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J. Carney Hawks
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Cenveo Worldwide Limited
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Print Products
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Director
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Extraction Oil & Gas
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Energy
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Director
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|
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Ferrellgas Partners, LP
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Propane Distribution
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|
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Director
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|
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John Maher
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|
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None.
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|
|
|
|
|
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Lois A. Mannon
|
|
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Mannon Consulting, LLC
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|
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Financial Advisory Company
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|
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CEO
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|
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Eugene Davis
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|
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PIRINATE Consulting Group, LLC
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|
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M&A Consulting & Strategy
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|
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Chairman and CEO
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|
|
|
|
|
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FTS International
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|
|
Oil Well Completion
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|
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Director
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|
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Hycroft Mining Corporation
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|
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Mining
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|
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Director
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|
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|
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GTT Communications, Inc.
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|
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Telecommunications
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|
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Director
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|
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Daniel H. Golden
|
|
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Insys Liquidation Trust
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|
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Liquidation Trust
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Board of Managers
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|
|
|
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Quorum Health Corporation Litigation Trust
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Litigation Trust
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Trustee
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|
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Marc Heimowitz
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|
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Coda Advisory Group LLC
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Restructuring Advisory Firm
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Managing Member
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Alpha Media Holdings LLC
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Radio Broadcasting
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|
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Director
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|
|
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Joseph Mills
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|
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Samson Resources II, LLC
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|
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President and CEO
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|
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Riviera Resources, Inc.
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|
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Director
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University of Houston Energy Advisory Board
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|
|
|
|
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Board Member
|
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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. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm, that such 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.
In addition, our sponsor or any of its affiliates, or any of their respective clients, may make additional investments in the company in connection with the initial business combination, although our sponsor and its affiliates have no obligation to do so. If our sponsor or any of its affiliates elects to make additional investments, such proposed investments could influence our sponsor’s motivation to complete an initial business combination.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held
by them in favor of our initial business combination, and our officers and directors have also agreed to vote public shares purchased by them (if any) during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our officers and directors will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law, as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us or stockholders for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted by the DGCL.
We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Our bylaws also permit us to maintain insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit such indemnification.
We will obtain a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.
These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, 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 officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, 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 the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
The post-offering ownership percentage column below assumes that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units, that our sponsor forfeits 750,000 founder shares and that there are 25,000,000 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share, to cover certain of our offering and formation costs in consideration of 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial officer and our advisor, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option and that there are 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.
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Approximate Percentage of
Outstanding Common Stock
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
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Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
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Before
Offering
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After
Offering(2)
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Hawks Sponsor LLC(3)
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5,482,000(4)
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95.34%
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[ ]%
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J. Carney Hawks(3)
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5,482,000(4)
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95.34%
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*
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Lois A. Mannon
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40,000
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*
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*
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Eugene Davis
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40,000
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*
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*
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Daniel H. Golden
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40,000
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*
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*
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Marc Heimowitz
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40,000
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*
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*
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John Maher
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28,000
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*
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*
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Joseph Mills
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40,000
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*
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*
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All directors and executive officers as a group (7 individuals)
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5,710,000
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99.3%
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*
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*
denotes a percentage less than 1%.
(1)
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is Hawks Acquisition Corp, 600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022.
(2)
Interests shown consist solely of shares of Class B common stock which are referred to herein as founder shares. Shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.”
(3)
J. Carney Hawks is the managing member of JC Hawks & Co. LLC, which is the managing member of Hawks Acquisition Founders Company LLC, which is the managing member of Hawks Sponsor LLC. The shares beneficially owned by Hawks Sponsor LLC may also be deemed to be beneficially owned by Mr. Hawks.
(4)
Includes up to 750,000 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.
Upon the completion of this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of our common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Our initial stockholders will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination as a result of holding all of the founder shares. In addition, because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($6,500,000 in the aggregate, or $7,100,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in the private placement transaction. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. Proceeds from the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, the proceeds of the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, and the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below.
Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” for additional information regarding our relationships with our promoters.
Expression of Interest
The anchor investors (none of which are affiliated with any member of our management, our sponsor or any other anchor investor) have expressed to us an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $[ ] million of the units in this offering at the offering price, and we have agreed to direct the underwriters to offer to the anchor investors up to such number of units and no more than 9.9% of the units in this offering per anchor investor. Further, each of the anchor investors is expected to enter into a separate agreement with our sponsor and certain of its members pursuant to which, subject to the conditions set forth therein, each such investor will agree to purchase equity interests in our sponsor from such members representing an indirect beneficial interest in founder shares upon closing of this offering (and will have no direct or indirect beneficial interest in any other securities held by our sponsor). The obligation of such members of our sponsor to sell such interests in our sponsor to each anchor investor is conditioned upon each such anchor investor purchasing all of the units in this offering, if any, it may be offered by the underwriters (which shall not exceed 9.9% of the units in this offering). The negotiations between our sponsor and each anchor investor were separate and there are no arrangements or understandings among the anchor investors with regard to voting, including voting with respect to our initial business combination.
The anchor investors have not been granted any stockholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to our other public stockholders, and will only be issued equity interests in our sponsor, with no right to control our sponsor or vote or dispose of any securities held by our sponsor. Further, unlike some anchor investor arrangements of other blank check companies, the anchor investors are not required to
(i) hold any units, Class A common stock or warrants they may purchase in this offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any shares of Class A common stock they may own at the applicable time in favor of our initial business combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of our initial 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 this offering as the rights afforded to our other public stockholders.
There can be no assurance that the anchor investors will acquire any units in this offering, or as to the amount of such units the anchor investors will retain, if any, prior to or upon the consummation of our initial business combination. In the event that the anchor investors purchase such units (either in this offering or after) and vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination, no affirmative votes from other public stockholders would be required to approve our initial business combination. However, because our anchor investors are not obligated to continue owning any public shares following the closing and are not obligated to vote any public shares in favor of our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that any of these anchor investors will be stockholders at the time our stockholders vote on our initial business combination, and, if they are stockholders, we cannot assure you as to how such anchor investors will vote on any business combination.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the letter agreement with us to be entered into by our initial stockholders. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (1) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination and (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, (x) if the closing 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 our initial business combination, or (y) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property, and (2) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members of our sponsor, or any affiliates of our sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person, or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) transfers by private sales, transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or in connection with consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the securities were originally purchased; (f) in the event of our liquidation prior to our completion of our initial business combination; (g) by virtue of the laws of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement, as amended, upon dissolution of our sponsor; or (h) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; or (i) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through (h) above, provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (e) and (i) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreement.
Registration Rights
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) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights
agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us to register such securities for resale (in the case of the founder shares, only after conversion to shares of Class A common stock). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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. We will bear the costs and expenses of filing any such registration statements. Please see “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On January 26, 2021, our sponsor purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. On February 9, 2021, our sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial officer and our advisor, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has subscribed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants for a purchase price of $1.00 per private placement warrant in the private placement transaction. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $6,500,000 and $7,100,000, depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as provided herein. The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by our sponsor until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As described in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for one or more entities to which he or she has fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties, he or she will honor these obligations and duties to present such business combination opportunity to such entities first, and only present it to us if such entities reject the opportunity and he or she determines to present the opportunity to us. Our officers and directors currently have other relevant fiduciary, contractual or other obligations or duties that may take priority over their duties to us.
We will enter into an Administrative Services Agreement pursuant to which we will also pay GLC or an affiliate of GLC a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, assuming our sponsor exercises its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, for office space, administrative and support services. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees. Accordingly, in the event the consummation of our initial business combination takes the maximum 24 months, GLC or an affiliate of GLC will be paid a total of $240,000 ($10,000 per month) for office space, administrative and support services and will be entitled to be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses.
Following this offering, we may engage GLC or an affiliate of GLC to provide us with transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory or management services in connection with our initial business combination. No fees will be payable in connection with such services prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The scope of any such services and the amount of any fees payable at the time of our initial business combination for rendering such services will be subject to the approval of our board of directors after this offering. We will also pay a fee of $10,000 per month to our Chief Operating Officer for service provided to us in such capacity.
Our sponsor, officers and directors or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or any of their respective affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $750,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2021, there was $100,000 outstanding under such promissory note. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2021 and the closing of this offering. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $1,500,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses and other operating expenses (other than underwriting commissions) not held in the trust account. The value of our sponsor’s interest in this loan transaction corresponds to the principal amount outstanding under any such loan.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. The terms of such loans by our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, if any, as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us, if any, 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 officer and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans (if any), which is described under the heading “Principal Stockholders — Registration Rights.”
Related Party Policy
We have not yet adopted a formal policy for the review, approval or ratification of related party transactions. Accordingly, the transactions discussed above were not reviewed, approved or ratified in accordance with any such policy.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will adopt a Code of Ethics requiring us to avoid, wherever possible, all conflicts of interests, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by our board of directors (or the appropriate committee of our board) or as disclosed in our public filings with the SEC. Under our Code of Ethics, conflict of interest situations will include any financial transaction, arrangement or relationship (including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving the company.
In addition, our audit committee, pursuant to a written charter that we will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering, will be 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. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or any of their affiliates.
These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.
To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or an independent accounting firm that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisor or our or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, the following payments may be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from (i) funds held outside the trust account or (ii) permitted withdrawals:
•
repayment of an aggregate of up to $750,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
•
payment to GLC or an affiliate of GLC of a total of $10,000 per month, for up to 24 months, assuming our sponsor exercises its option to purchase additional private placement warrants in order to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by an additional 6 months, for office space, administrative and support services;
•
payment of transaction, structuring, consulting, advisory and management fees and similar fees for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination to GLC or an affiliate of GLC;
•
reimbursement of legal fees and expenses incurred by our sponsor, officers or directors in connection with our formation, the initial business combination and their services to us;
•
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, an affiliate of our sponsor or 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 warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender.
These payments may be made using funds that are not held in the trust account or, upon completion of the initial business combination, from any amounts remaining from the proceeds of the trust account released to us in connection therewith.
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Delaware corporation and our affairs will be governed by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the DGCL. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our authorized capital stock will consist of 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value, and 1,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.0001 par value. The following description summarizes the material terms of our capital stock as set out more particularly in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant. Each whole public warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a public warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of the company’s Class A common stock. This means only a whole public warrant may be exercised at any given time by a public warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade.
The shares of Class A common stock and public warrants constituting the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the closing of this offering unless the representatives of the underwriters inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the shares of Class A common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into shares of Class A common stock and public warrants. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant.
In no event will the shares of our Class A common stock and public warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet of our company reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K which will include this audited balance sheet, promptly after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.
Common Stock
Upon the closing of this offering, 25,000,000 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the corresponding forfeiture of 750,000 founder shares by our sponsor), including:
•
20,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock underlying the units being offered in this offering; and
•
5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering.
Common stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of our Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of our directors
prior to the consummation of our initial business combination; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. On any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, holders of our Class B common stock and holders of our Class A common stock will vote together as a single class, except as required by applicable law or stock exchange rule. The provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation relating to the election or removal of directors prior to an initial business combination may only be amended by a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding. Unless specified in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws, or as required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our shares of common stock that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our stockholders (other than the election of directors). In connection with our initial business combination, we may enter into a stockholders agreement or other arrangements with the stockholders of the target or equity financing providers that provide such persons with greater voting rights, board representation or other corporate governance rights than other holders of our Class A common stock following completion of the initial business combination. Directors will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors. Our stockholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize the issuance of up to 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE’s corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until not later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. 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.
We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. Such amount will be increased by an anticipated $0.10 per public share pursuant to our sponsor's option to purchase additional private placement warrants for a 6 month extension of our time to consummate an initial business combination. 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 right will include the requirement that any beneficial owner on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. 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 the proposed transaction. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of our sponsor, officers or directors will be subject to the same obligations. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in connection with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even
when a vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a stockholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements 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 the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a stockholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, unless a different vote is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, 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 business combination. Unless otherwise required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, 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. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their respective affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. We intend to give approximately 30 days (but not less than 10 days nor more than 60 days) prior written notice of any such meeting, if required, at which a vote shall be taken to approve our initial business combination. These quorum and voting thresholds and agreements may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination.
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 will provide that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this 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. Our stockholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their stock in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) agreed to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of our initial business combination (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the option to purchase additional units is not exercised) in order to have such initial business combination approved. 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 the proposed transaction.
Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but no 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 (3) 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. Our initial stockholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor or any of our officers or directors acquires public shares after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of stock, if any, having preference over the common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that in connection with our initial business combination we will provide our stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest (net of permitted withdrawals) subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that: (1) only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination; provided, however, that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Company in which a business combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Company for approval, holders of the Class A common stock and holders of the Class B common stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors; (2) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (3) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to: (a) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (b) waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the completion window; and (c) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window); (4) the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein; and (5) the holders of founder shares are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees, as applicable, will agree) to vote any founder shares and any public shares held by them in favor of our initial business combination.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. 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 this offering and related to the closing of our 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 this offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of the number of shares of Class A common stock redeemed in connection with our initial business combination), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination in consideration for such seller’s interest in the business combination target and any private placement warrants issued upon the conversion of working capital loans made to us.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor and other permitted transferees, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination, (B) subsequent to our initial business combination, if the closing 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, and (C) following the completion of our initial business combination, such future date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Preferred Stock
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will authorize 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and will provide that shares of preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without stockholder approval, issue preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred stock outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
Each whole public warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of our Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of 12 months from the closing of this offering and 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. Pursuant to the public warrant agreement, a public warrant holder may exercise its public warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means only a whole public warrant may be exercised at a given time by a public warrant holder. No fractional public warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole public warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole public warrant. The public warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a public warrant and will have no obligation to settle such public warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No public 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 public 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. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a public warrant, the holder of such public warrant will not be entitled to exercise such public warrant and such public warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised public warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such public warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.
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 reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following our initial business combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the public warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the public warrants expire or are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a public warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but will use our reasonable best efforts to qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
We have agreed that any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the public warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district courts of the United States, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. However, the enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions (including exclusive forum provisions for actions, suits or proceedings asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act) in other companies’ organizational documents has been challenged in legal proceeds, and there is uncertainty as to whether courts would enforce the exclusive forum provisions in our public warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the public warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be 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 agreements. Additionally, our stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. See “Risk Factors — Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the City of New York, County of New York, State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the 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 without company.”
Redemption of Public Warrants. Once the public warrants become exercisable, we may call the public warrants for redemption:
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in whole and not in part;
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at a price of $0.01 per public warrant;
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upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each public warrant holder; and
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if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any ten (10) trading days within the twenty (20) trading-day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the public warrant holders.
If and when the public warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the public warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the public warrants, each public warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its public warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price as well as the $11.50 public warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption Procedures and Cashless Exercise. If we call the public warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise public warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of public warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the public warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the public warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) of the shares of Class A common stock over the exercise price of the public warrants by (y) the “fair market value.” For purposes of this paragraph, the “fair market value” means the volume-weighted last reported price of the shares of Class A common stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holder of the public warrants or its securities broker or intermediary, pursuant to the public warrant agreement. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the public warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a public warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the public warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our public warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, our sponsor and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their public warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.
A holder of a public warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (1) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) multiplied by (2) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any
additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion. For purposes of this paragraph, “historical fair market value” means the volume-weighted average price of the shares of Class A common stock during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, no shares of Class A common stock shall be issued at less than their par value.
In addition, if we, at any time while the public warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the public warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our Class A common stock if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, or (e) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the exercise price of a public warrant will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding shares of our Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each public warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.
Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants is adjusted, as described above, the public warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the public warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the public warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) 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 a newly issued price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such newly issued 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 sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (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 our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) 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 consummate our initial business combination is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the public warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of 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 consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Redemption of public warrants” above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of 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 consummate our initial business combination and the newly issued price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result
in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the public warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the public warrants and in lieu of the shares of our Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the public warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their public warrants immediately prior to such event. However, if such holders were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets for which each public warrant will become exercisable will be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received per share by such holders in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the shares of Class A common stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the Company as provided for in the Company's amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of the shares of Class A common stock by the Company if a proposed initial business combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act) securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, and (for the avoidance of doubt) such tender offer results in a change of control of the Company, the holder of a public warrant shall be entitled to receive as the alternative issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a shareholder if such warrant holder had exercised the public warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer, accepted such offer and all of the shares of Class A common stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the public warrant agreement. Additionally, if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over- the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the public warrant properly exercises the public warrant within 30 days following public disclosure of such transaction, the public warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the public warrant agreement based on the per share consideration minus Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined in the public warrant agreement) of the public warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the public warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the public warrants pursuant to which the holders of the public warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the public warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the public warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the public warrant due to the requirement that the public warrant holder exercise the public warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.
The public warrants will be issued in registered form under the public warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. You should review a copy of the public warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a description of the terms and conditions applicable to the public warrants. The public warrant agreement provides that the terms of the public warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the
holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any other modification or amendment, including any modification or amendment to increase the exercise price of the public warrants or shorten the exercise period.
The public warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of public warrants being exercised. The public warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their public warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock.
Private Placement Warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor) and will not be redeemable by us.
If holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) of the Class A common stock over the exercise price of the private placement warrants Warrant Price by (y) the “sponsor fair market value.” For purposes of this paragraph, the “sponsor fair market value” means the volume-weighted average reported closing price of the common stock for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise of the private placement warrants is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that the private placement warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor and its permitted transferees is because it is not known at this time whether our sponsor or its permitted transferees will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If our sponsor or its permitted transferees remain affiliated with us, their ability to sell our securities in the open market will be significantly limited. We expect to have policies in place that prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could exercise their public warrants and sell the shares of Class A common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors may, but none of them is obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. 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 our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants issued to our sponsor.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time.
In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of this offering, in which case we will effect a stock dividend with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of founder shares by our initial stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent
The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any liability due to any gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the indemnified person or entity.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions (other than amendments relating to the election and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination, which require the approval of a majority of the Class B common stock then outstanding) cannot be amended without the approval of the holders of at least 65% of our common stock. Our initial stockholders, who collectively will beneficially own 20% of our common stock upon the closing of this offering, may participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Prior to an initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that can vote on amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide, among other things, that:
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if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will: (1) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (2) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (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 (3) 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;
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prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares of capital stock that would entitle the holders thereof to: (1) receive funds from the trust account; or (2) vote on any initial business combination;
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although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent and disinterested directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or from an independent accounting firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
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if a stockholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act,
and will file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;
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if required by applicable stock-exchange rules, our initial business combination must be with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount).
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if our stockholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide for the redemption of our public shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of common stock upon such approval 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), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares; and we will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that under no circumstances will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination.
Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law and our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
We have elected to be exempt from the restrictions imposed under Section 203 of the DGCL. However, our certificate of incorporation will contain similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder unless:
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prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;
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upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an “interested stockholder,” the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced (excluding certain shares); or
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on or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns, or within the previous three years owned, 15% or more of our voting stock.
Under some circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who is an interested stockholder to effect various business combinations with us for a three-year period.
Our certificate of incorporation will provide that our sponsor and its various affiliates, successors and transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to this provision.
Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Exclusive Forum For Certain Lawsuits
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will require that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for any (a) derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (b) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by or other wrongdoing by any current or former director, officer, employee, agent or stockholder to us, (c) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws (as either may be amended from time to time), or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (d) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court lacks jurisdiction, a state court located within Chancery of the State of Delaware or the federal district court for the District of Delaware).
The federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any action asserting a claim arising under the Securities Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. The provisions of Section 13.1 of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation shall not preclude or contract the scope of exclusive federal jurisdiction for suits brought under the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
If any provision or provisions of Section 13.1 of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of Section 13.1 of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of Section 13.1 of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of Section 13.1 of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide 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 will 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. Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As noted above, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction over any action arising under the Securities Act. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provision, and our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.
Special Meeting of Stockholders
Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our chief executive officer or by our chairman, if any.
Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations
Our bylaws will provide for advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors. In order for any matter to be “properly brought” before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act,
proposals seeking inclusion in our annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods contained therein. Our bylaws will also specify requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our bylaws will allow the chairman of the meeting at a meeting of the stockholders to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of us.
Action by Written Consent
Subsequent to the consummation of this offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written consent of the stockholders other than with respect to our Class B common stock.
Classified Board of Directors
Our board of directors will initially be divided into three classes, Class I, Class II and Class III, with members of each class serving staggered three-year terms. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the authorized number of directors may be changed only by resolution of the board of directors. Subject to the terms of any preferred stock, any or all of the directors may be removed from office at any time, with or without cause by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of the Class B common stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an enlargement of our board of directors, may be filled only by vote of a majority of our directors then in office.
Class B Common Stock Consent Right
For so long as any shares of Class B common stock remain outstanding, we may not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B common stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of our certificate of incorporation, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B common stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B common stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B common stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B common stock were present and voted.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering we will have 20,000,000 (or 23,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) shares of Class A common stock outstanding. All of these shares will have been sold in this offering and will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the 5,000,000 (or 5,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) Class B founder shares and all 6,500,000 (or 7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) private placement warrants are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering, and are subject to transfer restrictions as set forth elsewhere in this prospectus.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that: (1) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale; and (2) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale and have filed all required reports under Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act during the 12 months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares of our common stock or warrants for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period only a number of securities that does not exceed the greater of:
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1% of the total number of shares of Class A common stock then outstanding, which will equal 200,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 230,000 if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional units in full); or the average weekly reported trading volume of the common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.
Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.
Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies
Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than a business combination related shell companies) or issuers that have been at any time previously a shell company. However, Rule 144 also includes an important exception to this prohibition if the following conditions are met:
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the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;
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the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;
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the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Current Reports on Form 8-K; and at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.
As a result, our initial stockholders will be able to sell their founder shares and our sponsor will be able to sell its private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration Rights
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) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering requiring us 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 will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration 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. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statement.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to list our units, Class A common stock and public warrants on the NYSE under the symbols “HWKZ.U,” “HWKZ” and “HWKZ WS,” respectively. We expect that our units will be listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the effective date of the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our Class A common stock and public warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common stock and public warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on the NYSE. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE.
UNITED STATES FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion is a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units, Class A common stock and public warrants, which we refer to collectively as our securities. This summary is based upon U.S. federal income tax law as of the date of this prospectus, which is subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly with retroactive effect. This summary does not discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to particular investors in light of their individual circumstances, including investors subject to special tax rules (e.g., financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers, tax-exempt organizations (including private foundations), taxpayers that have elected mark-to-market accounting, S corporations, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, investors that will hold Class A common stock or public warrants as part of a straddle, hedge, conversion or other integrated transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes or investors that have a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar), all of whom may be subject to tax rules that differ materially from those summarized below. In addition, this summary does not discuss other U.S. federal tax consequences (e.g., estate or gift tax), any state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations, or the additional tax on net investment income or alternative minimum tax. In addition, this summary is limited to investors that will hold our securities as “capital assets” (generally, property held for investment) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, (the “Code”), and that acquired the securities pursuant to this offering (or, in the case of Class A common stock, upon exercise of public warrants so acquired). No ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) has been or will be sought regarding any matter discussed herein. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax aspects set forth below.
For purposes of this summary, a “U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of securities who or that is:
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an individual who is a U.S. citizen or resident of the United States as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
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a corporation or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes created in, or organized under the law of, the United States or any state or political subdivision thereof;
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an estate the income of which is includible in gross income for U.S. federal income tax purposes regardless of its source; or
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a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and which has one or more U.S. persons (within the meaning of the Code) who have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (B) that has in effect a valid election under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
A “non-U.S. Holder” is a beneficial holder of shares who or that is neither a U.S. Holder nor a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If a partnership (including an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner, member or other beneficial owner in such partnership will generally depend upon the status of the partner, member or other beneficial owner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner, member or other beneficial owner level. If you are a partner, member or other beneficial owner of a partnership holding our securities, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our securities.
THIS DISCUSSION OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. WE URGE PROSPECTIVE HOLDERS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS CONCERNING THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF ACQUIRING, OWNING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES, AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF ANY, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS.
Personal Holding Company Status
We would be subject to a second level of U.S. federal income tax on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S.
corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for U.S. federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (1) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules), directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (2) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).
Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by five or fewer such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed PHC income, which generally includes our taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.
General Treatment of Units
There is no authority directly addressing the treatment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, of instruments or arrangements with terms substantially the same as the units and, therefore, their treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A common stock and one-half of one public warrant to acquire one share of our Class A common stock. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. Each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the share of Class A common stock and the one-half of one public warrant based on their respective relative fair market values. A holder’s initial tax basis in the Class A common stock and the one-half of one public warrant included in each unit should equal the portion of the purchase price of the unit allocated thereto. The separation of the Class A common stock and one-half of one public warrant constituting a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there is no authority that directly addresses instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and any foreign tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit and its components). The following discussion is based on the assumption that the characterization of the Class A common stock and public warrants and the allocation methodology described above are respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
If we pay cash distributions to U.S. Holders of shares of our Class A common stock, such distributions will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Distributions in excess of current and accumulated earnings and profits will constitute a return of capital that will be applied against and reduce (but not below zero) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our Class A common stock. Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock and will be treated as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” below.
Dividends we pay to a U.S. Holder that is a taxable corporation generally will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including dividends
treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we pay to a non-corporate U.S. Holder will generally constitute “qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may prevent a U.S. Holder from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock
A U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss on the sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition (which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window) of our Class A common stock. Any such gain or loss will be capital gain or loss, and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock so disposed of exceeds one year. It is unclear, however, whether the redemption rights with respect to the Class A common stock described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. The amount of gain or loss recognized will generally be equal to the difference between (1) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A common stock is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A common stock based upon the then fair market values of the Class A common stock and the one-half of one public warrant included in the unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A common stock will generally equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, for public warrants, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a share of Class A common stock or, as discussed below, the U.S. Holder’s initial basis for Class A common stock received upon exercise of a warrant) less any prior distributions treated as a return of capital. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
In the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock is redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock”, the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as sale of the Class A common stock under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of Class A common stock under the tests described below, the tax consequences to the U.S. Holder will be the same as described under “U.S. Holders — Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A common stock, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described above under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions”. Whether the redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend primarily on the total number of shares of our stock treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants) both before and after the redemption. For a given U.S. Holder, the redemption of Class A common stock will generally be treated as a sale of the Class A common stock (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (1) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (2) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (3) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder. These tests are explained more fully below.
In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. Holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder may constructively own stock owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. Holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. Holder, as well as any stock the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. A redemption of a U.S. Holder’s stock will be substantially disproportionate with respect to the U.S. Holder if the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption of common stock is, among other requirements, less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption. Prior to our
initial business combination, the Class A common stock may not be treated as voting stock for this purpose and, consequently, this substantially disproportionate test may not be applicable. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. Holder’s interest if either (1) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (2) all of the shares of our stock actually owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed and the U.S. Holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any other stock (including any stock constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as a result of owning warrants). The redemption of the Class A common stock will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if the redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. The IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority stockholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” Each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor as to the tax consequences of a redemption, including the application of the constructive ownership rules described above.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution, the tax consequences of which are described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A common stock should be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining stock, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other stock constructively owned by it.
Exercise of a Warrant
Except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will not recognize gain or loss upon the exercise of a warrant. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the share of our Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant will generally be an amount equal to the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the portions of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrant. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock received upon exercise of the warrant would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; however, in either case the holding period will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrants.
The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be nontaxable, either because the exercise is not a realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either situation, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would generally equal the holder’s tax basis in the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as not being a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If, however, the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A common stock would include the holding period of the warrant.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss is recognized. In such event, a U.S. Holder would be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having a value equal to the exercise price. The U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the Class A common stock represented by the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants deemed surrendered. In this case, a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A common stock received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants exercised (i.e., the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the warrant, as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A common stock would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant.
Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, including when a U.S. Holder’s holding period would commence with respect to the Class A common stock
received, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, each U.S. Holder is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Sale, Exchange, Redemption or Expiration of a Warrant
Upon a sale, exchange (other than by exercise), redemption (other than a redemption for Class A common stock), or expiration of a warrant, a U.S. Holder will recognize taxable gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between (1) the amount realized upon such disposition or expiration (or, if the warrant is held as part of a unit at the time of the disposition of the unit, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the warrant based on the then fair market values of the warrant and the Class A common stock constituting such unit) and (2) the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the warrant as described above under “— General Treatment of Units”). Such gain or loss will generally be treated as long-term capital gain or loss if the warrant is held by the U.S. Holder for more than one year at the time of such disposition or expiration. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize a capital loss equal to such holder’s tax basis in the warrant. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock which is taxable to such U.S. Holders as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if such U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.
In general, information reporting requirements may apply to dividends paid to a U.S. Holder and to the proceeds of the sale or other disposition of our units, shares of Class A common stock and warrants, unless the U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. Backup withholding may apply to such payments if the U.S. Holder fails to provide a taxpayer identification number or a certification of exempt status or has been notified by the IRS that it is subject to backup withholding (and such notification has not been withdrawn).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Non-U.S. Holders
Taxation of Distributions
In general, any distributions (including constructive distributions) we make to a non-U.S. Holder of shares of our Class A common stock, to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles), will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, provided such dividends are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States, we will be required to withhold tax from the gross amount of the dividend at a rate of 30%, unless such non-U.S. Holder is eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and provides proper certification of its eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable). In the case of any
constructive dividend, it is possible that this tax would be withheld from any amount owed to a non-U.S. Holder by the applicable withholding agent, including cash distributions on other property or sale proceeds from warrants or other property subsequently paid or credited to such holder. Any distribution not constituting a dividend will be treated first as reducing (but not below zero) the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its shares of our Class A common stock and, to the extent such distribution exceeds the non-U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis, as gain realized from the sale or other disposition of the Class A common stock, which will be treated as described under “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below. In addition, if we determine that we are classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants” below), we will withhold 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits.
Dividends we pay to a non-U.S. Holder that are effectively connected with such non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (or, if a tax treaty so applies, are attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder) will generally not be subject to U.S. withholding tax, provided such non-U.S. Holder complies with certain certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends will generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to U.S. Holders. If the non-U.S. Holder is a corporation, dividends that are effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).
Exercise of a Warrant
The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the exercise of a warrant by a U.S. Holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise of a Warrant” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the tax consequences to the non-U.S. Holder would be the same as those described below in “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants.”
Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants
A non-U.S. Holder will generally not be subject to U.S. federal income or withholding tax in respect of gain recognized on a sale, taxable exchange or other taxable disposition of our Class A common stock, which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not complete an initial business combination within the completion window, or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), in each case without regard to whether those securities were held as part of a unit, unless:
•
the gain is effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business by the non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if an applicable tax treaty so requires, is attributable to a U.S. permanent establishment or fixed base maintained by the non-U.S. Holder);
•
the non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and certain other conditions are met; or
•
we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at any time during the shorter of the five-year period ending on the date of disposition or the period that the non-U.S. Holder held our Class A common stock, and, in the case where shares of our Class A common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, the non-U.S. Holder has owned, directly or constructively, more than 5% of our Class A common stock at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding the disposition or such non-U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares of our Class A common stock. There can be no assurance that our Class A common stock will be treated as regularly traded on an established securities market for this purpose.
Gain described in the first bullet point above will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. Any gains described in the first bullet point above of a non-U.S. Holder that is a foreign corporation may also be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a 30% rate (or lower applicable treaty
rate). Gain described in the second bullet point above will generally be subject to a flat 30% U.S. federal income tax. Non-U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding possible eligibility for benefits under income tax treaties.
If the third bullet point above applies to a non-U.S. Holder, gain recognized by such holder on the sale, exchange or other disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants will be subject to tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of our Class A common stock or warrants from such holder may be required to withhold U.S. income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition. We cannot determine whether we will be a “United States real property holding corporation” in the future until we complete an initial business combination. We will be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of our worldwide real property interests plus our other assets used or held for use in a trade or business, as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. If we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” you are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the application of these rules.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of shares of Class A common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution is generally not a taxable event. Nevertheless, a non-U.S. Holder of warrants would be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our Class A common stock which is taxable to such non-U.S. Holders as described under “U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” or “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” above. A non-U.S. Holder would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding under that section in the same manner as if such non-U.S. Holder received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest without any corresponding receipt of cash.
Redemption of Class A Common Stock
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a non-U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities — Common Stock” will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s Class A common stock, as described under “U.S. Holders — Redemption of Class A Common Stock” above, and the consequences of the redemption to the non-U.S. Holder will be as described above under “Non-U.S. Holders — Taxation of Distributions” and “Non-U.S. Holders — Gain on Sale, Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Common Stock and Warrants,” as applicable.
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act
Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code and the Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as the “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” or “FATCA”) generally impose withholding at a rate of 30% in certain circumstances on dividends in respect of our securities which are held by or through certain foreign financial institutions (including investment funds), unless any such institution (1) enters into, and complies with, an agreement with the IRS to report, on an annual basis, information with respect to interests in, and accounts maintained by, the institution that are owned by certain U.S. persons and by certain non-U.S. entities that are wholly or partially owned by U.S. persons and to withhold on certain payments, or (2) if required under an intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country, reports such information to its local tax authority, which will exchange such information with the U.S. authorities. An intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an applicable foreign country may modify these requirements. Accordingly, the entity through which our securities are held will affect the determination of whether such withholding is required.
Similarly, dividends in respect of our securities held by an investor that is a non-financial non-U.S. entity that does not qualify under certain exceptions will generally be subject to withholding at a rate of 30%, unless such entity either (1) certifies to us or the applicable withholding agent that such entity does not have any “substantial United States owners” or (2) provides certain information regarding the entity’s “substantial United States owners,” which will in turn be provided to the U.S. Department of Treasury. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of FATCA on their investment in our securities.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
In general, information reporting requirements will apply to payments of dividends and proceeds from the sale of our securities to non-U.S. Holders that are not exempt recipients. We must report annually to the IRS and to each such holder the amount of dividends or other distributions we pay to such non-U.S. Holder on our shares of Class A common stock and the amount of tax withheld with respect to those distributions, regardless of whether withholding is required. The IRS may make copies of the information returns reporting those dividends and amounts withheld available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. Holder resides pursuant to the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or exchange of information treaty.
The gross amount of dividends and proceeds from the disposition of our Class A common stock or warrants paid to a holder that fails to provide the appropriate certification in accordance with applicable U.S. Treasury regulations generally will be subject to backup withholding at the applicable rate.
Information reporting and backup withholding are generally not required with respect to the amount of any proceeds from the sale by a non-U.S. Holder of Class A common stock or warrants outside the United States through a foreign office of a foreign broker that does not have certain specified connections to the United States. However, if a non-U.S. Holder sells Class A common stock or warrants through a U.S. broker or the U.S. office of a foreign broker, the broker will generally be required to report to the IRS the amount of proceeds paid to such holder, unless the non-U.S. Holder provides appropriate certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, as applicable) to the broker of its status as a non-U.S. Holder or such non-U.S. Holder is an exempt recipient. In addition, for information reporting purposes, certain non-U.S. brokers with certain relationships with the United States will be treated in a manner similar to U.S. brokers.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts we withhold under the backup withholding rules may be refunded or credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS if the required information is furnished in a timely manner to the IRS.
UNDERWRITING
BTIG, LLC and Mizuho Securities USA LLC are acting as joint bookrunners and representatives of the underwriters and Imperial Capital, LLC is acting as co-manager of the offering. Subject to the terms and conditions stated in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, each underwriter named below has severally agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to that underwriter, the number of units set forth opposite the underwriter’s name.
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Underwriter
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Number of Units
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BTIG, LLC
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Mizuho Securities USA LLC
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Imperial Capital, LLC
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Total
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20,000,000
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The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the over-allotment option described below) if they purchase any of the units.
Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The representatives have advised us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. To the extent the option is exercised, each underwriter must purchase a number of additional units approximately proportionate to that underwriter’s initial purchase commitment. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the representatives, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, shares of common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of common stock, subject to certain exceptions. BTIG, LLC and Mizuho Securities USA LLC may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants pursuant to the insider letters as described herein.
Our sponsor, founder, officers and directors have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any founder shares held by them until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the completion of our initial business combination; or (2) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing 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, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up. The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our
initial business combination (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal Stockholders — Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
Prior to this offering, there has been no public market for our securities. Consequently, the initial public offering price for the units was determined by negotiations between us and the representatives.
The determination of our per unit offering price was more arbitrary than would typically be the case if we were an operating company. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A common stock or public warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A common stock or public warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
We have applied to list our units on the NYSE under the symbol “HWKZ.U.” We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. We expect that our Class A common stock and public warrants will be listed under the symbols “HWKZ” and “HWKZ WS,” respectively, once the Class A common stock and warrants begin separate trading.
The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
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Payable by Hawks Acquisition Corp
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No Exercise
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Full Exercise
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Per Unit(1)
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$
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0.55
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$
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0.55
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Total(1)
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$
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11,000,000
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$
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12,650,000
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(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the time period required by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation.
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the over-allotment option and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
•
Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in the offering.
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“Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
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“Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
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Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the over-allotment option or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.
•
To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.
•
To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the over-allotment option. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.
•
Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, they may discontinue them at any time.
We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $1,500,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have also agreed to reimburse the Underwriters for certain of their expenses in the amount up to $25,000.
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, any of the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which they are affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Some of the underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, and may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the “relevant implementation date”), an offer
of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member state at any time:
•
to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive; and
•
to fewer than 100, or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provisions of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the issuer for any such offer; or natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.
Each purchaser of units described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive.
For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer of units to the public” in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state. The expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.
We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of units through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (each such person being referred to as a “relevant person”). The units are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.
Notice to Prospective Investors in France
Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:
•
released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or
•
used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France. Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:
•
to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;
•
to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or
•
in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).
The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The units offered in this prospectus have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the account of any resident of Japan (including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), except (i) pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and (ii) in compliance with any other applicable requirements of Japanese law.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.
Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole
purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
•
to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;
•
where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or
•
where the transfer is by operation of law.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre
This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.
Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional
investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.
The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the company, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.
LEGAL MATTERS
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, New York, New York, has passed upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus on behalf of us. Latham & Watkins LLP, Houston, Texas and New York, New York, is advising the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Hawks Acquisition Corp as of January 29, 2021 and for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through January 29, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, are included in reliance on the report of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, appearing elsewhere in this prospectus.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.
Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Page
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F-2
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F-3
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F-4
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F-5
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F-6
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F-7
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Stockholder and Board of Directors of
Hawks Acquisition Corp
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) as of January 29, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through January 29, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of January 29, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through January 29, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s ability to execute its business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficit as of January 29, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
/s/ Marcum llp
Marcum llp
We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.
Boston, MA
February 24, 2021
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
BALANCE SHEETS
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|
June 30, 2021
(unaudited)
|
|
|
January 29, 2021
(audited)
|
|
|
ASSETS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash – current assets
|
|
|
|
$
|
74,401
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
Deferred offering costs
|
|
|
|
|
375,250
|
|
|
|
|
|
107,000
|
|
|
|
Total Assets
|
|
|
|
$
|
449,651
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
132,000
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current Liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
Accrued offering costs
|
|
|
|
|
324,800
|
|
|
|
|
|
107,000
|
|
|
|
Note Payable – Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
100,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Total Current Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
426,800
|
|
|
|
|
|
109,000
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’ Equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value; 80,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1)
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|
|
|
|
575
|
|
|
|
|
|
575
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
|
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit
|
|
|
|
|
(2,149)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,000)
|
|
|
|
Total Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
|
|
22,851
|
|
|
|
|
|
23,000
|
|
|
|
Total Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
|
|
|
|
$
|
499,651
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
132,000
|
|
|
(1)
Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
|
|
|
|
For the
Period from
January 4, 2021
(Inception)
Through
June 30, 2021
(unaudited)
|
|
|
For the
Period from
January 4, 2021
(Inception)
Through
January 29, 2021
(audited)
|
|
|
Formation costs
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,149
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
$
|
(2,149)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(2,000)
|
|
|
|
Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
5,000,000
|
|
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per common share
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.00)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.00)
|
|
|
(1)
Excludes an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 4, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021
AND FOR THE PERIOD FROM JANUARY 4, 2021 (INCEPTION) THROUGH JANUARY 29, 2021
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|
|
|
Class B Common Stock
|
|
|
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
|
|
|
Accumulated
Deficit
|
|
|
Total
Stockholders’
Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Balance, January 4, 2021 (inception)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1)
|
|
|
|
|
5,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
575
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
2,000
|
|
|
|
Balance, January 29, 2021 (audited)
|
|
|
|
|
5,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
575
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
|
|
(2,000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(23,000)
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
(149)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(149)
|
|
|
|
Balance, June 30, 2021 (unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
5,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
575
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
24,425
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(2,149)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
22,851
|
|
|
(1)
Includes an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 5).
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
|
For the
Period from
January 4, 2021
(Inception)
Through
June 30, 2021
(unaudited)
|
|
|
For the
Period from
January 4, 2021
(Inception)
Through
January 29, 2021
(audited)
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Cash flows from Operating Activities:
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Net loss
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$
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(2,149)
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$
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(2,000)
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Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
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Accrued expenses
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2,000
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2,000
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Net cash used in operating activities
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(149)
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|
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—
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Cash Flows from Financing Activities
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Proceeds from Sponsor note
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100,000
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—
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Deferred offering costs
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(50,450)
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|
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—
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Proceeds from issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor
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25,000
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25,000
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Net cash provided by financing activities
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|
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|
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74,550
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|
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25,000
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|
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Net change in cash
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|
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74,401
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25,000
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Cash at beginning of period
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—
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—
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Cash at end of period
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$
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74,401
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$
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25,000
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Non-cash financing activities:
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Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs
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$
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324,800
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$
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107,000
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The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1 — DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN
Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on January 4, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”).
The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.
As of June 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.
The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 6,500,000 warrants (or 7,100,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement transaction to Hawks Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.
The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of Private Placement Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete one or more initial Business Combinations with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the Trust Account). The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including proceeds of the Private Placement Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.
The Company will provide the holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “Public Stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The Public Stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust
Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest then in the Trust Account, net of taxes payable). There will be no redemption rights with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”
The Company will not redeem Public Shares in an amount that would cause its net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that it does not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules), or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating to its initial business combination. If the Company seeks stockholder approval of the Business Combination, the Company will proceed with a Business Combination if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination, or such other vote as required by law or stock exchange rule. If a 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 has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed 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 foregoing, if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation will provide that a Public Stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination, (b) to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (assuming our Sponsor does not exercise its option to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by 6 months) and (c) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemptions in connection with a Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its 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-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed 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 Company will have 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (assuming our Sponsor does not exercise its option to extend the period of time we will have to complete an initial business combination by 6 months or such other time period in which we must consummate an initial business combination pursuant to an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation) to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate a Business Combination within 18 months, the Company may, by resolution of its board of directors if requested by the Sponsor, extend the period of time the Company will have to consummate a Business Combination by an additional 6 months (for a total of up to 24 months from the
closing of the Proposed Public Offering), subject to the Sponsor purchasing additional Private Placement Warrants. The Company's stockholders will not be entitled to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. Pursuant to the terms of the Certificate of Incorporation, in order to extend the period of time to consummate a Business Combination in such a manner, the Sponsor, upon no less than five days' advance notice prior to the applicable deadline, must purchase an additional 2,000,000 Private Placement Warrants, or 2,300,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, and deposit the $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters' over-allotment option is exercised in full, in proceeds into the Trust Account on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each 6 month extension. The Sponsor is not obligated to purchase additional Private Placement Warrants to extend the time for the Company to complete a Business Combination. In the event that the Company receives notice from the Sponsor five days prior to the applicable deadline of its wish for the Company to effect an extension, the Company intends to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, the Company intends to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our Sponsor has the option to accelerate its purchase of the up to 2,000,000 Private Placement Warrants (or up to 2,300,000 Private Placement Warrants to the extent to which the over-allotment option is exercised) at any time following the closing of the Proposed Offering and prior to the consummation of the Business Combination with the same effect of extending the time the Company will have to consummate a Business Combination by 6 months.
If the Company has not completed a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to pay taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish Public Stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per Public Share and (ii) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, if less than $10.00 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed 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.
At June 30, 2021, the Company had cash and a working capital deficit of $74,401 and $352,399, respectively. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of time within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed
in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
Risks and Uncertainties
Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the COVID-19 pandemic could have a negative effect on the Company's financial position, results of its operations, close of the Proposed Public Offering and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.
NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying audited financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“US GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. All financial statements and information about events after January 29, 2021 are unaudited.
In the opinion of the Company’s management, the unaudited interim financial statements as of June 30, 2021, for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 include all adjustments, which are only of a normal and recurring nature, necessary for a fair statement of the financial position of the Company as of June 30, 2021 and its results of operations and cash flows for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021. The results of operations for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the full fiscal year ending December 31, 2021.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (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.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities
and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of costs incurred in connection with preparation for the Proposed Public Offering. These costs, together with the underwriting discounts and commissions, will be charged to additional paid in capital upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering or charged to operations if the Proposed Public Offering is not completed. At June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, the Company had deferred offering costs of $375,250 and $107,000, respectively. The Company complies with the requirements of the ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) Topic 5A — “Expenses of Offering.” Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs are charged to shareholder’s equity or the statement of operations based on the relative value of the warrants included as part of the Units and the Private Placement Warrants (if accounted for as liabilities) to the proceeds received from the Units sold upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering.
Income Taxes
The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.
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 June 30, 2021 and January 29, 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.
The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 and for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through January 29, 2021. The Company’s deferred tax assets were deemed to be de minimis as of June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021.
Net Loss per Common Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 shares of Class B common stock that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 5). At June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and/or other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.
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 of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account.
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,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
Recent Accounting Standards
Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.
NOTE 3 — PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 Units (or 23,000,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one share of Class A common stock and one-half of one redeemable public warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).
NOTE 4 — PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 7,100,000 Private Placement Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($6,500,000, or an aggregate of $7,100,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) from the Company in a private placement transaction that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering and any closing of such over-allotment option. Each Private Placement Warrant will be exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.
NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTIES
Founder Shares
On January 26, 2021, the Sponsor purchased 5,750,000 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of the Company’s Class B common stock for an aggregate price of $25,000. On February 9, 2021, our Sponsor transferred 40,000 founder shares to each of our directors, our chief financial officer and our advisor, resulting in our Sponsor holding 5,510,000 founder shares. On April 13, 2021, our Sponsor transferred 28,000 shares to our chief operating officer, resulting in our Sponsor holding 5,482,000 founder shares. The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, approximately 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering.
The Sponsor has 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 closing price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations
and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, consolidation capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.
Administrative Services Agreement
The Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, to pay GLC Advisors & Co., LLC (“GLC”) or an affiliate of GLC a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of the Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Promissory Note — Related Party
On January 26, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $750,000. The Promissory Note bears interest at 0.14% per annum and is payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of June 30, 2021, there was $100,000 outstanding under the Promissory Note. As of January 29, 2021 there was no balance outstanding under the Promissory Note.
Related Party Loans
In order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans, but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants. As of June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, the Company had no borrowings under the Working Capital Loans.
NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering 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 will be 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 a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The registration rights agreement does not contain liquidated damages or other cash settlement provisions resulting from delays in registering our securities. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statement.
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.
The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriters will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). The deferred fee 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, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.
NOTE 7 — STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. As of June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.
Class A Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 80,000,000 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 June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.
Class B Common Stock — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. As of June 30, 2021 and January 29, 2021, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part so that the number of Founder Shares will equal 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering.
Holders of Class B common stock will have the right to elect all of the Company’s directors prior to a Business Combination. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders except as otherwise required by law.
The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of a 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 Proposed 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 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 sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination.
Warrants — Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a Public Warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration
statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of 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 Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its reasonable best efforts to file with the SEC, and within 60 business days following a Business Combination to have declared effective, a registration statement covering the issuance of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating thereto until the warrants expire or, in the case of Public Warrants only, are redeemed. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A common stock is at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their Public 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, but will use its reasonable best efforts to qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption for Public Warrants. Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem for cash the outstanding Public Warrants:
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in whole and not in part;
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at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;
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upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, or the 30-day redemption period, to each Public Warrant holder; and
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if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class common stock has been at least $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with the public warrant agreement) for any ten (10) trading days within a 20-trading day period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the public warrant holders.
The Company will not redeem the Public Warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period or the Company elected to require the exercise of the Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” as described below. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if it is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreements. In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their Public Warrants on a “cashless basis”, the Company’s management will consider, among other factors, its cash position, the number of Public Warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on the Company’s shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Public Warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the Public Warrants for that number of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A common stock underlying the Public Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) of the Class A common stock over the exercise price of the Public Warrants by (y) the “fair market value.” Solely for purposes of this paragraph, the “fair market value” means the volume-weighted average closing price of the Class A common stock as reported for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the Public Warrants. However, except as described below, the Public Warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A common stock at a price below their exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Public Warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination
within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A common stock (with such issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors, and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the completion of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination 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 greater of the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination and the Newly Issued Price and, in the case of Public Warrants only, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described under “Redemption of warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s Class A common stock during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company completes a Business Combination and the Newly Issued Price.
The Private Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering, except that the Private Placement Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or saleable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable and will be exercisable at the election of the holder on a “cashless basis.”
Neither the Private Placement Warrants nor Public Warrants contain any provisions that change depending upon the characteristics of the holder of the warrant. The warrant agreements contain a provision wherein warrant holders can receive an alternative issuance, including as a result of a tender offer that constitutes a change of control.
NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to July 29, 2021, the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any events that would have required adjustment to or disclosure in the financial statements.
20,000,000 Units
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
P R E L I M I N A R Y P R O S P E C T U S
, 2021
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BTIG
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Mizuho Securities
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Imperial Capital
Until , 2021 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade shares of our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
Item 13. Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.
The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:
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SEC/FINRA expenses
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$
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60,093
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Accounting fees and expenses
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40,000
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Printing and engraving expenses
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35,000
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Travel and road show expenses
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5,000
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Directors and officers insurance premiums(1)
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785,000
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Legal fees and expenses
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400,000
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NYSE listing and filing fees
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85,000
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Miscellaneous
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89,907
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Total
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$
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1,500,000
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(1)
This amount represents the approximate amount of annual director and officer liability insurance premiums the registrant anticipates paying following the completion of its initial public offering and until it completes a business combination.
Item 14. Indemnification of Directors and officers.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that all of our directors, officers, employees and agents shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”). Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.
Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.
(a) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b) A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and
in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.
(c) To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.
(d) Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer of the corporation at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.
(e) Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director of the corporation in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former officers and directors or other employees and agents of the corporation or by persons serving at the request of the corporation as directors, officers, employees or agents of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.
(f) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office. A right to indemnification or to advancement of expenses arising under a provision of the certificate of incorporation or a bylaw shall not be eliminated or impaired by an amendment to the certificate of incorporation or the bylaws after the occurrence of the act or omission that is the subject of the civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which indemnification or advancement of expenses is sought, unless the provision in effect at the time of such act or omission explicitly authorizes such elimination or impairment after such action or omission has occurred.
(g) A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.
(h) For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a
director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.
(i) For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.
(j) The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.
(k) The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any by law, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).
In connection with this registration statement, we have undertaken that insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. See Item 17 “Undertakings”.
In accordance with Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, will provide that no director shall be personally liable to us or any of our stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, except to the extent such limitation on or exemption from liability is not permitted under the DGCL unless they violated their duty of loyalty to the company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from their actions as directors. The effect of this provision of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is to eliminate our rights and those of our stockholders (through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf) to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of the fiduciary duty of care as a director, including breaches resulting from negligent or grossly negligent behavior, except, as restricted by Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL. However, this provision does not limit or eliminate our rights or the rights of any stockholder to seek non-monetary relief, such as an injunction or rescission, in the event of a breach of a director’s duty of care.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also provide that we will, to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by applicable law, indemnify our current and former officers and directors, as well as those persons who, while directors or officers of our corporation, are or were serving as directors, officers, employees or agents of another entity, trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, in connection with any threatened, pending or completed proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, against all expense, liability and loss (including, without limitation,
attorney’s fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred or suffered by any such person in connection with any such proceeding. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person eligible for indemnification pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will be indemnified by us in connection with a proceeding initiated by such person only if such proceeding was authorized by our board of directors, except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification.
The right to indemnification which will be conferred by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation is a contract right that includes the right to be paid by us the expenses incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding referenced above in advance of its final disposition, provided, however, that if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by our officer or director (solely in the capacity as an officer or director of our corporation) will be made only upon delivery to us of an undertaking, by or on behalf of such officer or director, to repay all amounts so advanced if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or otherwise.
The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses will not be deemed exclusive of any other rights which any person covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may have or hereafter acquire under law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our bylaws, an agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
If the DGCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the liability of directors, then, in accordance with our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, the liability of our directors to us or our stockholders will be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation affecting indemnification rights, whether by our stockholders or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by applicable law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will also permit us, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other that those specifically covered by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
Our bylaws, which we intend to adopt immediately prior to the closing of this offering, include the provisions relating to advancement of expenses and indemnification rights consistent with those which will be set forth in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. In addition, our bylaws provide for a right of indemnity to bring a suit in the event a claim for indemnification or advancement of expenses is not paid in full by us within a specified period of time. Our bylaws also permit us to purchase and maintain insurance, at our expense, to protect us and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of our corporation or another entity, trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss, whether or not we would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense, liability or loss under the DGCL.
Any repeal or amendment of provisions of our bylaws affecting indemnification rights, whether by our board of directors, stockholders or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provisions inconsistent therewith, will (unless otherwise required by applicable law) be prospective only, except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits us to provide broader indemnification rights on a retroactive basis, and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing thereunder with respect to any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
We will enter into indemnification agreements with each of our officers and directors a form of which is to be filed as an exhibit to this registration statement. These agreements will require us to indemnify these individuals to the fullest extent permitted under Delaware law against liabilities that may arise by reason of their service to us, and to advance expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.
Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement to be filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this registration statement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On January 26, 2021, Hawks Sponsor LLC, purchased an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares, for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares of common stock upon completion of this offering. Such securities were issued in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act. Hawks Sponsor LLC is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D.
In addition, Hawks Sponsor LLC has subscribed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,500,000 private placement warrants (or 7,100,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $6,500,000, or $7,100,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the completion of our initial public offering. Any such issuances will be 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 such sales.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules.
(a) Exhibits. The following exhibits are being filed herewith:
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Exhibit
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Description
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1.1
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3.1
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3.2
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3.3
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4.1
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4.2
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4.3
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4.4
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4.5
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5.1
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10.1
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10.2
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10.3
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10.4
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10.5
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10.6
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10.7
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(b) Financial Statements. See page F-1 for an index to the financial statements included in the registration statement.
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(b) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.
(c) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:
(1) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(2) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post- effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(3) For the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser, if the registrant is subject to Rule 430C, each prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) as part of a registration statement relating to an offering, other than registration statements relying on Rule 430B or other than prospectuses filed in reliance on Rule 430A, shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the date it is first used after effectiveness. Provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such first use, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such date of first use.
(4) For the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of an undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications,
the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933 the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Greenwich, State of Connecticut on the 29th of July, 2021.
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
By:
/s/ John Carney Hawks
Name: John Carney Hawks
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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Signature
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Title
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Date
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/s/ John Carney Hawks
John Carney Hawks
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Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director (Principal Executive Officer)
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July 29, 2021
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/s/ Lois A. Mannon
Lois A. Mannon
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Chief Financial Officer (Principal Accounting Officer and Financial Officer)
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July 29, 2021
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/s/ Eugene Davis
Eugene Davis
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Director
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July 29, 2021
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/s/ Daniel H. Golden
Daniel H. Golden
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Director
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July 29, 2021
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/s/ Marc Heimowitz
Marc Heimowitz
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Director
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July 29, 2021
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/s/ Joseph Mills
Joseph Mills
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Director
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July 29, 2021
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Exhibit 1.1
Underwriting
Agreement
between
Hawks
Acquisition Corp
and
BTIG,
LLC
and
MIZUho
securities usa llc
Dated [•], 2021
HAWKS Acquisition
Corp
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
New York, New York
[•], 2021
BTIG, LLC
65 E 55th Street
New York, New York 10022
Mizuho Securities USA LLC
320 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
As Representatives of the Underwriters
named on Schedule A hereto
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned, Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with BTIG, LLC and Mizuho Securities USA LLC (the “Representatives”)
and with the other underwriters named on Schedule A hereto (if any), for which the Representatives are acting as representatives
(the Representatives and such other underwriters being collectively referred to herein as the “Underwriters” or, each
underwriter individually, an “Underwriter”) as follows:
1. Purchase and Sale of Securities.
1.1 Firm Securities.
1.1.1
Purchase of Firm Units. On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, but subject to the terms and conditions
herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, and the Underwriters agree
to purchase from the Company, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of 20,000,000 units (the “Firm Units”), ratably
in accordance with the number of Firm Units set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule A attached hereto, at a purchase
price of $9.80 per Firm Unit. The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (the “Offering”) at the offering
price of $10.00 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, of the
Company (the “Class A Common Stock”), and one-half of one redeemable public warrant (the “Public Warrants”).
The Class A Common Stock and the Public Warrants included in the Firm Units will trade separately on the 52nd day
following the date hereof unless the Representatives determine to allow earlier separate trading. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding
sentence, in no event will the Class A Common Stock and the Public Warrants included in the Firm Units trade separately until (i) the
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a Current Report on Form 8-K
that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of the Offering and the Warrant Private
Placement (as defined in Section 1.4.2) and updated financial information with respect to any proceeds the Company receives
from the exercise of the Over-allotment Option (defined below) if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and
(ii) the Company has filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K and issued a press release announcing when such
separate trading will begin. Each whole Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock for $11.50 per
share, subject to adjustment, commencing on the later of twelve months from the Closing Date (defined below) or 30 days after the
consummation by the Company of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, or similar business
combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”) and expiring on the five year anniversary of the
consummation by the Company of its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
1.1.2
Payment and Delivery. Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at [10:00 a.m.], New York City time, on the 2nd Business
Day (as defined below) following the commencement of trading of the Units, or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives
and the Company, at the offices of Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel to the Underwriters (“L&W”), or at such
other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company. The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units
is called the “Closing Date.” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal
(same day) funds, payable as follows: $200,000,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units and the sale of Private
Placement Warrants (as defined in Section 1.4.2) shall be deposited in the trust account (“Trust Account”)
established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below), as described in the Registration Statement (as
defined in Section 2.1.1) pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”)
between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST&T”). The funds deposited in the
Trust Account shall include an aggregate of $7,000,000 ($0.35 per Firm Unit), payable to the Underwriters as Deferred Underwriting Commission,
in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The remaining proceeds (less commissions and actual expense payments or other fees
payable pursuant to this Agreement), if any, shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representatives of certificates
(in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust
Company (“DTC”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and
in such authorized denominations as the Representatives may request in writing at least two full Business Days prior to the Closing
Date. The Company will permit the Representatives to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery, at least one full Business
Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver any of the Firm Units except upon tender of payment
by the Representatives for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term “Public Stockholders” means the holders of
shares of Class A Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including the Sponsor (defined
below), any member of the Sponsor, or any officer or director of the Company, to the extent he, she or it acquires such shares of Class A
Common Stock in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such shares of Class A Common Stock). “Business Day”
means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or other day on which commercial banks in the City of New York are authorized or required
by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law
to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other
similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long
as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York are generally are
open for use by customers on such day.
1.2 Over-Allotment Option.
1.2.1 Option Units. The Underwriters are
hereby granted an option (the “Over-allotment Option”) to purchase, ratably in accordance with the number of Firm Units
to be purchased by each of them, up to an additional 3,000,000 units (the “Option Units”), the net proceeds of which,
together with the proceeds of the Option Private Placement Warrants (as defined below), will be deposited in the Trust Account, for the
purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall be identical
in all respects to the Firm Units and shall be sold at the same purchase price per Firm Unit to be paid by the Underwriters to the Company.
The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Units,” and the Units, the Class A
Common Stock, the Public Warrants included in the Units and the Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants
are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “Public Securities.” No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless
the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion
thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon
notice by the Representatives to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit will be the same price per Firm Unit
set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof.
1.2.2 Exercise of Option. The Over-allotment
Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representatives as to all (at any time) or any part
(from time to time) of the Option Units within 45 days after the effective date (“Effective Date”) of the Registration
Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof). The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units
prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice
to the Company by the Representatives, which must be confirmed in accordance with Section 10.1 herein setting forth the number
of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units (the “Option Closing Date”),
which will not be later than five full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time and in such other manner as
shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representatives, at the offices of L&W or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile
or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representatives. If such delivery and payment for the
Option Units does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice. Upon exercise of the Over-allotment
Option, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the
Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.
1.2.3 Payment and Delivery. Payment for
the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $9.80 per
Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery to the Representatives of certificates
(in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account
of the Representatives. The amount of the payment for the Option Units to be deposited in the Trust Account will include $0.35 per Option
Unit (up to $1,050,000), payable to the Underwriters, as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3
hereof. The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the
Representatives requests in writing not less than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the
case may be, and will be made available to the Representatives for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s
transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full Business Day prior to such Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to
sell or deliver the Option Units except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for applicable Option Units.
1.3 Deferred Underwriting Commission. The
Representatives agree that 3.5% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units ($7,000,000) and the Option Units (up to $1,050,000)
(collectively, the “Deferred Underwriting Commission”) will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable
directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Representatives (on behalf of the Underwriters) for their own accounts
upon consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business
Combination and CST&T, as the trustee of the Trust Account (in this context, the “Trustee”), commences liquidation
of the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Representatives agree that: (i) the Representatives shall forfeit any
rights or claims to the Deferred Underwriting Commission; and (ii) the Deferred Underwriting Commission, together with all other
amounts on deposit in the Trust Account, shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis among the Public Stockholders.
1.4 Private Placements.
1.4.1 Founder Shares. On January 26,
2021, Hawks Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”) purchased 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value
per share, of the Company ( the “Founder Shares”). No underwriting discounts, commissions, or placement fees have been
or will be payable in connection with the purchase of Founder Shares. Except as described in the Registration Statement, none of the Founder
Shares may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor until the earlier of: (i) one year following the consummation of
the Business Combination; or (ii) subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination, (x) when the closing price of the
shares of Class A Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share consolidations, share splits, share capitalizations,
rights issuances, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing
150 days after the consummation of the Business Combination; or (y) the date on which the Company consummates a transaction
which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities, or other property.
The holders of Founder Shares shall have no right to any liquidating distributions with respect to any portion of the Founder Shares in
the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination. The holders of the Founder Shares shall not have redemption rights with
respect to the Founder Shares. In the event that the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Sponsor will be required to forfeit
such number of Founder Shares (up to 750,000 Founder Shares) such that the Founder Shares then outstanding will comprise 20% of the
issued and outstanding shares of the Company after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Over-allotment Option.
1.4.2 Private Placement of Warrants. Simultaneously
with the Closing Date, the Sponsor will purchase from the Company pursuant to the Purchase Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.2
hereof), 6,500,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock at $11.50 per share,
at a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant (the “Firm Private Placement Warrants”) in a private placement intended to
be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of
the Act. Simultaneously with the Option Closing Date (if any), the Sponsor will purchase from the Company pursuant to the Purchase Agreement,
up to an additional 600,000 warrants at a purchase price of $1.00 per warrant in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration
under the Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Act (the “Option Private Placement Warrants”). Additionally,
the Sponsor may subsequently purchase, at its option, 2,000,000 additional warrants (or up to 2,300,000 additional warrants if the over-allotment
option is exercised in full) in order to extend the initial time period to consummate a Business Combination, each warrant entitling its
holder, upon exercise, to purchase one share of Class A Common Stock, for $1.00 per warrant (the “Extension Private Placement
Warrants” and, together with the Option Private Placement Warrants and the Firm Private Placement Warrants, the “Private
Placement Warrants”). The private placement of the Private Placement Warrants is referred to herein as the “Warrant
Private Placement.” None of the Private Placement Warrants nor the underlying shares of Class A Common Stock may be sold,
assigned or transferred by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees until 30 days after consummation of a Business Combination. $[4,000,000]
of the proceeds from the sale of the Firm Private Placement Warrants and all of the proceeds from the sales of the Option Private Placement
Warrants and Extension Private Placement Warrants, if any, shall be deposited into the Trust Account.
1.4.3 The Private Placement Warrants and shares
of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants are hereinafter referred to collectively as the
“Placement Securities.” No underwriting discounts, commissions, or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection
with the Placement Securities. The Public Securities, the Placement Securities, and the Founder Shares are hereinafter referred to collectively
as the “Securities.”
1.5 Working Capital. Upon consummation of
the Offering, it is intended that approximately $1,000,000 of the Offering proceeds will be released to the Company and held outside of
the Trust Account to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.
1.6 Interest Income. Prior to the Company’s
consummation of a Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, interest earned on the Trust Account may be released to the
Company from the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement to pay any taxes incurred by the Company and up to
$100,000 for liquidation expenses, all as more fully described in the Prospectus (as defined below).
2. Representations and Warranties of the Company.
The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:
2.1 Filing of Registration Statement.
2.1.1 Pursuant to the Act. The Company has
filed with the Commission a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[ ]), including
any related preliminary prospectus (“Preliminary Prospectus”, including any prospectus that is included in the Registration
Statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement), for the registration of the Units under the Act, which
registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and
the rules and regulations (the “Regulations”) of the Commission under the Act. The conditions for use of Form S-1
to register the Offering under the Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied. Except as the context
may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement becomes
effective (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated
therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations), is hereinafter
called the “Registration Statement,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the
Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of
effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations),
is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, “Time of Sale,” as used
in the Act, means [4:00 p.m.] New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. Prior to the Time of Sale, the Company prepared a Preliminary
Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on [•], 2021, for distribution by the Underwriter (such Preliminary
Prospectus used most recently prior to the Time of Sale, the “Sale Preliminary Prospectus”). If the Company has filed,
or is required pursuant to the terms hereof to file, a Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering
additional securities (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”), then, unless otherwise specified, any reference
herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement.
Other than the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which became effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the
Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been registered for public sale under the
Act pursuant to the Registration Statement or, if any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed, will be duly registered for
public sale under the Act with the filing of such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared
effective by the Commission on the date hereof. If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representatives determine
that at the Time of Sale, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits a statement of material
fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and the Company
and the Representatives agree to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter
into new purchase contracts, then the Sale Preliminary Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers
at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.
2.1.2 Pursuant to the Exchange Act. The
Company has filed with the Commission a Form 8-A (File No. 001-[•]) providing for the registration under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Units, the Class A Common Stock and the Warrants.
The registration of the Units, Class A Common Stock and Public Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the
Commission on the date hereof and the Units, the Class A Common Stock and the Public Warrants have been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of
the Exchange Act.
2.1.3 No Stop Orders, Etc. Neither the Commission
nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any federal, state, or other regulatory authority has issued any order
or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Sale
Preliminary Prospectus, or Prospectus or any part thereof, or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable
inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.
2.2 Disclosures in Registration Statement.
2.2.1 10b-5
Representation. At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the time any post-effective amendment
to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the
Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are
required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to
the requirements of the Act and the Regulations. The Registration Statement, as of the Effective Date, did not, and the amendments
and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any
material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its
date and the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of
their respective dates, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Sale
Preliminary Prospectus, as of the Time of Sale (or such subsequent Time of Sale pursuant to Section 2.1.1), did not
include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein,
in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. When any Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale
Preliminary Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement for the registration
of the Public Securities or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Regulations) and when any amendment
thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus
and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied or will have been corrected in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Act and the Regulations and did not and will not
contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in
order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The
representation and warranty made in this Section 2.2 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance
upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Underwriters
expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of the Underwriters consists
solely of the following: the names of the Underwriters, the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances
contained in the fifth paragraph of the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information with respect to stabilizing
transactions contained in the fifteenth through twentieth paragraphs of the section entitled “Underwriting” and the
identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters” (such information,
collectively, the “Underwriters’ Information”).
2.2.2 Disclosure of Agreements. The agreements
and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions
thereof contained therein in all material respects and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration
Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement,
that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company
is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement,
Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or attached as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business,
has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect and is enforceable against the Company and,
to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as
such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally,
(y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities
laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable
defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought, and no such agreement or instrument has
been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any other party
is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no event has occurred that, with
the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge,
assuming reasonable inquiry, the performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result
in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic
or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to
environmental laws and regulations.
2.2.3 Prior Securities Transactions. No
securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling,
controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration
Statement.
2.2.4 Regulations. The disclosures in the
Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, foreign, state, and local regulation
on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.
2.3 Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.
2.3.1 No Material Adverse Change. Since
the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus,
except as otherwise specifically stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise,
or business prospects of the Company, (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated
pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) no member of the Company’s board of directors (the “Board of Directors”) or management
has resigned from any position with the Company, other than a change in the title of such officer, and (iv) no event or occurrence
has taken place which materially impairs, or would likely materially impair, with the passage of time, the ability of the members of the
Board of Directors or management to act in their capacities with the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.3.2 Recent Securities Transactions. Subsequent
to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus,
and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not (i) issued any securities or incurred
any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution
on or in respect to its share capital.
2.4 Independent Accountants. To the Company’s
knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, Marcum LLP (“Marcum”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of,
and is included in, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, is an independent registered public
accountant firm as required by the Act, the Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”),
including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, Marcum
is currently registered with the PCAOB. Marcum has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration
Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in
Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.
2.5 Financial Statements; Statistical Data.
2.5.1 Financial Statements. The financial
statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules (if any) included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position, the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company at the
dates and for the periods to which they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally
accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules
included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to
be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included
or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. The Registration Statement,
the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including
contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material
current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity,
capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial
statements that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in accordance
with Regulation S-X or Form 10 that have not been included as required.
2.5.2 Statistical Data. The statistical,
industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and/or the Prospectus
are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data materially
agree with the sources from which they are derived.
2.6 Authorized Capital; Options. The Company
had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, as the
case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus,
and the Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus,
the Company will have on the Closing Date or on the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the adjusted share capitalization set forth
therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, on
the Effective Date and on the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights
to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued shares of Class A Common Stock or any security convertible into shares
of Class A Common Stock, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Class A Common Stock or any such options,
warrants, rights or convertible securities.
2.7 Valid Issuance of Securities.
2.7.1 Outstanding Securities. All issued
and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and
validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not
subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities was issued in violation of the preemptive rights
of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized and outstanding securities
of the Company conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus. All offers and sales and any transfers of the outstanding securities of the Company were at all relevant
times either registered under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws or, based in part on the representations and
warranties of the purchasers of such securities, exempt from such registration requirements.
2.7.2 Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement.
The Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will
be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason
of being such holders; the Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company
or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and
sale of the Securities has been duly and validly taken. The form of certificates for the Securities conform to the corporate law of the
jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and applicable securities laws. The Securities conform in all material respects to the
descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be.
When paid for and issued, the Public Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type
of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such Public Warrants are enforceable against
the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency,
reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution
provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and
injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which
any proceeding therefor may be brought. The shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants have been
reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the Public Warrants and upon payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued in accordance
with the terms thereof such shares of Class A Common Stock will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable,
and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.
2.7.3 Placement Securities.
2.7.3.1 The Private Placement Warrants constitute
valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance
with the terms thereof, and are, or will be, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as
such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally;
(ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and
(iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable
defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The shares of Class A Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants have been reserved for issuance and, when issued in accordance with the terms
of the Private Placement Warrants, will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued and upon payment therefor, fully paid and non-assessable,
and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.
2.7.4 No Integration. Neither the Company
nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be or may be “integrated”
pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the Offering.
2.8 Registration Rights of Third Parties.
Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of
the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the
Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to
be filed by the Company.
2.9 Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements.
This Agreement, the Public Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23), Private Placement Warrant Agreement (as defined
in Section 2.23), the Trust Agreement, the Services Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.3), the Registration
Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.4) and the Purchase Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”)
have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered, will constitute the valid and binding agreements
of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may
be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability
of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal, and state securities laws, and (iii) that
the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to
the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.
2.10 No Conflicts, Etc. The execution, delivery,
and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated
and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse
of time or both: (i) result in a breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default
under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets
of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or
bound or to which its property is subject except pursuant to the Trust Agreement (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of
the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Company or its bylaws, as amended (collectively, the “Charter Documents”);
or (iii) violate any existing applicable statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or
court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or business constituted as of the date
hereof; except in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above for any such conflict, breach or violation that would not, individually
or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
2.11 No Defaults; Violations. No default or
violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, indenture, mortgage,
deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any
other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or
assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter Documents or in violation of
any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or
foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.
2.12 Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.
2.12.1 Conduct of Business. The Company
has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits
of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business purpose as described
in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except where the failure to would not reasonably be
expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus
concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on this Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently
contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary
in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Since its formation,
the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with and in furtherance of this Offering.
2.12.2 Transactions Contemplated Herein.
The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into the Transaction Documents and to carry out the provisions and
conditions hereof and thereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection herewith and therewith have
been obtained. No consent, authorization, or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic,
is required for the valid issuance, sale, and delivery, of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated
by the Transaction Documents and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except
with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Financial
Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).
2.13 D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s
knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, all information contained in the questionnaires (“Questionnaires”) completed
by each of the Company’s officers, directors and stockholders (“Insiders”) and provided to the Representatives
and their counsel and the biographies of the Insiders contained in the Registration Statement, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus
(to the extent a biography is contained) is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information
which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete.
2.14 Litigation; Governmental Proceedings.
There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the Company’s
knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened against or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable
inquiry, that would be reasonably expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, any Insider or any stockholder or member of an Insider that
has not been disclosed, that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus
or the Questionnaires.
2.15 Good Standing. The Company has been duly
organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company
is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease
of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse
effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, assets, prospects, business, operations or properties of the Company, whether
or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”).
2.16 No Contemplation of a Business Combination.
The Company has not selected any specific Business Combination target (each a “Target Business”) and it has not, nor
has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any Business Combination target.
2.17 Transactions Requiring Disclosure to FINRA.
2.17.1 Finder’s Fees. There are no
claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee
by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings
of the Company or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation,
as determined by FINRA.
2.17.2 Payments Within 180 Days. The Company
has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting
fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or
provided capital to the Company; (ii) any “participating member,” as defined in FINRA Rule 5110, with respect to
the Offering (“Participating Member”), within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement,
other than the prior payments to the Representatives in connection with the Offering. The Company has not issued any warrants or other
securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly, to any Participating Member within the 180-day period prior to the initial
filing date of the Registration Statement. No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period
prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any Participating
Member. Except with respect to the Representatives in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or
arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to
the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of
any “underwriting compensation” as defined in FINRA Rule 5110.
2.17.3 FINRA Affiliation. No officer or
director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities
(whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) has any direct
or indirect affiliation or association with any Participating Member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations
of FINRA). The Company will advise the Representatives and L&W if it learns that any officer or director or any direct or indirect
beneficial owner (including the Insiders) is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a Participating Member.
2.17.4 Share Ownership. No officer or director
or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities is an
owner of shares or other securities of any member of FINRA (other than securities purchased on the open market).
2.17.5 Loans. No officer or director or
any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities has made
a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA participating in the Offering.
2.17.6 Proceeds of the Offering. No proceeds
from the sale of the Public Securities (excluding underwriting compensation) or the Private Placement Warrants, will be paid to any Participating
Member, except as specifically authorized herein.
2.17.7 Conflicts of Interest. To the Company’s
knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no Participating Member has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “conflict
of interest” exists when a member of FINRA and/or its associated persons, parent or affiliates in the aggregate beneficially
own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred
equity.
2.18 Taxes.
2.18.1 There are no transfer taxes or other similar
fees or charges under U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision of the United States, required to be
paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities.
2.18.2 The Company has filed all U.S. federal,
state and local tax returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof in a timely manner or has duly obtained
extensions of time for the filing thereof (except in any case in which the failure so to file would not have a Material Adverse Effect).
The Company has paid all taxes shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on it and any other assessment,
fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable or as would not be reasonably expected to
have a Material Adverse Effect. The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 2.5.1
above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign income taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability
of the Company has not been finally determined.
2.19 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Anti-Money
Laundering; Patriot Act.
2.19.1 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Neither
the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of the Insiders or any other person acting on behalf
of the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions
to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or
employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for
office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist
it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil,
criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) if
not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company. The Company has taken reasonable
steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with
the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.
2.19.2 Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting
Act. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with (i) the requirements of the U.S.
Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control and (ii) applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the
Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, the
rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar money laundering statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any Federal governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action,
suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect
to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened.
2.19.3 Patriot Act. Neither the Company
nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider has violated the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended,
or Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT)
Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.
2.20 Officers’ Certificate. Any certificate
signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company in connection with the Offering and delivered to the Representatives or to L&W
shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.
2.21 Agreements With Insiders.
2.21.1 Insider Letter. On the date of this
Agreement, the Company will cause to be duly executed and delivered to the Underwriters a legally binding and enforceable agreement (except
(i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights
generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification, contribution or noncompete provision may be limited under foreign, federal
and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may
be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought), a form of
which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letter”), pursuant to which each of the
Insiders of the Company agree to certain matters.
2.21.2 Purchase Agreement. On the date of
this Agreement, the Sponsor has executed and delivered to the Underwriters a Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, the form of
which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sponsor
will, among other things, on the Closing Date, consummate the purchase of and deliver the purchase price for the Private Placement Warrants.
Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, (i) the Sponsor has waived any and all rights and claims they may have to any proceeds, and any
interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Private Placement Warrants, and (ii) $[4,000,000] of the proceeds from
the sale of the Private Placement Warrants and all of the proceeds from the sale of the Option Private Placement Warrants, if any, will
be deposited by the Company in the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement on the Closing Date and Option Closing
Date (if any) as provided for in the Purchase Agreement.
2.21.3 Administrative Services. On the date
of this Agreement, the Company and an affiliate of the Sponsor will enter into an agreement (the “Services Agreement”)
substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which such affiliate will make available to
the Company general and administrative services including office space, utilities and secretarial support for the Company’s use
for $10,000 per month payable until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the
Trust Account, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Services Agreement.
2.21.4 Registration Rights Agreement. On
the date of this Agreement, the Company, the Sponsor and the Company’s officers and directors will enter into and deliver to the
Underwriters a Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) substantially in the form annexed
as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, whereby such parties will be entitled to certain registration and stockholder rights with
respect to the securities they hold or may hold, as set forth in such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the Registration
Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.21.5 Loans. The Sponsor has agreed to
make loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of up to $750,000 (the “Insider Loans”) pursuant to a promissory
note substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Insider Loans do not bear any interest and are
repayable by the Company on the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the consummation of the Offering.
2.22 Investment Management Trust Agreement.
On the date of this Agreement, the Company has entered into and delivered to the Underwriters the Trust Agreement with respect to certain
proceeds of the Offering and the Warrant Private Placement substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.
2.23 Public Warrant Agreement and Private Placement
Warrant Agreement. On the date of this Agreement, the Company has entered into and delivered to the Underwriters (i) a warrant
agreement with respect to the Public Warrants underlying the Units and certain other warrants that may be issued by the Company with CST&T
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Public Warrant Agreement”) and (ii) a
warrant agreement with respect to the Private Placement Warrants and certain other warrants that may be issued by the Company with CST&T
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Private Placement Warrant Agreement”).
2.24 No Existing Non-Competition Agreements.
No Insider is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially
affect his ability to be an employee, officer and/or director of the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.
2.25 Investments. No more than 45% of the
“value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company
Act”)) of the Company’s total assets consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is
derived from, securities other than “Government Securities” (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company
Act) or money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act.
2.26 Investment Company Act. The Company is
not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom
as described in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company”
under the Investment Company Act.
2.27 Subsidiaries. The Company does not own
an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.
2.28 Related Party Transactions. No relationship,
direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and any Insider, on the other hand, which is required by the
Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus
which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary
course of business), or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company
or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus.
The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form
of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.
2.29 No Influence. The Company has not offered,
or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a
customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of
business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the
Company or any such affiliate.
2.30 Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is, or on
the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules or regulations promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory
entity or agency, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.
2.31 Distribution of Offering Material by the
Company. The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the
distribution of the Units, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case as supplemented and amended.
2.32 The New York Stock Exchange. The Public
Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on The
New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect
such authorization.
2.33 Board of Directors. As of the Effective
Date, the Board of Directors of the Company will be comprised of the persons set forth as “Directors” or “Director nominees”
under the heading of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus captioned “Management.” As of the Effective Date,
the qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board will comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of NYSE that are, in each case, applicable to the Company. As
of the Effective Date, the Company will have an Audit Committee that satisfies the applicable requirements under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002 and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of NYSE.
2.34 Emerging Growth Company. From its formation
through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of
the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).
2.35 No Disqualification Events. Neither the
Company, nor any of its predecessors or any affiliated issuer, nor any director, executive officer, or other officer of the Company participating
in the Offering, nor any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the
basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Act) connected with the Company in any capacity
at the time of sale (each, a “Company Covered Person”) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications
described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Act (a “Disqualification Event”), except for a Disqualification
Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Company Covered
Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under
Rule 506(e), and has furnished to the Representatives a copy of any disclosures provided thereunder.
2.36 Free-Writing Prospectus and Testing-the-Waters.
The Company has not made any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined
in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405.
The Company: (a) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent
of the Representatives with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions
that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (b) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters
Communications other than its officers and the Representatives and individuals engaged by the Representatives. The Company has not distributed
any written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule B hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication”
means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.
3. Covenants of the Company. The Company
covenants and agrees as follows:
3.1 Amendments to Registration Statement.
The Company will deliver to the Representatives, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and the Company shall not file any such amendment or supplement
to which the Representatives reasonably object in writing.
3.2 Federal Securities Laws.
3.2.1 Compliance. During the time when a
Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon
it by the Act, the Regulations, and the Exchange Act, and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so
far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the
Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered
under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Representatives,
the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required
to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading,
or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify each of the Representatives
promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in
accordance with Section 10 of the Act.
3.2.2 Filing of Final Prospectus. The Company
will file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to each of the Representatives) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements
of Rule 424 of the Regulations.
3.2.3 Exchange Act Registration. The Company
will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the shares of Class A Common Stock (or any successor security for which
shares of Class A Common Stock are exchangeable in connection with a Business Combination) under the provisions of the Exchange Act
(except in connection with a going-private transaction) for a period of five years from the Effective Date, or until the Company is required
to be liquidated or is acquired, if earlier, or, in the case of the Warrants, until the Public Warrants expire and are no longer exercisable
or have been exercised or redeemed in full. The Company will not deregister the Public Securities under the Exchange Act without the prior
written consent of each of the Representatives prior to the Business Combination.
3.2.4 Exchange Act Filings. From the Effective
Date until the earlier of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or its liquidation and dissolution, the Company shall timely
file with the Commission via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) such statements
and reports as are required to be filed by a company registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.
3.2.5 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. As soon
as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance
with each applicable provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related
or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over
the Company.
3.3 Free-Writing Prospectus. The Company agrees
that it will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined
in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405,
without the prior consent of each of the Representatives.
3.4 Delivery to Underwriters of Prospectuses.
The Company will deliver to the Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to
be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as the Underwriters
may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to
the Underwriters, upon their request, two manually executed Registration Statements, including exhibits, and all post-effective amendments
thereto and copies of all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference and all manually executed consents of certified
experts.
3.5 Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice
to the Representatives. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify
each of the Representatives immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus
or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities
commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction
or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission
for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request
for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event that, in the reasonable judgment of the
Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making
of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, and in light of the circumstances
under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any foreign or state securities commission shall enter a stop order or
suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.
3.6 Affiliated Transactions.
3.6.1 Business Combinations. The Company
will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Insider unless (i) the Company obtains an
opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the Business
Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view and (ii) a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent
directors (if there are any) approve such transaction.
3.6.2 Compensation to Insiders. Except as
disclosed in the Prospectus or any other filing with the Commission, the Company shall not pay any of the Insiders or any of their affiliates
any fees or compensation from the Company, for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a
Business Combination.
3.7 Reports to the Representatives. For a
period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company
will furnish to each of the Representatives and their counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports
as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Representatives:
(i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission, (ii) a copy of every press release
and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs that was released by the Company, (iii) a copy of each
current Report on Form 8-K or Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company, (iv) two copies of
each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Act, and (v) such additional documents and information
with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as any of the Representatives may from time to time
reasonably request; provided the Representatives shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement
which is reasonably acceptable to the Representatives and their counsel in connection with the Representatives receipt of such information.
Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representatives pursuant
to this Section.
3.8 Transfer Agent. For a period of five years
following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain
a transfer agent and warrant agent.
3.9 Payment of Expenses. The Company hereby
agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at Closing Date, all Company expenses
incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to (i) the Company’s
legal and accounting fees and disbursements, (ii) the preparation, printing, filing, mailing and delivery (including the payment
of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, including
any pre or post effective amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including
the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be
required by the Underwriters, (iii) fees incurred in connection with conducting background checks of the Company’s management
team, not to exceed a maximum of $4,000 per person (in the case investigations and background checks in U.S. jurisdictions) and $5,000
per person (in the case of investigations and background checks in non-U.S. jurisdictions), (iv) the preparation, printing, engraving,
issuance and delivery of the Units, the Class A Common Stock and the Public Warrants included in the Units, including any transfer
or other taxes payable thereon, (v) filing fees incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA and the reasonable fees of counsel
not to exceed $15,000 in connection therewith, (vi) fees, costs and expenses incurred in listing the Securities on NYSE or such other
stock exchanges as the Company and the Underwriter together determine, (vii) all fees and disbursements of the transfer and warrant
agent, (viii) reasonable expenses from all participants (including the Underwriters) associated with “due diligence”
and “road show” meetings arranged by the Representatives and any presentations made available by way of a net roadshow, including
without limitation trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, all travel, food and lodging expenses
associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management; and (ix) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by
an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.9.
If the Offering is consummated, the Representatives may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing
Date the expenses set forth above (which shall be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the Representatives prior to Closing) to
be paid by the Company to the Representatives and others. If the Offering is not consummated for any reason (other than a breach by the
Representatives of any of their obligations hereunder), then the Company shall reimburse the Representatives in full for its out-of-pocket
accountable expenses actually incurred through such date, including, without limitation, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel
to the Representatives.
3.10 Application of Net Proceeds. The Company
will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and Warrant Private Placement received by it in a manner materially consistent with the
application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.
3.11 Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security
Holders. The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day
of the fifteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public
or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under
Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.
3.12 Notice to FINRA.
3.12.1 Notice to the Representatives. For
a period of 60 days after the date of the Prospectus, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association)
is engaged, in writing, to assist the Company in its search for a Target Business or to provide any other services in connection therewith,
the Company will provide the following to the Representatives prior to the consummation of the Business Combination: (i) complete
details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing
the merger and acquisition services should not be considered Participating Member with respect to the Offering. The Company also agrees
that, if required by law, proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer documents or
proxy statement which the Company will file with the Commission in connection with the Business Combination.
3.12.2 FINRA. The Company shall advise the
Representatives if it is aware that any 10% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes a Participating Member.
3.12.3 Broker/Dealer. In the event the Company
intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall
promptly notify FINRA.
3.13 Stabilization. Neither the Company, nor
to its knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of its employees, directors or stockholders (without the consent of the Representatives)
has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to
cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to
facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.
3.14 Intentionally Omitted.
3.15 Payment of Deferred Underwriting Commission
on Business Combination. Upon the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company agrees that it will
cause the Trustee to pay the Deferred Underwriting Commission directly from the Trust Account to the Representatives, in accordance with
Section 1.3.
3.16 Internal Controls. The Company will maintain
a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance
with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation
of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only
in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared
with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.
3.17 Accountants. Until the earlier of five
years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain
Marcum or another independent registered public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Representatives.
3.18 Form 8-K. The Company shall, on
or prior to the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of
the Closing Date (“Audited Financial Statements”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering
and the Warrant Private Placement. Within four Business Days after the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K
with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Financial Statements. Promptly after the Option Closing Date,
if the Over-allotment Option is exercised after the Closing Date, the Company shall file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K
or an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of such option.
3.19 Corporate Proceedings. All corporate
proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall
have been done to the reasonable satisfaction to L&W.
3.20 Investment Company. The Company shall
cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as provided for in the Trust Agreement and disclosed
in the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company
Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it shall be engaged in a business other than that of investing,
reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.
3.21 Amendments to Charter Documents. The
Company covenants and agrees, that prior to its initial Business Combination it will not seek to amend or modify its Charter Documents,
except as set forth therein.
3.22 Press Releases. The Company agrees that
it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representatives’ prior written consent (not to be
unreasonably withheld), for a period of 25 days after the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Company
be prohibited from issuing any press releases or engaging in any other publicity required by law, except that including the name of any
Underwriter therein shall require the prior written consent of such Underwriter.
3.23 Insurance. The Company will maintain
directors’ and officers’ insurance (including, without limitation, insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers
for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under
the Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws) until the consummation of the initial business
combination.
3.24 Electronic Prospectus. The Company shall
cause to be prepared and delivered to the Underwriters, at the Company’s expense, promptly, but in no event later than two Business
Days from the Effective Date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering.
As used herein, the term “Electronic Prospectus” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto,
that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representatives,
that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Units for at least the period during which
a prospectus relating to the Units is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the
paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically,
in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description
or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic
format, satisfactory to the Representatives, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus
at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for
on-line time).
3.25 Private Placement Proceeds. On the Closing
Date, $[4,000,000] of the proceeds from the Warrant Private Placement and all of the proceeds from the sale of the Option Private Placement
Warrants, if any, shall be deposited into the Trust Account in accordance with the Purchase Agreement.
3.26 Future Financings. The Company agrees
that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior
to the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims
against the Trust Account.
3.27 Amendments to Agreements. Prior to the
consummation of the Business Combination, the Company shall not amend, modify or otherwise change the Public Warrant Agreement, Private
Placement Warrant Agreement, Trust Agreement, Registration Rights Agreement, Purchase Agreement, Services Agreement, or any Insider Letter
without the prior written consent of the Representatives, which will not be unreasonably withheld.
3.28 NYSE. Until the consummation of a Business
Combination, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the listing of the Public Securities on NYSE or a national
securities exchange acceptable to the Representatives.
3.29 Reservation of Shares. The Company will
reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable upon exercise of the Public
Warrants and Private Placement Warrants outstanding from time to time.
3.30 Notice of Disqualification Events. The
Company will notify each of the Representatives in writing, prior to the Closing Date, of (i) any Disqualification Event relating
to any Company Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, become a Disqualification Event relating to
any Company Covered Person.
3.31 Disqualification of S-1. Until the earlier
of seven years from the date hereof or until the Public Warrants have either expired and are no longer exercisable or have all been exercised,
the Company will not take any action or actions that prevent or disqualify the Company’s use of Form S-1 (or other appropriate
form) for the registration of the shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants under the Act.
4. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.
The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Units, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy
of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date,
if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance by
the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:
4.1 Regulatory Matters.
4.1.1 Effectiveness of Registration Statement.
The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such
later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representatives.
4.1.2 FINRA Clearance. By the Effective
Date, the Underwriters shall have received a letter of no objections from FINRA as to the terms and arrangements and the amount of compensation
allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.
4.1.3 No Commission Stop Order. At the Closing
Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus,
the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened
to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.
4.1.4 NYSE. The Securities shall have been
approved for listing on NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, satisfactory evidence
of which shall have been provided to the Representatives.
4.2 Company Counsel Matters.
4.2.1 Closing Date and Option Closing Date Opinions
of Counsel. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representatives shall have received (i) the favorable
opinion and negative assurance statement of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, dated the Closing Date or the Option
Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representatives as representatives for the several Underwriters and in form and substance
satisfactory to the Representatives and L&W and (ii) the favorable opinion and negative assurance letter of L&W, dated the
Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representatives as representatives for the several Underwriters
and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives.
4.2.2 Reliance. In rendering such opinion,
such counsel may rely as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of
the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good
standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Representatives counsel
if requested. The opinion of counsel for the Company shall include a statement to the effect that it may be relied upon by counsel for
the Underwriters in its opinion delivered to the Underwriters.
4.3 Comfort Letter. At the time this Agreement
is executed, and at the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any, the Representatives shall have received a letter, addressed to the
Representatives as representatives for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the
non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in Section 4.3.3 below) to the Representatives from Marcum
dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any:
4.3.1 Confirming that they are independent accountants
with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered
by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus,
provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;
4.3.2 Stating that in their opinion the financial
statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form
in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published Regulations thereunder;
4.3.3 Stating that, on the basis of their review,
which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date
of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the stockholders and Board
of Directors and the various committees of the Board of Directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible
for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention that would lead
them to believe that (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act
and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited
financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (b) at
a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change
in the share capital or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the stockholders’ equity of the Company as compared with
amounts shown in the January 29, 2021 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the
Prospectus, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus
or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from January 29, 2021 to
a specified date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there
was any decrease in revenues, net earnings or net earnings per share of Class A Common Stock, in each case as compared with the corresponding
period in the preceding year and as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding quarter, other than as set forth in or contemplated
by the Registration Statement the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, if there was any such decrease, setting forth the
amount of such decrease;
4.3.4 Stating that they have compared specific
dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the
Company set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in each case to the extent that such
amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of
the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of
specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement; and
4.3.5 Statements as to such other matters incident
to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representatives or L&W may reasonably request.
4.4 Officers’ Certificates.
4.4.1 Officers’ Certificate. At each
of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by
the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer of the Company (in their capacities as such),
dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all
covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as
of the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4 hereof
have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the representations
and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct. In addition, the Representatives will have
received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company (in their capacities as such) as the Representatives may reasonably
request.
4.4.2 Secretary’s Certificate. At
each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representatives shall have received a certificate of the Company signed
by the Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying (i) that
the Charter Documents are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions of
the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and
have not been modified, (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the
Commission, (iv) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and NYSE and (v) as
to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
4.5 No Material Changes. Prior to and on each
of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving
a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company
from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) no action suit
or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or
federal, foreign or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially
adversely affect the business, operations, or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement
and the Prospectus, (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated
or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened by the Commission, and (iv) the Registration Statement,
the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which
are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements
of the Act and the Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus nor the Prospectus nor any amendment
or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein
or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
4.6 Delivery of Agreements. On the Effective
Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives executed copies of the Transaction Documents and all of the Insider Letters.
5. Indemnification.
5.1 Indemnification of the Underwriters. Subject
to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Underwriters and their affiliates, and
each dealer selected by the Underwriters that participates in the offer and sale of the Securities (each a “Selected Dealer”)
and each of their respective directors, officers, agents, partners, members and employees and each person, if any, who controls within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act (“Controlling Person”) any
Underwriter, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever as incurred to which they or any of them may become
subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or under the laws of foreign countries, arising
out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (i) the Registration Statement,
any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented,
including, but not limited to any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A, Rule 430B or Rule 430C);
(ii) any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing
of the offering of the Securities, including any “road show” or investor presentations made to investors by the Company
(whether in person or electronically); (iii) any application or other document or written communication (in this Section 5,
collectively called “application”) executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by the Company
in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Public Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, any foreign
or state securities commission or agency, the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”), the Nasdaq Capital Market, the
Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, any other securities exchange or the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (“ the
OTCBB”); or (iv) any post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or new Registration Statement
or Prospectus filed by the Company with the Commission, any state securities commission or agency, OTCBB or any securities exchange; or
(v) the omission or alleged omission from the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus
or the Prospectus or subsequent filing by the Company under clause (iv) of a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and to reimburse
each Underwriter, its affiliates, each Selected Dealer and each of their respective directors, officers, partners, agents, members and
employees and each Controlling Person, if any, for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the
Underwriters) as such expenses are incurred by each Underwriter, its affiliates, such Selected Dealer or each of their respective directors,
officers, partners, agents, members and employees or such Controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising
or paying any such loss, claim damage, liability, expense or action, whether or not any such person is a party to any such claim or action
and including any and all reasonable legal and other expenses incurred in giving testimony or furnishing documents in response to a subpoena
or otherwise; provided however, that the foregoing agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expenses to the
extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or
alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to an Underwriter
by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof, or in any application, as the case may be, or the jurisdictions
listed in the section entitled “Underwriting” in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale
Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof, as the case may be; (y) the use of the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus or Prospectus in violation of any stop order or other notice received by the Underwriters indicating the then current Prospectus
is not to be used in connection with the sale of any Securities or (z) the Underwriters otherwise failing in its prospectus delivery
obligations. The Company agrees promptly to notify the Representatives of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the
Company or any of its officers, directors or Controlling Persons in connection with the issue and sale of the Securities or in connection
with the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.1
shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.
5.2 Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter,
severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration
Statement and each Controlling Person of the Company, if any, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described
in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Underwriter, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions,
or alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary
Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with,
written information furnished to the Company with respect to, the Underwriters by or on behalf of the Underwriters expressly for use in,
the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement
thereto, or in any such application, and to reimburse the Company or any such director, officer or Controlling Person, if any, for any
and all expenses as such expenses are reasonably incurred, in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying
any such loss, claim damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the obligation of each Underwriter to indemnify the
Company (including any director, officer or Controlling Person thereof), shall be limited to the commissions received by such Underwriter
in connection with the Securities underwritten by it pursuant to this Agreement. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information
that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus including
the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, shall consist solely of the Underwriters’
Information. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.2 shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Underwriter
may otherwise have.
5.3 Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures.
Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 5 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified
party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 5, notify the indemnifying
party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the failure to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability
under Sections 5.1 or 5.2 above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results
in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying
party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in Sections 5.1 or 5.2
above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity
from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly
with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving
the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party;
provided, however, (a) if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the
indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified
party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties
that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or (b) the indemnifying party agrees to such
separate representation, then, in each case, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume
such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt
of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense
of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party
under this Section 5 for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the
defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the provision to the preceding
sentence reasonably approved by the indemnifying party (or by the Underwriter in the case of Section 5.2), representing the
indemnified parties who are parties to such action), (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to
the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, or (iii) the
indemnifying party is not defending such action in good faith, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel shall be at the
expense of the indemnifying party.
5.4 Settlements. The indemnifying party under
this Section 5 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, which shall
not be withheld, delayed or conditioned unreasonably, but if settled with such consent or if there is a final judgment for the plaintiff,
the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such
settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying
party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 5.3 hereof, the indemnifying
party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement
is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying
party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying
party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of
judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party
and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes
an unconditional written release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit
or proceeding and (y) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf
of any indemnified party.
5.5 Contribution.
5.5.1 Contribution Rights. In order to provide
for just and equitable contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 5
makes claim for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court
of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may
not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution
under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be required on the part of any such person in circumstances for which indemnification
is provided under this Section 5, then, and in each such case, each Underwriter shall contribute to the aggregate losses,
liabilities, claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and each Underwriter,
as incurred, in such proportion as is represented by the percentage of the underwriting discount appearing on the cover page of the
Prospectus as compared to the offering price per Unit and the Company shall be responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person
guilty of a fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) with respect to any action or claim
shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation with respect to such action
or claim. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters
shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters in connection
with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable
considerations. The relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether
the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information
furnished by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity
to correct or prevent such statement or omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.5.1, no Underwriter shall
be required to contribute any amount in excess of the underwriting commissions received by such Underwriter in connection with the Securities
underwritten by it and distributed to the public pursuant to this Agreement. For purposes of this Section, each director, officer, agent,
partner, member and employee of an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter or
the Company, as applicable, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act, shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter
or the Company, as applicable.
5.5.2 Contribution Procedure. Within fifteen
days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or its representatives) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding,
such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“Contributing Party”),
notify the Contributing Party of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the Contributing Party will not relieve it from
any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder. In case any such action, suit or proceeding
is brought against any party, and such party notifies a Contributing Party or its representatives of the commencement thereof within the
aforesaid fifteen days, the Contributing Party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other Contributing
Party similarly notified. Any such Contributing Party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement
of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding
without the written consent of such Contributing Party. The contribution provisions contained in this Section are intended to supersede,
to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available. The Underwriters’
obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5.5 are several and not joint.
6. Default by an Underwriter.
6.1 Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units.
If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units and if the number of the Firm
Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units that all Underwriters
have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters
in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.
6.2 Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units. In
the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units, the Representatives
may, in their discretion, arrange for them or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units to which such default relates on
the terms contained herein. If within one Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representatives
does not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one Business Day
within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representatives to purchase said Firm Units on such terms. In the
event that neither the Representatives nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units to which a default relates as provided
in this Section 6, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representatives or the Company without liability on the part of
the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.10, 5, and 9.3 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided
in Section 5 hereof); provided that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any,
to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.
6.3 Postponement of Closing Date. In the event
that the Firm Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another
party or parties as aforesaid, the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a reasonable period,
but not in any event exceeding five Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration
Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly
any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the reasonable opinion
of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include
any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect
to such securities.
7. Additional Covenants.
7.1 Additional Shares or Options. The Company
hereby agrees that until the consummation of a Business Combination, it shall not issue any shares of Class A Common Stock or any
options or other securities convertible into Class A Common Stock, or any preferred shares or other securities of the Company which
participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Class A Common Stock on a Business Combination.
7.2 Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments.
The Company hereby agrees that it will use its reasonable best efforts prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any prospective
Target Business or obtaining the services of any vendor to have such Target Business and/or vendor acknowledge in writing whether through
a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledges the same in any definitive document
replacing any of the foregoing), that (a) it has read the Prospectus and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account,
initially in an amount of $200,000,000 (without giving effect to any exercise of the Over-allotment Option) for the benefit of the Public
Stockholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse
monies from the Trust Account only (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem shares of Class A Common
Stock contained in the Public Securities in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders
if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter Documents and the Prospectus,
or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination and (b) for and in consideration
of the Company (i) agreeing to evaluate such Target Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it or (ii) agreeing
to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target Business or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title,
interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (“Claim”) and waives any Claim it may have in
the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against
the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The foregoing letters shall substantially be in the form attached hereto as Exhibits A and
B respectively. The Company may forego obtaining such waivers only if the Company shall have received the approval of its Chief Executive
Officer and the approving vote of at least a majority of its Board of Directors.
7.4 No Amendment without Consent. The Trust Agreement shall provide that the trustee is required to obtain a joint
written instruction signed by both the Company and the Representatives with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account
from the Trust Account, prior to commencing any liquidation of the assets of the Trust Account in connection with the consummation of
any Business Combination, and such provision of the Trust Agreement shall not be permitted to be amended without the prior written consent
of the Representatives.
7.5 Rule 419. The Company agrees that
it will use its best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of
any Business Combination, including but not limited to using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities
from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.
7.6 Tender Offer Documents, Proxy Materials and
Other Information. The Company shall provide to the Representatives or their counsel (if so instructed by the Representatives) with
10 copies of all tender offer documents or proxy information and all related material filed with the Commission in connection with a Business
Combination concurrently with such filing with the Commission. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall
be deemed to have been provided to the Representatives pursuant to this Section. In addition, the Company shall furnish any other state
in which its initial public offering was registered, such information as may be requested by such state.
7.7 Emerging Growth Company. The Company shall
promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the
distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act.
7.8 Target Net Assets. The Company agrees
that the Target Business that it acquires must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account
at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business (excluding taxes payable and the
Deferred Underwriting Commissions). The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company
based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value.
If the Board of Directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the target business meets such fair market value
requirement, the Company 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. The Company is not required to obtain an opinion as to the
fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair
market value.
8. Representations and Agreements to Survive
Delivery. Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall
be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, and such representations,
warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof,
shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company
or any Controlling Person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the
Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the 7th anniversary of the later of
the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and
be of no further force and effect.
9. Effective Date of This Agreement and Termination
Thereof.
9.1 Effective Date. This Agreement shall become
effective on the Effective Date at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the Commission.
9.2 Termination. The Representatives shall
have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, if (i) any domestic or international event or act
or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the Representatives’ opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general
securities markets in the United States; (ii) trading on the NYSE, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq
Global Market, or the Nasdaq Capital Market or quoted on the OTCBB shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading
shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities
shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction; (iii) the
United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in existing major hostilities; (iv) a banking moratorium has
been declared by a New York State or Federal authority; (v) a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially
adversely impacts the United States securities market; (vi) the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident,
hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity (including, without limitation, a calamity relating to a public health matter
or natural disaster) or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in each of the Representatives’
sole opinions, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Units; (vii) the Company is in material breach of any of its
representations, warranties or covenants hereunder; or (viii) the Representatives shall have become aware after the date hereof of
such a material adverse change in the conditions of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including
without limitation as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof, as in each of the Representatives’ sole judgment would
make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters
for the sale of the Public Securities.
9.3 Expenses. In the event that this Agreement
shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein,
(i) the obligations of the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be governed
by Section 3.9 hereof and (ii) the Company shall reimburse the Representatives for any costs and expenses incurred in
connection with enforcing any provisions of this Agreement.
9.4 Indemnification. Notwithstanding any contrary
provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement
is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way affected by such election or termination or
failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.
10. Miscellaneous.
10.1 Notices. All communications hereunder,
except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier
or delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so mailed,
delivered or faxed or if mailed, two days after such mailing.
If to the Representatives:
BTIG, LLC
65 E 55th Street
New York, New York 10022
Attn: General Counsel
Mizuho Securities USA LLC
1271 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10020
Attn: [General Counsel]
Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, Texas 77002
Attn: Ryan J. Maierson
If to the Company:
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Attn: J. Carney Hawks
Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Brian M. Janson, Esq.
10.2 Headings. The headings contained herein
are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of
the terms or provisions of this Agreement.
10.3 Amendment. This Agreement may only be
amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.
10.4 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (together
with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement
of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of
the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
10.5 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall
inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representatives, the Underwriters, the Selected Dealers, the Company and
the Controlling Persons, directors, agents, partners, members, employees and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and
their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors
and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from the Underwriters.
10.6 Waiver of Immunity. To the extent that
the Company may be entitled in any jurisdiction in which judicial proceedings may at any time be commenced hereunder, to claim for itself
or its revenues or assets any immunity, including sovereign immunity, from suit, jurisdiction, attachment in aid of execution of a judgment
or prior to a judgment, execution of a judgment or any other legal process with respect to its obligations hereunder and to the extent
that in any such jurisdiction there may be attributed to the Company such an immunity (whether or not claimed), the Company hereby irrevocably
agrees not to claim and irrevocably waives such immunity to the maximum extent permitted by law.
10.7 Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the
Company and the Representatives irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court
sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement,
the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or the offering of the Securities. Each of the Company
and the Representatives irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to
the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding
brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company or the Representatives
may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to
it at the address set forth in Section 10.1 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding
upon the Company or the Representatives in any action, proceeding or claim. Each of the Company and the Representatives waives, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, any action based on this Agreement may be instituted by the Underwriters in any competent court. The Company agrees that
the Underwriters shall be entitled to recover all of their reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to any action or proceeding
and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor if any of them are the prevailing party in such action or proceeding.
10.8 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be
governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law
principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.
10.9 Execution in Counterparts; Electronic Signatures.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which
shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective
when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery
of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.
The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery,” and words of like import in
or relating to this Agreement or any document to be signed in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed to include electronic signatures,
deliveries or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as
a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, and the
parties hereto consent to conduct the transactions contemplated hereunder by electronic means.
10.10 Waiver. The failure of any of the parties
hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision,
nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter
enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions
of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement
of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver
of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.
10.11 No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company
acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial
transaction pursuant to a contractual relationship between the Company and the Underwriters, (ii) in connection therewith and with
the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company,
(iii) the Underwriters have not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering
contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are currently advising the
Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) in
no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders,
creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of
this offering of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof and (v) the Company has consulted its own
legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar
obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such
transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company agrees that it will not claim
that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in
connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible
for making their own independent judgment with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters
to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for
the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to
the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged
breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters
leading up to such transactions.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the
Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute
a binding agreement between us.
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Very truly yours,
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HAWKS Acquisition Corp
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Accepted on the date first above written.
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Mizuho Securities USA LLC
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[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
Schedule A
Hawks
Acquisition Corp
20,000,000 Units
|
Underwriter
|
|
Number of
Firm Units
to be
Purchased
|
|
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BTIG, LLC
|
|
|
|
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Mizuho Securities USA LLC
|
|
|
|
|
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Imperial Capital, LLC
|
|
|
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|
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TOTAL
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|
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20,000,000
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Schedule B
Exhibit A
Form of
Target Business Letter
HAWKS
Acquisition Corp
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Hawks
Acquisition Corp (the “Company”), dated as of [•], 2021 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms
used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand that
the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $200,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders
and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion
of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to
the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination,
(ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth
in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after
or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.
For and in consideration of the Company agreeing
to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not
have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and
hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the
Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
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Authorized Signature of Target Business
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Exhibit B
Form of
Vendor Letter
Hawks
Acquisition Corp
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Hawks
Acquisition Corp (the “Company”), dated as of [•], 2021 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms
used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand that
the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $200,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders
and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering (the “Underwriters”) and that, except for a portion
of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to
the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination,
(ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth
in its amended and restated certificate of incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after
or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.
For and in consideration of the Company agreeing
to engage the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of
any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the
future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for
any reason whatsoever.
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Authorized Signature of Vendor
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Exhibit 3.1
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
January 4, 2021
The undersigned, for
the purposes of forming a corporation under the laws of the State of Delaware, does make, file, and record this Certificate of
Incorporation (the “Certificate”), and does hereby certify as follows:
ARTICLE I
NAME
The name of the corporation
is Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Corporation”).
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Corporation
is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State
of Delaware, as amended from time to time (the “DGCL”).
ARTICLE III
REGISTERED AGENT
The address of the Corporation’s
registered office in the State of Delaware is 850 New Burton Road, Suite 201, Dover, County of Kent, Delaware 19904, and the name
of the Corporation’s registered agent at such address is Cogency Global Inc.
ARTICLE IV
CAPITALIZATION
Section 4.1
Authorized Capital Stock. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock, each with a par value
of $0.0001 per share, which the Corporation is authorized to issue is 101,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 100,000,000 shares
of common stock (the “Common Stock”), including (i) 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock (the “Class
A Common Stock”), and (ii) 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Class B Common Stock”),
and (b) 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”).
Section 4.2 Preferred
Stock. The board of directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) is hereby expressly authorized
to provide, out of the unissued shares of the Preferred Stock, one or more series of Preferred Stock, and to establish from
time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the voting rights, if any, designations,
powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if any, of each such series and any
qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the
Board providing for the issuance of such series and included in a certificate of designation (a “Preferred Stock
Designation”) filed pursuant to the DGCL, and the Board is hereby expressly vested with the authority to the
full extent provided by law, now or hereafter, to adopt any such resolution or resolutions.
Section 4.3
Common Stock.
(a)
Voting.
(i)
Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of the
Common Stock shall exclusively possess all voting power with respect to the Corporation.
(ii)
Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of shares
of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders on which
the holders of the Common Stock are entitled to vote.
(iii)
Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), at any annual or special
meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, holders of the Class A Common Stock and holders of the Class B Common
Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other
matters properly submitted to a vote of the stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law or
this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), holders of shares of any series of Common Stock shall not be entitled
to vote on any amendment to this Certificate (including any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to
the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock or other series of Common Stock if the holders of such affected
series of Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as applicable, are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or
more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the DGCL.
(b)
Class B Common Stock.
(i)
Shares of Class B Common Stock shall be convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis
(the “Initial Conversion Ratio”) (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder
thereof and (B) automatically upon the consummation of the Business Combination (as defined below).
(ii)
Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, 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 Corporation’s initial public offering of securities
and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, all issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock
shall automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the closing of the Corporation’s initial
merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more
businesses (the “Business Combination”) at a ratio for which:
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the numerator shall be equal to the sum of (A) 25% of all shares of Class A Common Stock
issued or issuable (upon the conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or
otherwise) by the Corporation, related to or in connection with the consummation of the initial Business Combination (excluding
any securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial Business Combination) plus (B) the number of shares of Class B
Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination; and
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the denominator shall be the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding
prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination.
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Notwithstanding anything
to the contrary contained herein, (i) the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular
issuance or deemed issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities by the written consent
or agreement of holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding consenting or agreeing separately
as a single class in the manner provided in Section 4.3(b)(iii), and (ii) in no event shall the Class B Common
Stock convert into Class A Common Stock at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.
The foregoing conversion
ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by stock split, subdivision, exchange, stock dividend, reclassification,
recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse stock split, exchange, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise)
or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock into a greater or lesser
number of shares occurring after the original filing of this Certificate without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision,
combination or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock.
Each share of Class B
Common Stock shall convert into its pro rata number of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to this Section
4.3(b). The pro rata share for each holder of Class B Common Stock will be determined as follows:
Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as is equal to the
product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Class A Common
Stock into which all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be converted pursuant to this Section
4.3(b) and the denominator of which shall be the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock
at the time of conversion.
(iii) Voting. Except
as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), for so long as any shares of
Class B Common Stock shall remain outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the prior vote or written consent of
the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class,
amend, alter or repeal any provision of this Certificate, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment,
alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special
rights of the Class B Common Stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of
Class B Common Stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents
in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B Common Stock
having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at
which all shares of Class B Common Stock were present and voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to
its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation
having custody of the book in which minutes of proceedings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the
Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt
requested. Prompt written notice of the taking of corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written
consent of the holders of Class B Common Stock shall, to the extent required by law, be given to those holders of
Class B Common Stock who have not consented in writing and who, if the action had been taken at a meeting, would have
been entitled to notice of the meeting if the record date for notice of such meeting had been the date that written consents
signed by a sufficient number of holders of Class B Common Stock to take the action were delivered to the
Corporation.
(c)
Dividends. Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred
Stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable in cash,
property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any assets
or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.
(d)
Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up of the Corporation. Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the
holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution
or winding up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation,
the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution
to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock (on an as converted basis with
respect to the Class B Common Stock) held by them.
Section 4.4
Rights and Options. The Corporation has the authority to create and issue rights, warrants and options entitling
the holders thereof to acquire from the Corporation any shares of its capital stock of any class or classes, with such rights,
warrants and options to be evidenced by or in instrument(s) approved by the Board. The Board is empowered to set the exercise price,
duration, times for exercise and other terms and conditions of such rights, warrants or options; provided, however, that the consideration
to be received for any shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise thereof may not be less than the par value thereof.
ARTICLE V
INCORPORATOR
Section 5.1
Incorporator. The name and mailing address of the sole incorporator of the Corporation are as follows:
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Name
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Address
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Chad Klitzman
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1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019
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Section 5.2 Initial
Director. The powers of the incorporator shall terminate upon the filing of this Certificate of Incorporation with the
Secretary of the State of Delaware. The name of the person who is to serve as the initial director of the Corporation, or
until his successor is duly elected and qualified, is Carney Hawks.
ARTICLE VI
DIRECTORS
Section 6.1
Board Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by, or under the direction of, the
Board. In addition to the powers and authority expressly conferred upon the Board by statute, this Certificate or the Bylaws
(the “Bylaws”) of the Corporation, the Board is hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all
such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the DGCL, this
Certificate and any Bylaws adopted by the stockholders; provided, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders
shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
Section 6.2
Election. Unless and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the election of directors need not
be by written ballot.
ARTICLE VII
BYLAWS
In furtherance and not
in limitation of the powers conferred upon it by law, the Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter, change, add or repeal
the Bylaws. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders.
ARTICLE VIII
LIMITED LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1
Limitation of Director Liability. A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation
or its stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty by such director as a director, except for liability
(i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions
not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the
DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the DGCL is amended to
authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director
of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, as so amended. Any repeal or modification
of this Section 8.1 by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection
of a director of the Corporation with respect to events occurring prior to the time of such repeal or modification.
Section 8.2 Indemnification. The
Corporation, to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the DGCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all
persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director
in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or
director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of
such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such
amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized
hereby.
ARTICLE IX
INSOLVENCY; SALE, LEASE OR EXCHANGE OF ASSETS
Whenever a compromise
or arrangement is proposed between this Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this Corporation and
its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application
in a summary way of this Corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of any receiver or receivers
appointed for this Corporation under Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the application of trustees in dissolution
or of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under Section 279 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code order a meeting
of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may
be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs. If a majority in number representing three fourths in value of the
creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may be, agree
to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of this Corporation as a consequence of such compromise or arrangement,
the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application
has been made, be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the stockholders or class of stockholders,
of this Corporation, as the case may be, and also on this Corporation.
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENT OF CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
The Corporation reserves
the right to amend, alter, change, add or repeal any provision contained in this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation),
in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by this Certificate and the DGCL; and except as set forth in ARTICLE VIII,
all rights, preferences and privileges herein conferred upon stockholders, directors or any other persons by and pursuant to this
Certificate in its present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to the right reserved in this Article.
[Signature Page Follows]
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By:
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/s/ Chad Klitzman
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Name: Chad Klitzman
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Title: Incorporator
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[Signature Page
to Hawks Acquisition Corp Certificate of Incorporation]
Exhibit 3.2
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
[_], 2021
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP, a corporation organized
and existing under the laws of the State of Delaware, DOES HEREBY CERTIFY AS FOLLOWS:
1. The name of the Corporation is “HAWKS ACQUISITION
CORP”. The original certificate of incorporation of the Corporation was filed under the name of HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP with the
Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on [●] (the “Original Certificate”).
2. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
(the “Amended and Restated Certificate”), which both restates and amends the provisions of the Original Certificate,
was duly adopted in accordance with Sections 228, 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended from
time to time (the “DGCL”).
3. This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
shall become effective on the date of filing with the Secretary of State of Delaware.
4. The text of the Original Certificate is hereby
restated and amended in its entirety to read as follows:
Article I
NAME
The name of the corporation is HAWKS ACQUISITION
CORP. (the “Corporation”).
Article II
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any
lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL. In addition to the powers and privileges conferred upon
the Corporation by law and those incidental thereto, the Corporation shall possess and may exercise all the powers and privileges that
are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment of the business or purposes of the Corporation, including, but not
limited to, effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination,
involving the Corporation and one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”).
Article III
REGISTERED AGENT
The address of the Corporation’s registered
office in the State of Delaware is 850 New Burton Road, Suite 201, Dover, County of Kent, State of Delaware, 19904, and the name
of the Corporation’s registered agent at such address is Cogency Global Inc.
Article IV
CAPITALIZATION
Section 4.1 Authorized
Capital Stock. The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock, each with a par value of $0.0001 per share, which the
Corporation is authorized to issue is 101,000,000 shares, consisting of (a) 100,000,000 shares of common stock (the “Common
Stock”), including (i) 80,000,000 shares of Class A common stock (the “Class A Common Stock”),
and (ii) 20,000,000 shares of Class B common stock (the “Class B Common Stock”), and (b) 1,000,000
shares of preferred stock (the “Preferred Stock”).
Section 4.2 Preferred
Stock. Subject to Article IX of this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the
“Board”) is hereby expressly authorized to provide out of the unissued shares of the Preferred Stock for one or more
series of Preferred Stock and to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the voting
rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if any, of each such
series and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the
Board providing for the issuance of such series and included in a certificate of designation (a “Preferred Stock Designation”)
filed pursuant to the DGCL, and the Board is hereby expressly vested with the authority to the full extent provided by law, now or hereafter,
to adopt any such resolution or resolutions.
Section 4.3 Common
Stock.
(a) Voting.
(i) Except
as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation and Section 9.9),
the holders of shares of Common Stock shall exclusively possess all voting power with respect to the Corporation.
(ii) Except
as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of shares
of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders of the Corporation
on which the holders of the Common Stock are entitled to vote.
(iii) Except
as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) at any annual or special
meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B
Common Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove any director and the holders of Class A
Common Stock shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director; provided, however, that with respect to the election
of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation in which a Business Combination is submitted to the
stockholders of the Corporation for approval, holders of the Class A Common Stock and holders of the Class B Common Stock,
voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors. The provisions described in
the foregoing sentence may only be amended by a majority of the Class B Common Stock then outstanding. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), holders of
shares of any series of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including
any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock
or other series of Common Stock if the holders of such affected series of Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as applicable, are entitled,
either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated
Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the DGCL.
(b) Class B
Common Stock.
(i) Shares
of Class B Common Stock shall be convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial
Conversion Ratio”) automatically at the time of the Business Combination.
(ii) Notwithstanding
the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or Equity-linked Securities (as defined
below), are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Corporation’s initial public offering of securities (the
“Offering”) and related to or in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination, the number of shares
of Class A Common Stock into which all issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall automatically convert at
the time of the closing of the initial Business Combination will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares
of Class B Common Stock agree to waive such adjustments 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,
20% of the sum of (a) the total number of all shares of Class A Common Stock issued in the Offering (including any shares of
Class A Common Stock issued pursuant to the underwriters’ over-allotment option), plus (b) the total number of shares
of Class A Common Stock issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any Equity-linked securities or rights
issued or deemed issued in connection with or in relation to the consummation of a Business Combination (including any shares of Class A
Common Stock issued pursuant to a forward purchase agreement), excluding any shares of Class A Common Stock or Equity-linked securities
or rights issued, or to be issued, to the owners of the target of such Business Combination in consideration for such persons’
interest in the Business Combination target, any private placement warrants issued to Hawks Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”)
or an affiliate of the Sponsor or the Corporation’s officers and directors upon the conversion of working capital loans made to
the Corporation and any warrants issued pursuant to a forward purchase agreement, minus (c) the number of shares of Class A
Common Stock redeemed in connection with a Business Combination, provided that such conversion of shares of Class B Common Stock
shall never be less than the Initial Conversion Ratio.
As used herein, the term “Equity-linked
Securities” means any securities of the Corporation which are convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for Common Stock.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
herein, (i) the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance
of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or Equity-linked Securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority
of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding consenting or agreeing separately as a single class in the manner provided
in Section 4.3(b)(iii), and (ii) in no event shall the Class B Common Stock convert into Class A Common Stock
at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.
The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted
to account for any subdivision (by stock split, subdivision, exchange, stock dividend, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise)
or combination (by reverse stock split, exchange, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalization
of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing
of this Amended and Restated Certificate without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification
or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock.
Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert
into its pro rata number of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to this Section 4.3(b). The pro rata
share for each holder of Class B Common Stock will be determined as follows: Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert
into such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as is equal to the product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator
of which shall be the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock into which all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B
Common Stock shall be converted pursuant to this Section 4.3(b) and the denominator of which shall be the total number
of issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock at the time of conversion.
(iii) Voting.
Except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), for so
long as any shares of Class B Common Stock shall remain outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the prior vote or written
consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class,amend,
alter or repeal any provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment,
alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of
the Class B Common Stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B Common Stock
may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action
so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B Common Stock having not less than the minimum number of votes
that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B Common Stock were present and
voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of
business, or to the Secretary of the Corporation or another officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which minutes
of proceedings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified
or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt written notice of the taking of corporate action without a meeting by less than
unanimous written consent of the holders of Class B Common Stock shall, to the extent required by law, be given to those holders
of Class B Common Stock who have not consented in writing and who, if the action had been taken at a meeting, would have been entitled
to notice of the meeting if the record date for notice of such meeting had been the date that written consents signed by a sufficient
number of holders of Class B Common Stock to take the action were delivered to the Corporation.
(c) Dividends.
Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions
of Article IX hereof, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions
(payable in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of
any assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and
distributions.
(d) Liquidation,
Dissolution or Winding Up of the Corporation. Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding
series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of Article IX hereof, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation,
the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution
to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock (on an as converted basis with respect
to the Class B Common Stock) held by them.
Section 4.4 Rights
and Options. The Corporation has the authority to create and issue rights, warrants and options entitling the holders thereof to
acquire from the Corporation any shares of its capital stock of any class or classes, with such rights, warrants and options to be evidenced
by or in instrument(s) approved by the Board. The Board is empowered to set the exercise price, duration, times for exercise and
other terms and conditions of such rights, warrants or options; provided, however, that the consideration to be received
for any shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise thereof may not be less than the par value thereof.
Article V
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1 Board
Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by, or under the direction of, the Board. In addition to the
powers and authority expressly conferred upon the Board by statute, this Amended and Restated Certificate or the By laws of the Corporation
(“Bylaws”), the Board is hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised
or done by the Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the DGCL, this Amended and Restated Certificate, and any Bylaws
adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation; provided, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders
of the Corporation shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
Section 5.2 Number,
Election and Term.
(a) The
number of directors of the Corporation, other than those who may be elected by the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock
voting separately by class or series, shall be fixed from time to time exclusively by the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a
majority of the Board.
(b) Subject
to Section 5.5 hereof, the Board shall be divided into three classes, as nearly equal in number as possible and designated
Class I, Class II and Class III. The term of the initial Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting
of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate; the term of the initial
Class II Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness
of this Amended and Restated Certificate; and the term of the initial Class III Directors shall expire at the third annual meeting
of the stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate. At each succeeding annual
meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, beginning with the first annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following
the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate, successors to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting
shall be elected for a three-year term or until the election and qualification of their respective successors in office, subject to their
earlier death, resignation or removal. Subject to Section 5.5 hereof, if the number of directors is changed, any increase
or decrease shall be apportioned by the Board among the classes so as to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal
as possible, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of directors shorten the term of any incumbent director. Directors shall be
elected by a plurality of the votes cast at an annual meeting of stockholders by holders of the Common Stock. The Board is hereby expressly
authorized, by resolution or resolutions thereof, to assign members of the Board already in office to the aforesaid classes at the time
this Amended and Restated Certificate (and therefore such classification) becomes effective in accordance with the DGCL.
(c) Unless
and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the election of directors need not be by written ballot.
Section 5.3 Newly
Created Directorships and Vacancies. Subject to Section 5.5 hereof, newly created directorships resulting from an increase
in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or
other cause may be filled solely and exclusively by a majority vote of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum,
or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders), and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of the full
term of the class of directors to which the new directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor
has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or
removal.
Section 5.4 Removal.
Subject to Section 5.5 hereof and pursuant to Section 4.3(a)(iii) hereof, and except as otherwise required by this
Amended and Restated Certificate (including Section 9.9 hereof), any or all of the directors may be removed from office at
any time, with or without cause, by the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares
of the Class B Common Stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class.
Section 5.5 Preferred
Stock—Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article V, and except as otherwise required by law,
whenever the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock shall have the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect
one or more directors, the term of office, the filling of vacancies, the removal from office and other features of such directorships
shall be governed by the terms of such series of the Preferred Stock as set forth in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including
any Preferred Stock Designation) and such directors shall not be included in any of the classes created pursuant to this Article V
unless expressly provided by such terms.
Article VI
BYLAWS
In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers
conferred upon it by law, the Board shall have the power and is expressly authorized to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The
Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders of the Corporation; provided, however, that
in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by law or by this Amended
and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting
power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting
together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders of the Corporation to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws; and
provided further, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders of the Corporation shall invalidate any
prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.
Article VII
SPECIAL MEETINGS OF STOCKHOLDERS; ACTION BY WRITTEN CONSENT
Section 7.1 Special
Meetings. Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, and to the requirements
of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders of the Corporation may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive
Officer of the Corporation, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and the ability of the stockholders
of the Corporation to call a special meeting is hereby specifically denied. Except as provided in the foregoing sentence, special meetings
of stockholders of the Corporation may not be called by another person or persons.
Section 7.2 Advance
Notice. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders before
any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be given in the manner provided in the Bylaws.
Section 7.3 Action
by Written Consent. Except as may be otherwise provided for or fixed pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including
any Preferred Stock Designation) relating to the rights of the holders of any (i) Class B Common Stock or (ii) outstanding
series of Preferred Stock, subsequent to the consummation of the Offering, any action required or permitted to be taken by the stockholders
of the Corporation must be effected by a duly called annual or special meeting of such stockholders and may not be effected by written
consent of the stockholders other than with respect to the Class B Common Stock with respect to which action may be taken by written
consent.
Article VIII
LIMITED LIABILITY; INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1 Limitation
of Director Liability. A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary
damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted
under the DGCL as the same exists or may hereafter be amended. Any amendment, modification or repeal of the foregoing sentence shall
not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation hereunder in respect of any act or omission occurring prior
to the time of such amendment, modification or repeal.
Section 8.2 Indemnification
and Advancement of Expenses.
(a) To
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold
harmless each person who is or was made a party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending
or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a “proceeding”)
by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation,
is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership,
joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (an “indemnitee”),
whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other
capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without
limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably incurred
by such indemnitee in connection with such proceeding. The Corporation shall to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law pay
the expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an indemnitee in defending or otherwise participating in any proceeding in
advance of its final disposition; provided, however, that, to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance
of the final disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf of the indemnitee, to repay
all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section 8.2
or otherwise. The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred by this Section 8.2 shall be contract
rights and such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure
to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.2(a),
except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and advance
expenses to an indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or
part thereof) was authorized by the Board.
(b) The
rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred on any indemnitee by this Section 8.2 shall not be exclusive
of any other rights that any indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under law, this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Bylaws, an
agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
(c) Any
repeal or amendment of this Section 8.2 by the stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in law, or the adoption of any
other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate inconsistent with this Section 8.2, shall, unless otherwise required
by law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification
rights on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and shall not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection
existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision in respect of any proceeding (regardless
of when such proceeding is first threatened, commenced or completed) arising out of, or related to, any act or omission occurring prior
to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision.
(d) This
Section 8.2 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law,
to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than indemnitees.
(e) To
the extent an indemnitee has rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by a third party, (i) the
Corporation shall be the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., that its obligations to an indemnitee are primary and any obligation of such
third party to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same expenses or liabilities incurred by an indemnitee are secondary),
(ii) the Corporation shall be required to advance the full amount of expenses incurred by an indemnitee and shall be liable for
the full amount of all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs and expenses (including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments,
in compromises and settlements, as fines and penalties and legal or other costs and reasonable expenses of investigating or defending
against any claim or alleged claim) to the extent legally permitted and as required by the terms of this Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation, the Bylaws and the agreements to which the Corporation is a party, without regard to any rights an indemnitee may have
against such third party and (iii) the Corporation irrevocably waives, relinquishes and releases such third party from any and all
claims against them for contribution, subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. No advancement or payment by
such third party on behalf of an indemnitee with respect to any claim for which an indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Corporation
shall affect the foregoing, and such third party shall have a right of contribution and be subrogated to the extent of such advancement
or payment to all of the rights of recovery of an indemnitee against the Corporation.
Article IX
BUSINESS COMBINATION REQUIREMENTS; EXISTENCE
Section 9.1 General.
(a) The
provisions of this Article IX shall apply during the period commencing upon the effectiveness of this Amended and Restated
Certificate and terminating upon the earlier to occur of (i) consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination
or (ii) the filing of an amendment to, or amendment and restatement of, this Amended and Restated Certificate, in connection with
the closing of an initial Business Combination, which (A) amendment or amendment and restatement (1) has been approved by the
Board of Directors in connection with the initial Business Combination, and (2) has been adopted by the requisite vote of the stockholders
of the Corporation at a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation held to approve the initial Business Combination and (B) initial
Business Combination has been approved by the requisite vote of the stockholders of the Corporation (the earlier of such date in clauses
“(i)” and “(ii)”), the “Article IX Termination Date”). Other than any amendment to this Amended
and Restated Certificate made in connection with an initial Business Combination that (1) has been approved by the Board of Directors
in connection with the initial Business Combination, (2) has been adopted by the requisite vote of the stockholders of the Corporation
at a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation held to approve the initial Business Combination and (3) is filed in connection
with the initial Business Combination that has been approved by the requisite vote of the stockholders of the Corporation, and no amendment
to this Article IX shall be effective prior to the Article IX Termination Date unless approved by the affirmative vote
of the holders of at least sixty-five percent (65%) of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock.
(b) Immediately
after the Offering, a certain amount of the net offering proceeds received by the Corporation in the Offering (including the proceeds
of any exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) and certain other amounts specified in the Corporation’s registration
statement on Form S-1, as initially filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on January 8,
2021, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), shall be deposited in a trust account (the “Trust Account”),
established for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below) pursuant to a trust agreement described in the Registration
Statement. Except for the amounts withdrawn to fund the Corporation’s working capital requirements, to the extent set forth in
the Registration Statement, and/or to pay the Corporation’s taxes (“Permitted Withdrawals”), none of the funds
held in the Trust Account (including the interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account) will be released from the Trust Account
until the earliest to occur of (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination, (ii) the redemption of 100% of the Offering
Shares (as defined below) if the Corporation is unable to complete its initial Business Combination within the 18 months from the closing
of the Offering (or up to 24 months, as provided by Section 9.1(c)), or such other time period in which we must consummate an initial
business combination pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Completion Window”)
or (iii) the redemption of shares in connection with a vote seeking to amend any provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate
as described in Section 9.7. Holders of shares of the Common Stock included as part of the units sold in the Offering (the
“Offering Shares”) (whether such Offering Shares were purchased in the Offering or in the secondary market following
the Offering and whether or not such holders are affiliates or officers or directors of the Corporation, or affiliates of any of the
foregoing) are referred to herein as “Public Stockholders.”
(c) Notwithstanding
Section 9.1(b) or any other provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Board may, upon the request of the Sponsor
and five days' advance notice prior to the applicable deadline and without the approval of any of the Corporation's other stockholders,
extend the period of time the Company shall have to consummate an initial Business Combination one time by an additional six months to
consummate an initial Business Combination (or an aggregate of up to 24 months from the closing of the Offering), subject to the Sponsor,
or its affiliates or designees, purchasing up to an additional 2,300,000 private placement warrants (including up to 300,000 private
placement warrants if the underwriters' overallotment option is exercised in full), at $1.00 per warrant, and depositing $2,000,000,
or $2,300,000 if the underwriters' overallotment option is exercised in full, in proceeds into the Trust Account on or prior to the date
of the applicable deadline. The Company shall provide notice to the Public Stockholders that an extension will be effected at least three
days prior to the applicable deadline, and shall confirm receipt of the required proceeds into the Trust Account on the day following
the applicable deadline. In the event that the Sponsor elects at its option to purchase the up to 2,300,000 private placement warrants
described in Section 9.1(c) prior to or in connection with the applicable deadlines described in Section 9.1(c), the Corporation's
deadline to consummate an initial Business Combination under this Amended and Restated Certificate shall be automatically extended to
24 months.
Section 9.2 Redemption
Rights.
(a) Prior
to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall provide all holders of Offering Shares with the opportunity
to have their Offering Shares redeemed (irrespective of whether they voted in favor or against the Business Combination) pursuant to,
and subject to the limitations of, Sections 9.2(b) and 9.2(c) hereof (such rights of such holders to have their
Offering Shares redeemed pursuant to such Sections, the “Redemption Rights”) for cash equal to the applicable redemption
price per share determined in accordance with Section 9.2(b) hereof (the “Redemption Price”); provided,
however, that the Corporation will only redeem or repurchase Offering Shares so long as (after such redemptions or repurchases) the Corporation’s
net tangible assets (as determined in accordance with Rule 3a51-1(g)(1) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(the “Exchange Act”) (or any successor rule)) will be at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation
of the initial Business Combination, or any greater net tangible assets or cash requirement which may be contained in the agreement relating
to the initial Business Combination (such limitation hereinafter called the “Redemption Limitation”). Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate, there shall be no Redemption Rights or liquidating distributions
with respect to any warrant issued pursuant to the Offering.
(b) If
the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares other than in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination
with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (or any successor rules or regulations) and filing proxy
materials with the SEC, the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares with payment to be made upon the consummation of the
the initial Business Combination, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions of Section 9.2(a) hereof
pursuant to a tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule or
regulation) (such rules and regulations hereinafter called the “Tender Offer Rules”) which it shall commence
prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination and shall file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to the consummation
of the initial Business Combination that contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial Business Combination
and the Redemption Rights as is required under Regulation 14A under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule or regulation) (such
rules and regulations hereinafter called the “Proxy Solicitation Rules”), even if such information is not required
under the Tender Offer Rules. If a stockholder vote is required by law to approve the proposed initial Business Combination, or the Corporation
decides to submit the proposed initial Business Combination to the stockholders for their approval for business or other legal reasons,
the Corporation shall offer to redeem the Offering Shares, subject to lawfully available funds therefor, in accordance with the provisions
of Section 9.2(a) hereof in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the Proxy Solicitation Rules (and
not the Tender Offer Rules) at a price per share equal to the Redemption Price calculated in accordance with the following provisions
of this Section 9.2(b). In the event that the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares pursuant to a tender offer
in accordance with the Tender Offer Rules, the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares
tendering their Offering Shares pursuant to such tender offer shall be equal to the quotient obtained by dividing: (i) the aggregate
amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, including
interest not previously released to the Corporation as Permitted Withdrawals, by (ii) the total number of then outstanding Offering
Shares. If the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on the proposed initial Business
Combination pursuant to a proxy solicitation, the Redemption Price per share of the Common Stock payable to holders of the Offering Shares
exercising their Redemption Rights (irrespective of whether they voted in favor or against the Business Combination) shall be equal to
the quotient obtained by dividing (a) the aggregate amount on deposit in the Trust Account as of two business days prior to the
consummation of the initial Business Combination, including interest not previously released to the Corporation as Permitted Withdrawals,
by (b) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares. In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated, any
shares tendered or delivered for redemption or repurchase shall be returned to relevant holders.
(c) If
the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination pursuant
to a proxy solicitation, 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(d)(3) of the Exchange Act), shall be restricted
from seeking Redemption Rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Offering Shares without the consent of the Corporation.
(d) In
the event that the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business Combination within the Completion Window, the Corporation shall
(i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten
business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Offering Shares in consideration of a per share
price, payable in cash, equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (A) the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account,
including interest (net of amounts withdrawn as Permitted Withdrawals and less up to $100,000 of such net interest to pay dissolution
expenses), by (B) the total number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish rights of the
Public 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 remaining stockholders and the Board in accordance
with applicable law, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Corporation’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for
claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.
(e) If
the Corporation offers to redeem the Offering Shares in conjunction with a stockholder vote on an initial Business Combination, the Corporation
shall consummate the proposed initial Business Combination only if (i) such initial Business Combination is approved by the affirmative
vote of the holders of a majority of the shares of the Common Stock that are voted at a stockholder meeting held to consider such initial
Business Combination (or such other vote as the applicable law or stock exchange rules then in effect may require) and (ii) the
Redemption Limitation is not exceeded.
(f) If
the Corporation conducts a tender offer pursuant to Section 9.2(b), the Corporation shall consummate the proposed initial
Business Combination only if the Redemption Limitation is not exceeded.
Section 9.3 Distributions
from the Trust Account.
(a) A
Public Stockholder shall be entitled to receive funds from the Trust Account only as provided in Sections 9.2(a), 9.2(b),
9.2(d) or 9.7 hereof. In no other circumstances shall a Public Stockholder have any right or interest of any kind
in or to distributions from the Trust Account, and no stockholder other than a Public Stockholder shall have any interest in or to the
Trust Account.
(b) Each
Public Stockholder that does not exercise its Redemption Rights shall retain its interest in the Corporation and shall be deemed to have
given its consent to the release of the remaining funds in the Trust Account to the Corporation, and following payment to any Public
Stockholders exercising their Redemption Rights, the remaining funds in the Trust Account shall be released to the Corporation.
(c) The
exercise by a Public Stockholder of the Redemption Rights shall be conditioned on such Public Stockholder following the specific procedures
for redemptions set forth by the Corporation in any applicable tender offer or proxy materials sent to the Public Stockholders relating
to the proposed initial Business Combination. Payment of the amounts necessary to satisfy the Redemption Rights properly exercised shall
be made as promptly as practical after the consummation of the initial Business Combination.
Section 9.4 Share
Issuances. Prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the Corporation shall not issue any
additional shares of capital stock of the Corporation that would entitle the holders thereof to receive funds from the Trust Account
or vote on any initial Business Combination, on any pre-Business Combination activity or on any amendment to this Article IX.
Section 9.5 Transactions
with Affiliates. In the event the Corporation enters into an initial Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated
with an owner of Class B Common Stock, or the directors or officers of the Corporation, the Corporation, or a committee of the independent
directors of the Corporation, shall obtain an opinion from an independent accounting firm or an independent investment banking firm that
is a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or an independent accounting firm that such Business Combination is fair to
the Corporation from a financial point of view.
Section 9.6 No
Transactions with Other Blank Check Companies. The Corporation shall not enter into an initial Business Combination with another
blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.
Section 9.7 Additional
Redemption Rights. If, in accordance with Section 9.1(a), any amendment is made to this Certificate of Incorporation
to modify the substance or timing of the Corporation’s obligation to provide for the redemption of the Offering Shares in connection
with an initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares if the Corporation has not consummated an initial Business
Combination within the Completion Window or with respect to any other material provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation relating
to stockholder’s rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, the Public Stockholders shall be provided with the opportunity
to redeem their Offering Shares upon the 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 (net of amounts withdrawn as Permitted Withdrawals), divided by the number
of then outstanding Offering Shares. The Corporation’s ability to provide such opportunity is subject to the Redemption Limitation.
Section 9.8 Minimum
Value of Target. The Corporation’s initial Business Combination must occur with one or more operating businesses that together
have a fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed as Permitted Withdrawals
and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial Business Combination.
Section 9.9 Appointment
and Removal of Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision in this Amended and Restated Certificate, prior to the closing of the
initial Business Combination, the holders of Class B Common Stock shall have the exclusive right to elect and remove any director,
and the holders of Class A Common Stock shall have no right to vote on the election or removal of any director; provided, however,
that with respect to the election of directors in connection with a meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation in which a Business
Combination is submitted to the stockholders of the Corporation for approval, holders of the Class A Common Stock and holders of
the Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors.
This Section 9.9 may be amended only by a resolution passed by a holders of at least 90% of the outstanding Common Stock
entitled to vote thereon.
Article X
BUSINESS COMBINATIONS
Section 10.1 Section 203
of the DGCL. The Corporation will not be subject to Section 203 of the DGCL.
Section 10.2 Limitations
on Business Combinations. Notwithstanding Section 10.1, the Corporation shall not engage in any business combination
(as defined below), at any point in time at which the Corporation’s common stock is registered under Section 12(b) or
12(g) of the Exchange Act (as defined below), with any interested stockholder (as defined below) for a period of three years following
the time that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
(a) prior
to such time, the Board approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested
stockholder, or
(b) upon
consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned
at least 85% of the voting stock (as defined below) of the Corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for
purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those
shares owned by (i) persons who are directors and also officers of the Corporation or (ii) employee stock plans in which employee
participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or
exchange offer, or
(c) at
or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the Board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders,
and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock of the Corporation which is not
owned by the interested stockholder.
Section 10.3 Definitions.
For the purposes of this Article X:
(a) “affiliate”
means a person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, or is controlled by, or is under common control
with, another person.
(b) “associate,”
when used to indicate a relationship with any person, means: (i) any corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other
entity of which such person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the owner of 20% or more of any class of
voting stock; (ii) any trust or other estate in which such person has at least a 20% beneficial interest or as to which such person
serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity; and (iii) any relative or spouse of such person, or any relative of such spouse,
who has the same residence as such person.
(c) “business
combination,” when used in reference to the Corporation and any interested stockholder, means:
(i) any
merger or consolidation of the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation (a) with the interested
stockholder, or (b) with any other corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity if the merger or consolidation
is caused by the interested stockholder and as a result of such merger or consolidation Article XI is not applicable to the
surviving entity;
(ii) any
sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition (in one transaction or a series of transactions), except proportionately
as a stockholder of the Corporation, to or with the interested stockholder, whether as part of a dissolution or otherwise, of assets
of the Corporation or of any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation which assets have an aggregate market value
equal to 10% or more of either the aggregate market value of all the assets of the Corporation determined on a consolidated basis or
the aggregate market value of all the outstanding stock of the Corporation;
(iii) any
transaction which results in the issuance or transfer by the Corporation or by any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the
Corporation of any stock of the Corporation or of such subsidiary to the interested stockholder, except: (a) pursuant to the exercise,
exchange or conversion of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into stock of the Corporation or any such subsidiary
which securities were outstanding prior to the time that the interested stockholder became such; (b) pursuant to a merger under
Section 251(g) of the DGCL; (c) pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made, or the exercise, exchange or conversion
of securities exercisable for, exchangeable for or convertible into stock of the Corporation or any such subsidiary which security is
distributed, pro rata to all holders of a class or series of stock of the Corporation subsequent to the time the interested stockholder
became such; (d) pursuant to an exchange offer by the Corporation to purchase stock made on the same terms to all holders of said
stock; or (e) any issuance or transfer of stock by the Corporation; provided, however, that in no case under items
(c)-(e) of this subsection (iii) shall there be an increase in the interested stockholder’s proportionate share of the
stock of any class or series of the Corporation or of the voting stock of the Corporation (except as a result of immaterial changes due
to fractional share adjustments);
(iv) any
transaction involving the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation which has the effect, directly
or indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series, or securities convertible into the stock of
any class or series, of the Corporation or of any such subsidiary which is owned by the interested stockholder, except as a result of
immaterial changes due to fractional share adjustments or as a result of any purchase or redemption of any shares of stock not caused,
directly or indirectly, by the interested stockholder; or
(v) any
receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit, directly or indirectly (except proportionately as a stockholder of the Corporation),
of any loans, advances, guarantees or pledges (other than those expressly permitted in subsections (i)-(iv) above) provided by or
through the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary.
(d) “control,”
including the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with,”
means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person,
whether through the ownership of voting stock, by contract, or otherwise. A person who is the owner of 20% or more of the outstanding
voting stock of the Corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity shall be presumed to have control of such entity,
in the absence of proof by a preponderance of the evidence to the contrary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a presumption of control shall
not apply where such person holds voting stock, in good faith and not for the purpose of circumventing this Article X, as
an agent, bank, broker, nominee, custodian or trustee for one or more owners who do not individually or as a group have control of such
entity.
(e) “interested
stockholder” means any person (other than the Corporation or any direct or indirect majority-owned subsidiary of the Corporation)
that (i) is the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the Corporation, or (ii) is an affiliate or associate
of the Corporation and was the owner of 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the Corporation at any time within the three year
period immediately prior to the date on which it is sought to be determined whether such person is an interested stockholder, and the
affiliates and associates of such person; provided, however, that the term “interested stockholder” shall not
include (a) the Principal Stockholder or Principal Stockholder Transferees or any “group” (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5
of the Exchange Act) that includes any Principal Stockholder or Principal Stockholder Transferee or (b) any person whose ownership
of shares in excess of the 15% limitation set forth herein is the result of any action taken solely by the Corporation; provided
that such person specified in this clause (b) shall be an interested stockholder if thereafter such person acquires additional shares
of voting stock of the Corporation, except as a result of further corporate action not caused, directly or indirectly, by such person.
For the purpose of determining whether a person is an interested stockholder, the voting stock of the Corporation deemed to be outstanding
shall include stock deemed to be owned by the person through application of the definition of “owner” below but shall not
include any other unissued stock of the Corporation which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or
upon exercise of conversion rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.
(f) “owner,”
including the terms “own” and “owned,” when used with respect to any stock, means a person that
individually or with or through any of its affiliates or associates:
(i) beneficially
owns such stock, directly or indirectly; or
(ii) has
(a) the right to acquire such stock (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to
any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, warrants or options, or otherwise;
provided, however, that a person shall not be deemed the owner of stock tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer
made by such person or any of such person’s affiliates or associates until such tendered stock is accepted for purchase or exchange;
or (b) the right to vote such stock pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided, however, that
a person shall not be deemed the owner of any stock because of such person’s right to vote such stock if the agreement, arrangement
or understanding to vote such stock arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given in response to a proxy or consent solicitation
made to ten or more persons; or
(iii) has
any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except voting pursuant to a revocable proxy
or consent as described in item (b) of subsection (ii) above), or disposing of such stock with any other person that beneficially
owns, or whose affiliates or associates beneficially own, directly or indirectly, such stock.
(g) “person”
means any individual, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association or other entity.
(h) “stock”
means, with respect to any corporation, capital stock and, with respect to any other entity, any equity interest.
(i) “Principal
Stockholder” means, collectively, (i) the Hawks Sponsor LLC, (ii) J. Carney Hawks, (iii) Lois A. Mannon, (iv) Eugene
Davis, (v) Daniel H. Golden, (vi) Mark Heimowitz, (vii) all directors and executive officers as a group and (viii) any
affiliate or successor of a person referenced in clauses (i) through (vii) of this definition.
(j) “Principal
Stockholder Transferee” means any Person who acquires voting stock of the Corporation from the Principal Stockholder (other
than in connection with a public offering) and who is designated in writing by the Principal Stockholder as a “Principal Stockholder
Transferee.”
(k) “voting
stock” means stock of any class or series entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.
Article XI
CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY
To the fullest extent allowed by law (including
without limitation Section 122(17) of the DGCL), the doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, shall not
apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, and the Corporation
renounces any expectancy that any of the directors or officers of the Corporation, or any of their respective affiliates, will offer
any such corporate opportunity of which he or she may become aware to the Corporation, except, the doctrine of corporate opportunity
shall apply with respect to any of the directors or officers of the Corporation only with respect to a corporate opportunity that was
offered to such person solely and exclusively in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation and such opportunity
is one the Corporation is legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for the Corporation to pursue,
and to the extent the director or officer is permitted to refer that opportunity to the Corporation without violating any legal obligation.
Article XII
AMENDMENT OF AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
The Corporation reserves the right at any time and
from time to time to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred
Stock Designation), and other provisions authorized by the laws of the State of Delaware at the time in force that may be added or inserted,
in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by this Amended and Restated Certificate and the DGCL; and, except as set forth in Article VIII,
all rights, preferences and privileges of whatever nature herein conferred upon stockholders, directors or any other persons by and pursuant
to this Amended and Restated Certificate in its present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to the right reserved in this
Article XII; provided, however, that Article IX of this Amended and Restated Certificate may be
amended only as provided therein.
Article XIII
EXCLUSIVE FORUM FOR CERTAIN LAWSUITS
Section 13.1 Forum.
Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware
shall be the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding
brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer
or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim
against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or this Amended and Restated
Certificate or the Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against the Corporation, its directors, officers or employees governed
by the internal affairs doctrine, except for, as to each of (i) through (iv) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court
of Chancery 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 of 1933, as amended, as to which the
Court of Chancery and the federal district court for the District of Delaware shall have concurrent jurisdiction. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the provisions of this Section 13.1 will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability creased by the Exchange
Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
Section 13.2 Consent
to Jurisdiction. If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of Section 13.1 immediately above is filed
in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any stockholder,
such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within
the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce Section 13.1 immediately above (an
“FSC Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such FSC Enforcement
Action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder.
Article XIV
SEVERABILITY
If any provision or provisions (or any part thereof)
of this Amended and Restated Certificate shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or
circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, (i) the validity, legality and enforceability
of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Amended and Restated Certificate (including, without
limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate containing any such provision held to be invalid,
illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other
persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby, and (ii) the provisions of this Amended
and Restated Certificate (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Amended and Restated Certificate containing
any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Corporation to protect its directors,
officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their faith service or for the benefit of the Corporation to the
fullest extent permitted by law.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP has caused
this Amended and Restated Certificate to be duly executed and acknowledged in its name and on its behalf by an authorized officer as
of the date first set forth above.
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By:
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Name:
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John Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Chief Executive Officer
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Signature Page to Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Exhibit 3.3
BY LAWS
OF
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
(THE “CORPORATION”)
ARTICLE I
OFFICES
Section 1.1
Registered Office. The registered office of the Corporation within the State of Delaware shall be located at either
(a) the principal place of business of the Corporation in the State of Delaware or (b) the office of the corporation or individual
acting as the Corporation’s registered agent in Delaware.
Section 1.2
Additional Offices. The Corporation may, in addition to its registered office in the State of Delaware, have such
other offices and places of business, both within and outside the State of Delaware, as the Board of Directors of the Corporation
(the “Board”) may from time to time determine or as the business and affairs of the Corporation may require.
ARTICLE II
STOCKHOLDERS MEETINGS
Section 2.1
Annual Meetings. The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or without the State
of Delaware, and time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the notice of the meeting, provided that
the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely
by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a). At each annual meeting, the stockholders entitled to vote on
such matters shall elect those directors of the Corporation to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of such
annual meeting and may transact any other business as may properly be brought before the meeting.
Section 2.2
Special Meetings. Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of the preferred stock of the Corporation
(“Preferred Stock”), and to the requirements of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders, for any purpose
or purposes, may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted
by a majority of the Board, and may not be called by any other person. Special meetings of stockholders shall be held at such place,
either within or without the State of Delaware, and at such time and on such date as shall be determined by the Board and stated
in the Corporation’s notice of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion determine that the
meeting shall not be held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to Section
9.5(a).
Section 2.3 Notices.
Written notice of each stockholders meeting stating the place, if any, date, and time of the meeting, and the means of remote
communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting
and the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at the meeting, if such date is different from the
record date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, shall be given in the manner permitted by Section
9.3 to each stockholder entitled to vote thereat as of the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to
notice of the meeting, by the Corporation not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting unless
otherwise required by the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). If said notice is
for a stockholders meeting other than an annual meeting, it shall in addition state the purpose or purposes for which the
meeting is called, and the business transacted at such meeting shall be limited to the matters so stated in the
Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto). Any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been
given may be postponed, and any meeting of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be cancelled, by the Board upon
public announcement (as defined in Section 2.7(c)) given before the date previously scheduled for such meeting.
Section 2.4
Quorum. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, as
the same may be amended or restated from time to time (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) or these By Laws,
the presence, in person or by proxy, at a stockholders meeting of the holders of shares of outstanding capital stock of the Corporation
representing a majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such
meeting shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at such meeting, except that when specified business is to be
voted on by a class or series of stock voting as a class, the holders of shares representing a majority of the voting power of
the outstanding shares of such class or series shall constitute a quorum of such class or series for the transaction of such business.
If a quorum shall not be present or represented by proxy at any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, the chairman of
the meeting may adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in Section 2.6 until a quorum shall attend.
The stockholders present at a duly convened meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal
of enough stockholders to leave less than a quorum. Shares of its own stock belonging to the Corporation or to another corporation,
if a majority of the voting power of the shares entitled to vote in the election of directors of such other corporation is held,
directly or indirectly, by the Corporation, shall neither be entitled to vote nor be counted for quorum purposes; provided,
however, that the foregoing shall not limit the right of the Corporation or any such other corporation to vote shares held
by it in a fiduciary capacity.
Section 2.5
Voting of Shares.
(a) Voting
Lists. The Secretary of the Corporation (the “Secretary”) shall prepare, or shall cause the officer or
agent who has charge of the stock ledger of the Corporation to prepare and make, at least 10 days before every meeting of
stockholders, a complete list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at such meeting; provided, however,
that if the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote is less than 10 days before the meeting date, the
list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the tenth day before the meeting date, arranged in alphabetical
order and showing the address and the number and class of shares registered in the name of each stockholder. Nothing
contained in this Section 2.5(a) shall require the Corporation to include electronic mail addresses or other
electronic contact information on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any stockholder, for any purpose
germane to the meeting, during ordinary business hours for a period of at least 10 days prior to the meeting: (i) on a
reasonably accessible electronic network, provided that the information required to gain access to such list is
provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary business hours, at the principal place of business of
the Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make the list available on an electronic network, the
Corporation may take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available only to stockholders of the Corporation.
If the meeting is to be held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the time and place of the meeting during
the whole time thereof, and may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If a meeting of stockholders is to be held
solely by means of remote communication as permitted by Section 9.5(a), the list shall be open to the examination of
any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information
required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of meeting. The stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to
who are the stockholders entitled to examine the list required by this Section 2.5(a) or to vote in person or by proxy
at any meeting of stockholders.
(b)
Manner of Voting. At any stockholders meeting, every stockholder entitled to vote may vote in person or by proxy.
If authorized by the Board, the voting by stockholders or proxy holders at any meeting conducted by remote communication may be
effected by a ballot submitted by electronic transmission (as defined in Section 9.3), provided that any such electronic
transmission must either set forth or be submitted with information from which the Corporation can determine that the electronic
transmission was authorized by the stockholder or proxy holder. The Board, in its discretion, or the chairman of the meeting of
stockholders, in such person’s discretion, may require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by written ballot.
(c)
Proxies. Each stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to express consent or dissent to corporate
action in writing without a meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy
shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. Proxies need not be
filed with the Secretary until the meeting is called to order, but shall be filed with the Secretary before being voted. Without
limiting the manner in which a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy, either
of the following shall constitute a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority. No stockholder shall have cumulative
voting rights.
(i) A
stockholder may execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be
accomplished by the stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer, director, employee or agent signing such writing
or causing such person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any reasonable means, including, but not limited to,
by facsimile signature.
(ii) A
stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the
transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who will be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm,
proxy support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive
such transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with
information from which it can be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder. Any copy,
facsimile telecommunication or other reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission authorizing another person or
persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission for any
and all purposes for which the original writing or transmission could be used; provided that such copy, facsimile
telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete reproduction of the entire original writing or transmission.
(d)
Required Vote. Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock, voting separately by
class or series, to elect directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock, at all meetings of stockholders
at which a quorum is present, the election of directors shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders
present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon. All other matters presented to the stockholders
at a meeting at which a quorum is present shall be determined by the vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present
in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote thereon, unless the matter is one upon which, by applicable
law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or applicable stock exchange rules, a different vote is required, in which
case such provision shall govern and control the decision of such matter.
(e)
Inspectors of Election. The Board may, and shall if required by law, in advance of any meeting of stockholders, appoint
one or more persons as inspectors of election, who may be employees of the Corporation or otherwise serve the Corporation in other
capacities, to act at such meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof and to make a written report thereof. The Board may
appoint one or more persons as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act. If no inspectors of election or
alternates are appointed by the Board, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more inspectors to act at the meeting.
Each inspector, before discharging his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath faithfully to execute the duties of inspector
with strict impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The inspectors shall ascertain and report the number
of outstanding shares and the voting power of each; determine the number of shares present in person or represented by proxy at
the meeting and the validity of proxies and ballots; count all votes and ballots and report the results; determine and retain for
a reasonable period a record of the disposition of any challenges made to any determination by the inspectors; and certify their
determination of the number of shares represented at the meeting and their count of all votes and ballots. No person who is a candidate
for an office at an election may serve as an inspector at such election. Each report of an inspector shall be in writing and signed
by the inspector or by a majority of them if there is more than one inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one
inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the inspectors.
Section 2.6 Adjournments.
Any meeting of stockholders, annual or special, may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting, from time to time, whether
or not there is a quorum, to reconvene at the same or some other place. Notice need not be given of any such adjourned
meeting if the date, time, and place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communication, if any, by which stockholders
and proxy holders may be deemed to be present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced at the meeting at
which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned meeting the stockholders, or the holders of any class or series of stock
entitled to vote separately as a class, as the case may be, may transact any business that might have been transacted at the
original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each
stockholder of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment a new record date for stockholders entitled
to vote is fixed for the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix a new record date for notice of such adjourned meeting in
accordance with Section 9.2, and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder of record entitled to
vote at such adjourned meeting as of the record date fixed for notice of such adjourned meeting.
Section 2.7
Advance Notice for Business.
(a)
Annual Meetings of Stockholders. No business may be transacted at an annual meeting of stockholders, other than business
that is either (i) specified in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement thereto) given by or at the direction
of the Board, (ii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by or at the direction of the Board or (iii) otherwise
properly brought before the annual meeting by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to
vote at such annual meeting on the date of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 2.7(a) and on the record
date for the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such annual meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures
set forth in this Section 2.7(a). Notwithstanding anything in this Section 2.7(a) to the contrary, only persons nominated
for election as a director to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the date of the annual meeting pursuant to Section
3.2 will be considered for election at such meeting.
(i)
In addition to any other applicable requirements, for business (other than nominations) to be properly brought before an
annual meeting by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary
and such business must otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action. Subject to Section 2.7(a)(iii), a stockholder’s
notice to the Secretary with respect to such business, to be timely, must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive
offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th
day before the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that
in the event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the
stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and not
later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the 10th
day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the Corporation. The public
announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting shall not commence a new time period (or extend any time period)
for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described in this Section 2.7(a).
(ii) To
be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary with respect to any business (other than
nominations) must set forth as to each such matter such stockholder proposes to bring before the annual meeting (A) a brief
description of the business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the text of the proposal or business (including
the text of any resolutions proposed for consideration and in the event such business includes a proposal to amend these By
Laws, the language of the proposed amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the annual meeting, (B) the
name and record address of such stockholder and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
proposal is made, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned
beneficially and of record by such stockholder and by the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (D)
a description of all arrangements or understandings between such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose
behalf the proposal is made and any other person or persons (including their names) in connection with the proposal of such
business by such stockholder, (E) any material interest of such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf
the proposal is made in such business and (F) a representation that such stockholder (or a qualified representative of such
stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business before the meeting.
(iii)
The foregoing notice requirements of this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed satisfied by a stockholder as to any proposal
(other than nominations) if the stockholder has notified the Corporation of such stockholder’s intention to present such
proposal at an annual meeting in compliance with Rule 14a-8 (or any successor thereof) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and such stockholder has complied with the requirements of such Rule for inclusion
of such proposal in a proxy statement prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for such annual meeting. No business shall
be conducted at the annual meeting of stockholders except business brought before the annual meeting in accordance with the procedures
set forth in this Section 2.7(a), provided, however, that once business has been properly brought before the
annual meeting in accordance with such procedures, nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to preclude discussion
by any stockholder of any such business. If the Board or the chairman of the annual meeting determines that any stockholder proposal
was not made in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.7(a) or that the information provided in a stockholder’s
notice does not satisfy the information requirements of this Section 2.7(a), such proposal shall not be presented for action
at the annual meeting. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 2.7(a), if the stockholder (or a qualified
representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the proposed
business, such proposed business shall not be transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such matter may have been
received by the Corporation.
(iv)
In addition to the provisions of this Section 2.7(a), a stockholder shall also comply with all applicable requirements
of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section
2.7(a) shall be deemed to affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of proposals in the Corporation’s proxy
statement pursuant to Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
(b)
Special Meetings of Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special meeting of stockholders as shall
have been brought before the meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting. Nominations of persons for election
to the Board may be made at a special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be elected pursuant to the Corporation’s
notice of meeting only pursuant to Section 3.2.
(c)
Public Announcement. For purposes of these By Laws, “public announcement” shall mean disclosure
in a press release reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or comparable national news service or in a document
publicly filed by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange
Act (or any successor thereto).
Section 2.8
Conduct of Meetings. The chairman of each annual and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Chairman of the
Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she
shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive
Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act)
of the President or if the President is not a director, such other person as shall be appointed by the Board. The date and time
of the opening and the closing of the polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a meeting shall be announced
at the meeting by the chairman of the meeting. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations for the conduct of the meeting of
stockholders as it shall deem appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with these By Laws or such rules and regulations as
adopted by the Board, the chairman of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority to convene and to adjourn
the meeting, to prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the judgment of such chairman,
are appropriate for the proper conduct of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether adopted by the Board or prescribed
by the chairman of the meeting, may include, without limitation, the following: (a) the establishment of an agenda or order of
business for the meeting; (b) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and the safety of those present; (c) limitations
on attendance at or participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted
proxies or such other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (d) restrictions on entry to the meeting after the
time fixed for the commencement thereof; and (e) limitations on the time allotted to questions or comments by participants. Unless
and to the extent determined by the Board or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of stockholders shall not be required to be
held in accordance with the rules of parliamentary procedure. The secretary of each annual and special meeting of stockholders
shall be the Secretary or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary so appointed
to act by the chairman of the meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries,
the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
Section 2.9 Consents
in Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise provided by the Certificate of Incorporation, until the Corporation consummates an
initial public offering (“Offering”), any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of
stockholders, or any action which may be taken at any annual or special meeting of such stockholders, may be taken without a
meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed
by the holders of outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be
necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares entitled to vote thereon were present and voted,
and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place
of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which proceedings of meetings of
stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or
registered mail, return receipt requested.
Every written consent shall bear the date of signature of each
stockholder who signs the consent, and no written consent shall be effective to take the corporate action referred to therein unless,
within 60 days of the earliest dated consent delivered in the manner required by this section and the DGCL to the Corporation,
written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders entitled to vote to take action are delivered to the Corporation by delivery
to its registered office in Delaware, its principal place of business or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody
of the book in which proceedings of meetings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered
office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested.
ARTICLE III
DIRECTORS
Section 3.1
Powers; Number. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or under the direction of the Board,
which may exercise all such powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as are not by statute or by the Certificate
of Incorporation or by these By Laws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders. Directors need not be stockholders or
residents of the State of Delaware. Subject to the Certificate of Incorporation, the number of directors shall be fixed exclusively
by resolution of the Board.
Section 3.2
Advance Notice for Nomination of Directors.
(a)
Only persons who are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be eligible for election as directors of
the Corporation, except as may be otherwise provided by the terms of one or more series of Preferred Stock with respect to the
rights of holders of one or more series of Preferred Stock to elect directors. Nominations of persons for election to the Board
at any annual meeting of stockholders, or at any special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors as
set forth in the Corporation’s notice of such special meeting, may be made (i) by or at the direction of the Board or (ii)
by any stockholder of the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote in the election of directors on the date
of the giving of the notice provided for in this Section 3.2 and on the record date for the determination of stockholders
entitled to vote at such meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this Section 3.2.
(b) In
addition to any other applicable requirements, for a nomination to be made by a stockholder, such stockholder must have given
timely notice thereof in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary
must be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation (i) in the case of an annual meeting,
not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the
anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided, however, that in the
event that the annual meeting is more than 30 days before or more than 60 days after such anniversary date, notice by the
stockholder to be timely must be so received not earlier than the close of business on the 120th day before the meeting and
not later than the later of (x) the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close of business on the
10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by the Corporation;
and (ii) in the case of a special meeting of stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not later than the
close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of the special meeting is first
made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting or
special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as
described in this Section 3.2.
(c)
Notwithstanding anything in paragraph (b) to the contrary, in the event that the number of directors to be elected to the
Board at an annual meeting is greater than the number of directors whose terms expire on the date of the annual meeting and there
is no public announcement by the Corporation naming all of the nominees for the additional directors to be elected or specifying
the size of the increased Board before the close of business on the 90th day prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding
annual meeting of stockholders, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section 3.2 shall also be considered timely,
but only with respect to nominees for the additional directorships created by such increase that are to be filled by election at
such annual meeting, if it shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation not later than
the close of business on the 10th day following the date on which such public announcement was first made by the Corporation.
(d)
To be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must set forth (i) as to each person whom the
stockholder proposes to nominate for election as a director (A) the name, age, business address and residence address of the person,
(B) the principal occupation or employment of the person, (C) the class or series and number of shares of capital stock of the
Corporation that are owned beneficially or of record by the person and (D) any other information relating to the person that would
be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection with solicitations of proxies
for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; and
(ii) as to the stockholder giving the notice (A) the name and record address of such stockholder as they appear on the Corporation’s
books and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (B) the class or series
and number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned beneficially and of record by such stockholder and the
beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (C) a description of all arrangements or understandings relating
to the nomination to be made by such stockholder among such stockholder, the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination
is made, each proposed nominee and any other person or persons (including their names), (D) a representation that such stockholder
(or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the persons
named in its notice and (E) any other information relating to such stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf
the nomination is made that would be required to be disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection
with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a nominee
and to serve as a director if elected.
(e)
If the Board or the chairman of the meeting of stockholders determines that any nomination was not made in accordance with
the provisions of this Section 3.2, or that the information provided in a stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the
information requirements of this Section 3.2, then such nomination shall not be considered at the meeting in question. Notwithstanding
the foregoing provisions of this Section 3.2, if the stockholder (or a qualified representative of the stockholder) does
not appear at the meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding
that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received by the Corporation.
(f)
In addition to the provisions of this Section 3.2, a stockholder shall also comply with all of the applicable requirements
of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section
3.2 shall be deemed to affect any rights of the holders of Preferred Stock to elect directors pursuant to the Certificate of
Incorporation.
Section 3.3
Compensation. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, the Board shall have
the authority to fix the compensation of directors, including for service on a committee of the Board, and may be paid either a
fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board or other compensation as director. The directors may be reimbursed their
expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board. No such payment shall preclude any director from serving the Corporation
in any other capacity and receiving compensation therefor. Members of committees of the Board may be allowed like compensation
and reimbursement of expenses for service on the committee.
ARTICLE IV
BOARD MEETINGS
Section 4.1
Annual Meetings. The Board shall meet as soon as practicable after the adjournment of each annual stockholders meeting
at the place of the annual stockholders meeting unless the Board shall fix another time and place and give notice thereof in the
manner required herein for special meetings of the Board. No notice to the directors shall be necessary to legally convene this
meeting, except as provided in this Section 4.1.
Section 4.2
Regular Meetings. Regularly scheduled, periodic meetings of the Board may be held without notice at such times, dates
and places (within or without the State of Delaware) as shall from time to time be determined by the Board.
Section 4.3 Special
Meetings. Special meetings of the Board (a) may be called by the Chairman of the Board or President and (b) shall be
called by the Chairman of the Board, President or Secretary on the written request of at least a majority of directors then
in office, or the sole director, as the case may be, and shall be held at such time, date and place (within or without the
State of Delaware) as may be determined by the person calling the meeting or, if called upon the request of directors or the
sole director, as specified in such written request. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall be given, as provided
in Section 9.3, to each director (i) at least 24 hours before the meeting if such notice is oral notice given
personally or by telephone or written notice given by hand delivery or by means of a form of electronic transmission and
delivery; (ii) at least two days before the meeting if such notice is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service; and (iii) at least five days before the meeting if such notice is sent through the United States mail. If the
Secretary shall fail or refuse to give such notice, then the notice may be given by the officer who called the meeting or the
directors who requested the meeting. Any and all business that may be transacted at a regular meeting of the Board may be
transacted at a special meeting. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided by applicable law, the Certificate of
Incorporation, or these By Laws, neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any special meeting need be
specified in the notice or waiver of notice of such meeting. A special meeting may be held at any time without notice if all
the directors are present or if those not present waive notice of the meeting in accordance with Section 9.4.
Section 4.4
Quorum; Required Vote. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting
of the Board, and the act of a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of
the Board, except as may be otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws.
If a quorum shall not be present at any meeting, a majority of the directors present may adjourn the meeting from time to time,
without notice other than announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is present.
Section 4.5
Consent In Lieu of Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, any
action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof may be taken without a meeting if
all members of the Board or committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by electronic transmission, and the writing
or writings or electronic transmission or transmissions (or paper reproductions thereof) are filed with the minutes of proceedings
of the Board or committee. Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in paper form and shall be in electronic
form if the minutes are maintained in electronic form.
Section 4.6
Organization. The chairman of each meeting of the Board shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence (or
inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in
the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director,
the President (if he or she shall be a director) or in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the
President is not a director, a chairman elected from the directors present. The Secretary shall act as secretary of all meetings
of the Board. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary shall perform the duties
of the Secretary at such meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries,
the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the meeting.
ARTICLE V
COMMITTEES OF DIRECTORS
Section 5.1 Establishment.
The Board may by resolution of the Board designate one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of the
directors of the Corporation. Each committee shall keep regular minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when
required by the resolution designating such committee. The Board shall have the power at any time to fill vacancies in, to
change the membership of, or to dissolve any such committee.
Section 5.2
Available Powers. Any committee established pursuant to Section 5.1 hereof, to the extent permitted by applicable
law and by resolution of the Board, shall have and may exercise all of the powers and authority of the Board in the management
of the business and affairs of the Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be affixed to all papers that
may require it.
Section 5.3
Alternate Members. The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members of any committee, who may replace
any absent or disqualified member at any meeting of such committee. In the absence or disqualification of a member of the committee,
the member or members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from voting, whether or not he, she or they constitute
a quorum, may unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified
member.
Section 5.4
Procedures. Unless the Board otherwise provides, the time, date, place, if any, and notice of meetings of a committee
shall be determined by such committee. At meetings of a committee, a majority of the number of members of the committee (but not
including any alternate member, unless such alternate member has replaced any absent or disqualified member at the time of, or
in connection with, such meeting) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business. The act of a majority of the members
present at any meeting at which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee, except as otherwise specifically provided
by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or the Board. If a quorum is not present at a meeting of a committee,
the members present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice other than an announcement at the meeting, until
a quorum is present. Unless the Board otherwise provides and except as provided in these By Laws, each committee designated by
the Board may make, alter, amend and repeal rules for the conduct of its business. In the absence of such rules each committee
shall conduct its business in the same manner as the Board is authorized to conduct its business pursuant to Article III
and Article IV of these By Laws.
ARTICLE VI
OFFICERS
Section 6.1 Officers.
The officers of the Corporation elected by the Board shall be a Chief Executive Officer, a Chief Financial Officer, a
Secretary and such other officers (including without limitation, a Chairman of the Board, Presidents, Vice Presidents,
Assistant Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the Board from time to time may determine. Officers elected by the Board shall each
have such powers and duties as generally pertain to their respective offices, subject to the specific provisions of this Article
VI. Such officers shall also have such powers and duties as from time to time may be conferred by the Board. The Chief
Executive Officer or President may also appoint such other officers (including without limitation one or more Vice Presidents
and Controllers) as may be necessary or desirable for the conduct of the business of the Corporation. Such other officers
shall have such powers and duties and shall hold their offices for such terms as may be provided in these By Laws or as may
be prescribed by the Board or, if such officer has been appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as may be
prescribed by the appointing officer.
(a)
Chairman of the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and
the Board. The Chairman of the Board shall have general supervision and control of the acquisition activities of the Corporation
subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect
to such matters. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if
he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The powers and duties
of the Chairman of the Board shall not include supervision or control of the preparation of the financial statements of the Corporation
(other than through participation as a member of the Board). The position of Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
may be held by the same person.
(b)
Chief Executive Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the chief executive officer of the Corporation, shall
have general supervision of the affairs of the Corporation and general control of all of its business subject to the ultimate authority
of the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with respect to such matters, except to the
extent any such powers and duties have been prescribed to the Chairman of the Board pursuant to Section 6.1(a) above. In
the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a
director) shall preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The position of Chief Executive Officer
and President may be held by the same person.
(c)
President. The President shall make recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer on all operational matters that
would normally be reserved for the final executive responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer. In the absence (or inability
or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President (if he or she shall be a director) shall
preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The President shall also perform such duties and have such
powers as shall be designated by the Board. The position of President and Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same person.
(d)
Vice Presidents. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President, the Vice President (or in the
event there be more than one Vice President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated by the Board) shall perform the duties
and have the powers of the President. Any one or more of the Vice Presidents may be given an additional designation of rank or
function.
(e)
Secretary.
(i) The
Secretary shall attend all meetings of the stockholders, the Board and (as required) committees of the Board and shall record
the proceedings of such meetings in books to be kept for that purpose. The Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice
of all meetings of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board and shall perform such other duties as may be
prescribed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President. The Secretary shall have custody of
the corporate seal of the Corporation and the Secretary, or any Assistant Secretary, shall have authority to affix the same
to any instrument requiring it, and when so affixed, it may be attested by his or her signature or by the signature of such
Assistant Secretary. The Board may give general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the Corporation and to
attest the affixing thereof by his or her signature.
(ii)
The Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal executive office of the Corporation or at the office of
the Corporation’s transfer agent or registrar, if one has been appointed, a stock ledger, or duplicate stock ledger, showing
the names of the stockholders and their addresses, the number and classes of shares held by each and, with respect to certificated
shares, the number and date of certificates issued for the same and the number and date of certificates cancelled.
(f)
Assistant Secretaries. The Assistant Secretary or, if there be more than one, the Assistant Secretaries in the order
determined by the Board shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, perform the duties and have the
powers of the Secretary.
(g)
Chief Financial Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all duties commonly incident to that office (including,
without limitation, the care and custody of the funds and securities of the Corporation, which from time to time may come into
the Chief Financial Officer’s hands and the deposit of the funds of the Corporation in such banks or trust companies as the
Board, the Chief Executive Officer or the President may authorize).
(h)
Treasurer. The Treasurer shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chief Financial Officer, perform
the duties and exercise the powers of the Chief Financial Officer.
Section 6.2 Term
of Office; Removal; Vacancies. The elected officers of the Corporation shall be appointed by the Board and shall hold office
until their successors are duly elected and qualified by the Board or until their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification,
or removal from office. Any officer may be removed, with or without cause, at any time by the Board. Any officer appointed by
the Chief Executive Officer or President may also be removed, with or without cause, by the Chief Executive Officer or President,
as the case may be, unless the Board otherwise provides. Any vacancy occurring in any elected office of the Corporation may be
filled by the Board. Any vacancy occurring in any office appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or President may be filled by
the Chief Executive Officer, or President, as the case may be, unless the Board then determines that such office shall thereupon
be elected by the Board, in which case the Board shall elect such officer.
Section 6.3
Other Officers. The Board may delegate the power to appoint such other officers and agents, and may also remove such
officers and agents or delegate the power to remove same, as it shall from time to time deem necessary or desirable.
Section 6.4 Multiple
Officeholders; Stockholder and Director Officers. Any number of offices may be held by the same person unless the
Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws otherwise provide. Officers need not be stockholders or residents of the State
of Delaware.
ARTICLE VII
SHARES
Section 7.1
Certificated and Uncertificated Shares. The shares of the Corporation may be certificated or uncertificated, subject
to the sole discretion of the Board and the requirements of the DGCL.
Section 7.2
Multiple Classes of Stock. If the Corporation shall be authorized to issue more than one class of stock or more than
one series of any class, the Corporation shall (a) cause the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional
or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences
and/or rights to be set forth in full or summarized on the face or back of any certificate that the Corporation issues to represent
shares of such class or series of stock or (b) in the case of uncertificated shares, within a reasonable time after the issuance
or transfer of such shares, send to the registered owner thereof a written notice containing the information required to be set
forth on certificates as specified in clause (a) above; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided by
applicable law, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, there may be set forth on the face or back of such certificate or, in the
case of uncertificated shares, on such written notice a statement that the Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder
who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of each class
of stock or series thereof and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences or rights.
Section 7.3
Signatures. Each certificate representing capital stock of the Corporation shall be signed by or in the name of the
Corporation by (a) the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice President and (b) the Treasurer,
an Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation. Any or all the signatures on the certificate
may be a facsimile. In case any officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose facsimile signature has been placed
upon a certificate shall have ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such certificate is issued, such certificate
may be issued by the Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such officer, transfer agent or registrar on the date
of issue.
Section 7.4
Consideration and Payment for Shares.
(a)
Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares of stock may be issued for such consideration, having
in the case of shares with par value a value not less than the par value thereof, and to such persons, as determined from time
to time by the Board. The consideration may consist of any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the Corporation including
cash, promissory notes, services performed, contracts for services to be performed or other securities, or any combination thereof.
(b)
Subject to applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares may not be issued until the full amount of the consideration
has been paid, unless upon the face or back of each certificate issued to represent any partly paid shares of capital stock or
upon the books and records of the Corporation in the case of partly paid uncertificated shares, there shall have been set forth
the total amount of the consideration to be paid therefor and the amount paid thereon up to and including the time said certificate
representing certificated shares or said uncertificated shares are issued.
Section 7.5
Lost, Destroyed or Wrongfully Taken Certificates.
(a)
If an owner of a certificate representing shares claims that such certificate has been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken,
the Corporation shall issue a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in uncertificated form if the owner: (i) requests
such a new certificate before the Corporation has notice that the certificate representing such shares has been acquired by a protected
purchaser; (ii) if requested by the Corporation, delivers to the Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against
any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of the alleged loss, wrongful taking or destruction of such certificate
or the issuance of such new certificate or uncertificated shares; and (iii) satisfies other reasonable requirements imposed by
the Corporation.
(b)
If a certificate representing shares has been lost, apparently destroyed or wrongfully taken, and the owner fails to notify
the Corporation of that fact within a reasonable time after the owner has notice of such loss, apparent destruction or wrongful
taking and the Corporation registers a transfer of such shares before receiving notification, the owner shall be precluded from
asserting against the Corporation any claim for registering such transfer or a claim to a new certificate representing such shares
or such shares in uncertificated form.
Section 7.6
Transfer of Stock.
(a)
If a certificate representing shares of the Corporation is presented to the Corporation with an endorsement requesting the
registration of transfer of such shares or an instruction is presented to the Corporation requesting the registration of transfer
of uncertificated shares, the Corporation shall register the transfer as requested if:
(i)
in the case of certificated shares, the certificate representing such shares has been surrendered;
(ii)
(A) with respect to certificated shares, the endorsement is made by the person specified by the certificate as entitled
to such shares; (B) with respect to uncertificated shares, an instruction is made by the registered owner of such uncertificated
shares; or (C) with respect to certificated shares or uncertificated shares, the endorsement or instruction is made by any other
appropriate person or by an agent who has actual authority to act on behalf of the appropriate person;
(iii)
the Corporation has received a guarantee of signature of the person signing such endorsement or instruction or such other
reasonable assurance that the endorsement or instruction is genuine and authorized as the Corporation may request;
(iv)
the transfer does not violate any restriction on transfer imposed by the Corporation that is enforceable in accordance
with Section 7.8(a); and
(v)
such other conditions for such transfer as shall be provided for under applicable law have been satisfied.
(b)
Whenever any transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security and not absolutely, the Corporation shall so record
such fact in the entry of transfer if, when the certificate for such shares is presented to the Corporation for transfer or, if
such shares are uncertificated, when the instruction for registration of transfer thereof is presented to the Corporation, both
the transferor and transferee request the Corporation to do so.
Section 7.7
Registered Stockholders. Before due presentment for registration of transfer of a certificate representing shares
of the Corporation or of an instruction requesting registration of transfer of uncertificated shares, the Corporation may treat
the registered owner as the person exclusively entitled to inspect for any proper purpose the stock ledger and the other books
and records of the Corporation, vote such shares, receive dividends or notifications with respect to such shares and otherwise
exercise all the rights and powers of the owner of such shares, except that a person who is the beneficial owner of such shares
(if held in a voting trust or by a nominee on behalf of such person) may, upon providing documentary evidence of beneficial ownership
of such shares and satisfying such other conditions as are provided under applicable law, may also so inspect the books and records
of the Corporation.
Section 7.8
Effect of the Corporation’s Restriction on Transfer.
(a)
A written restriction on the transfer or registration of transfer of shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares
of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, if permitted by the DGCL and noted conspicuously on the
certificate representing such shares or, in the case of uncertificated shares, contained in a notice, offering circular or prospectus
sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time prior to or after the issuance or transfer
of such shares, may be enforced against the holder of such shares or any successor or transferee of the holder including an executor,
administrator, trustee, guardian or other fiduciary entrusted with like responsibility for the person or estate of the holder.
(b)
A restriction imposed by the Corporation on the transfer or the registration of shares of the Corporation or on the amount
of shares of the Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons, even if otherwise lawful, is ineffective against
a person without actual knowledge of such restriction unless: (i) the shares are certificated and such restriction is noted conspicuously
on the certificate; or (ii) the shares are uncertificated and such restriction was contained in a notice, offering circular or
prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time prior to or after the issuance
or transfer of such shares.
Section 7.9 Regulations.
The Board shall have power and authority to make such additional rules and regulations, subject to any applicable requirement
of law, as the Board may deem necessary and appropriate with respect to the issue, transfer or registration of transfer of
shares of stock or certificates representing shares. The Board may appoint one or more transfer agents or registrars and may
require for the validity thereof that certificates representing shares bear the signature of any transfer agent or registrar
so appointed.
ARTICLE VIII
INDEMNIFICATION
Section 8.1
Right to Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists or may hereafter
be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who was or is made a party or is threatened to be made
a party to or is otherwise involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal,
administrative or investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason of the fact that he or she is or was
a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the request of
the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture, trust, other
enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan (hereinafter an “Indemnitee”),
whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in
any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses
(including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement)
reasonably incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with such proceeding; provided, however, that, except as provided
in Section 8.3 with respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the Corporation shall indemnify an Indemnitee
in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized
by the Board.
Section 8.2
Right to Advancement of Expenses. In addition to the right to indemnification conferred in Section 8.1, an
Indemnitee shall also have the right to be paid by the Corporation to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law the expenses
(including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending or otherwise participating in any such proceeding
in advance of its final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of expenses”); provided, however,
that, if the DGCL requires, an advancement of expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her capacity as a director or officer
of the Corporation (and not in any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such Indemnitee, including, without limitation,
service to an employee benefit plan) shall be made only upon the Corporation’s receipt of an undertaking (hereinafter an
“undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately
be determined that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Article VIII or otherwise.
Section 8.3 Right
of Indemnitee to Bring Suit. If a claim under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 is not paid in full by the
Corporation within 60 days after a written claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, except in the case of a claim
for an advancement of expenses, in which case the applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time
thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in
any such suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an
undertaking, the Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting or defending such suit. In (a) any
suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not in a suit brought by an Indemnitee to
enforce a right to an advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (b) in any suit brought by the Corporation to
recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation shall be entitled to recover such
expenses upon a final judicial decision from which there is no further right to appeal (hereinafter a “final
adjudication”) that, the Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification set forth in the DGCL.
Neither the failure of the Corporation (including its directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such
directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of such
suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the applicable
standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual determination by the Corporation (including a determination by its
directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders)
that the Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not
met the applicable standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the Indemnitee, shall be a defense to such
suit. In any suit brought by the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an advancement of expenses hereunder,
or by the Corporation to recover an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the burden of proving
that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article VIII or
otherwise shall be on the Corporation.
Section 8.4
Non-Exclusivity of Rights. The rights provided to any Indemnitee pursuant to this Article VIII shall not be
exclusive of any other right, which such Indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation,
these By Laws, an agreement, a vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise.
Section 8.5
Insurance. The Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect itself and/or any director, officer,
employee or agent of the Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any
expense, liability or loss, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such expense,
liability or loss under the DGCL.
Section 8.6
Indemnification of Other Persons. This Article VIII shall not limit the right of the Corporation to the extent
and in the manner authorized or permitted by law to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than Indemnitees. Without
limiting the foregoing, the Corporation may, to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board, grant rights to indemnification
and to the advancement of expenses to any employee or agent of the Corporation and to any other person who is or was serving at
the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan, to the fullest extent of the provisions
of this Article VIII with respect to the indemnification and advancement of expenses of Indemnitees under this Article
VIII.
Section 8.7
Amendments. Any repeal or amendment of this Article VIII by the Board or the stockholders of the Corporation
or by changes in applicable law, or the adoption of any other provision of these By Laws inconsistent with this Article VIII,
will, to the extent permitted by applicable law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in applicable
law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification rights to Indemnitees on a retroactive basis than permitted prior
thereto), and will not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or protection existing hereunder in respect of any act
or omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision; provided however,
that amendments or repeals of this Article VIII shall require the affirmative vote of the stockholders holding at least
66.7% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation.
Section 8.8
Certain Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, (a) references to “other enterprise”
shall include any employee benefit plan; (b) references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on
a person with respect to an employee benefit plan; (c) references to “serving at the request of the Corporation”
shall include any service that imposes duties on, or involves services by, a person with respect to any employee benefit plan,
its participants, or beneficiaries; and (d) a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to
be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner
“not opposed to the best interest of the Corporation” for purposes of Section 145 of the DGCL.
Section 8.9
Contract Rights. The rights provided to Indemnitees pursuant to this Article VIII shall be contract rights
and such rights shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, agent or employee and shall inure
to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s heirs, executors and administrators.
Section 8.10
Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article VIII shall be held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Article
VIII shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Article
VIII (including, without limitation, each such portion of this Article VIII containing any such provision held to be
invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the provision held invalid,
illegal or unenforceable.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.1
Place of Meetings. If the place of any meeting of stockholders, the Board or committee of the Board for which notice
is required under these By Laws is not designated in the notice of such meeting, such meeting shall be held at the principal business
office of the Corporation; provided, however, if the Board has, in its sole discretion, determined that a meeting
shall not be held at any place, but instead shall be held by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5 hereof,
then such meeting shall not be held at any place.
Section 9.2
Fixing Record Dates.
(a)
In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment
thereof, the Board may fix a record date, which shall not precede the date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is
adopted by the Board, and which record date shall not be more than 60 nor less than 10 days before the date of such meeting. If
the Board so fixes a date, such date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting
unless the Board determines, at the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before the date of the meeting shall
be the date for making such determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, the record date for determining stockholders
entitled to notice of and to vote at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on the business day next preceding
the day on which notice is given, or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the business day next preceding the day
on which the meeting is held. A determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to vote at a meeting of stockholders
shall apply to any adjournment of the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record date for the
adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such adjourned meeting
the same or an earlier date as that fixed for determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance with the foregoing
provisions of this Section 9.2(a) at the adjourned meeting.
(b)
In order that the Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend or other distribution
or allotment of any rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in respect of any change, conversion or exchange
of stock, or for the purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record date, which record date shall not precede the
date upon which the resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to
such action. If no record date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any such purpose shall be at the close
of business on the day on which the Board adopts the resolution relating thereto.
Section 9.3
Means of Giving Notice.
(a)
Notice to Directors. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws notice is required
to be given to any director, such notice shall be given either (i) in writing and sent by mail, or by a nationally recognized delivery
service, (ii) by means of facsimile telecommunication or other form of electronic transmission, or (iii) by oral notice given personally
or by telephone. A notice to a director will be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, orally, or by telephone,
when actually received by the director, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail,
with postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the
Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such
service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the director’s address appearing on the records of the Corporation,
(iv) if sent by facsimile telecommunication, when sent to the facsimile transmission number for such director appearing on the
records of the Corporation, (v) if sent by electronic mail, when sent to the electronic mail address for such director appearing
on the records of the Corporation, or (vi) if sent by any other form of electronic transmission, when sent to the address, location
or number (as applicable) for such director appearing on the records of the Corporation.
(b)
Notice to Stockholders. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws notice
is required to be given to any stockholder, such notice may be given (i) in writing and sent either by hand delivery, through
the United States mail, or by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service for next day delivery, or (ii) by means of a
form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder, to the extent permitted by, and subject to the conditions set
forth in Section 232 of the DGCL. A notice to a stockholder shall be deemed given as follows: (i) if given by hand delivery, when
actually received by the stockholder, (ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with
postage and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the stock ledger
of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited
with such service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address appearing on the
stock ledger of the Corporation, and (iv) if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the stockholder to whom
the notice is given and otherwise meeting the requirements set forth above, (A) if by facsimile transmission, when directed to
a number at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (B) if by electronic mail, when directed to an electronic mail
address at which the stockholder has consented to receive notice, (C) if by a posting on an electronic network together with separate
notice to the stockholder of such specified posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of such separate notice,
and (D) if by any other form of electronic transmission, when directed to the stockholder. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s
consent to receiving notice by means of electronic communication by giving written notice of such revocation to the Corporation.
Any such consent shall be deemed revoked if (1) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic transmission two consecutive
notices given by the Corporation in accordance with such consent and (2) such inability becomes known to the Secretary or an Assistant
Secretary or to the Corporation’s transfer agent, or other person responsible for the giving of notice; provided,
however, the inadvertent failure to treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any meeting or other action.
(c)
Electronic Transmission. “Electronic transmission” means any form of communication, not directly
involving the physical transmission of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and reviewed by a recipient
thereof, and that may be directly reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated process, including but not
limited to transmission by telex, facsimile telecommunication, electronic mail, telegram and cablegram.
(d)
Notice to Stockholders Sharing Same Address. Without limiting the manner by which notice otherwise may be given effectively
by the Corporation to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the Corporation under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate
of Incorporation or these By Laws shall be effective if given by a single written notice to stockholders who share an address if
consented to by the stockholders at that address to whom such notice is given. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s
consent by delivering written notice of such revocation to the Corporation. Any stockholder who fails to object in writing to the
Corporation within 60 days of having been given written notice by the Corporation of its intention to send such a single written
notice shall be deemed to have consented to receiving such single written notice.
(e)
Exceptions to Notice Requirements. Whenever notice is required to be given, under the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation
or these By Laws, to any person with whom communication is unlawful, the giving of such notice to such person shall not be required
and there shall be no duty to apply to any governmental authority or agency for a license or permit to give such notice to such
person. Any action or meeting that shall be taken or held without notice to any such person with whom communication is unlawful
shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. In the event that the action taken by the Corporation
is such as to require the filing of a certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the certificate shall state, if such
is the fact and if notice is required, that notice was given to all persons entitled to receive notice except such persons with
whom communication is unlawful.
Whenever notice is required to be given by the Corporation,
under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, to any stockholder to whom (1) notice of two
consecutive annual meetings of stockholders and all notices of stockholder meetings or of the taking of action by written consent
of stockholders without a meeting to such stockholder during the period between such two consecutive annual meetings, or (2) all,
and at least two payments (if sent by first-class mail) of dividends or interest on securities during a 12-month period, have been
mailed addressed to such stockholder at such stockholder’s address as shown on the records of the Corporation and have been
returned undeliverable, the giving of such notice to such stockholder shall not be required. Any action or meeting that shall be
taken or held without notice to such stockholder shall have the same force and effect as if such notice had been duly given. If
any such stockholder shall deliver to the Corporation a written notice setting forth such stockholder’s then current address,
the requirement that notice be given to such stockholder shall be reinstated. In the event that the action taken by the Corporation
is such as to require the filing of a certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the certificate need not state that
notice was not given to persons to whom notice was not required to be given pursuant to Section 230(b) of the DGCL. The exception
in subsection (1) of the first sentence of this paragraph to the requirement that notice be given shall not be applicable to any
notice returned as undeliverable if the notice was given by electronic transmission.
Section 9.4 Waiver
of Notice. Whenever any notice is required to be given under applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these By
Laws, a written waiver of such notice, signed by the person or persons entitled to said notice, or a waiver by electronic transmission
by the person entitled to said notice, whether before or after the time stated therein, shall be deemed equivalent to such required
notice. All such waivers shall be kept with the books of the Corporation. Attendance at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of
notice of such meeting, except where a person attends for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business
on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
Section 9.5
Meeting Attendance via Remote Communication Equipment.
(a)
Stockholder Meetings. If authorized by the Board in its sole discretion, and subject to such guidelines and procedures
as the Board may adopt, stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and proxy holders not physically present at a meeting of
stockholders may, by means of remote communication:
(i)
participate in a meeting of stockholders; and
(ii)
be deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders, whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place
or solely by means of remote communication, provided that (A) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to verify
that each person deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of remote communication is a stockholder or proxy
holder, (B) the Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity
to participate in the meeting and, if entitled to vote, to vote on matters submitted to the applicable stockholders, including
an opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (C) if any
stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such votes
or other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.
(b)
Board Meetings. Unless otherwise restricted by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws,
members of the Board or any committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or any committee thereof by means of conference
telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can hear each other. Such
participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting
for the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called
or convened.
Section 9.6
Dividends. The Board may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay, dividends (payable in cash, property
or shares of the Corporation’s capital stock) on the Corporation’s outstanding shares of capital stock, subject to
applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section 9.7
Reserves. The Board may set apart out of the funds of the Corporation available for dividends a reserve or reserves
for any proper purpose and may abolish any such reserve.
Section 9.8
Contracts and Negotiable Instruments. Except as otherwise provided by applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation
or these By Laws, any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument may be executed and delivered in the name and on
behalf of the Corporation by such officer or officers or other employee or employees of the Corporation as the Board may from time
to time authorize. Such authority may be general or confined to specific instances as the Board may determine. The Chairman of
the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice President may execute
and deliver any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation. Subject
to any restrictions imposed by the Board, the Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer, President, the Chief Financial Officer,
the Treasurer or any Vice President may delegate powers to execute and deliver any contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other
instrument in the name and on behalf of the Corporation to other officers or employees of the Corporation under such person’s
supervision and authority, it being understood, however, that any such delegation of power shall not relieve such officer of responsibility
with respect to the exercise of such delegated power.
Section 9.9
Fiscal Year. The fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by the Board.
Section 9.10
Seal. The Board may adopt a corporate seal, which shall be in such form as the Board determines. The seal may be
used by causing it or a facsimile thereof to be impressed, affixed or otherwise reproduced.
Section 9.11
Books and Records. The books and records of the Corporation may be kept within or outside the State of Delaware at
such place or places as may from time to time be designated by the Board.
Section 9.12
Resignation. Any director, committee member or officer may resign by giving notice thereof in writing or by electronic
transmission to the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the Secretary. The resignation shall take
effect at the time it is delivered unless the resignation specifies a later effective date or an effective date determined upon
the happening of an event or events. Unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such resignation shall not be necessary
to make it effective.
Section 9.13
Surety Bonds. Such officers, employees and agents of the Corporation (if any) as the Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer, President or the Board may direct, from time to time, shall be bonded for the faithful performance of their
duties and for the restoration to the Corporation, in case of their death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal
from office, of all books, papers, vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in their possession or under their control
belonging to the Corporation, in such amounts and by such surety companies as the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer,
President or the Board may determine. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the Corporation and the bonds so furnished shall
be in the custody of the Secretary.
Section 9.14
Securities of Other Corporations. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of meeting, consents in writing
and other instruments relating to securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation
by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President, any Vice President or any officers authorized by the Board. Any
such officer, may, in the name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as any such officer may deem advisable
to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the Corporation may own securities,
or to consent in writing, in the name of the Corporation as such holder, to any action by such corporation, and at any such meeting
or with respect to any such consent shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power incident to the ownership of such
securities and which, as the owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed. The Board may from time to time
confer like powers upon any other person or persons.
Section 9.15 Amendments.
The Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board
shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws. The By Laws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed
by the stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of
capital stock of the Corporation required by applicable law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the
holders of at least a majority of the voting power (except as otherwise provided in Section 8.7) of all outstanding
shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a
single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws.
Exhibit 4.1
NUMBER OF UNITS
U-
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP [_________]
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE SHARE OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND
ONE-THIRD OF ONE REDEEMABLE PUBLIC WARRANT, EACH WHOLE PUBLIC WARRANT ENTITLING THE
HOLDER TO PURCHASE ONE SHARE OF
CLASS A COMMON STOCK
THIS CERTIFIES THAT is the owner of Units.
Each Unit (“Unit”)
consists of one (1) share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), of Hawks Acquisition
Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and one-half (1/2) of one public warrant (each whole public warrant
a “ Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) share (subject to adjustment)
of Common Stock for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Only whole Public Warrants are exercisable. Each whole Public Warrant will
become exercisable on the later of (i) thirty (30) days after the Company’s completion of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses (each, a “Business
Combination”), or (ii) twelve (12) months from the closing of the Company’s initial public offering, and will expire
unless exercised before 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes
its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation (the “Expiration Date”). The Common Stock
and Public Warrants comprising the Units represented by this certificate are not transferable separately prior to [●], 2021, unless
[Representative] elects to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the Company’s filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K with
the Securities and Exchange Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds
of the Company’s initial public offering and issuing a press release announcing when separate trading will begin. No fractional
Public Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Public Warrants will trade. The terms of the Public Warrants
are governed by Public Warrant Agreement, dated as of [●], 2021 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time,
the “Public Warrant Agreement”), between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant
Agent (in such capacity, the “Warrant Agent”), and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all
of which terms and provisions the holder of this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Public Warrant Agreement
are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at One State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10014, and are available
to any Public Warrant holder on written request and without cost.
Upon the consummation of the Company’s
initial Business Combination, the Units represented by this certificate will automatically separate into the shares of Common Stocks
and Public Warrants comprising such Units.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned
by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar of the Company.
This certificate shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
Witness the facsimile signature of its duly authorized officers.
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Secretary
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Chief Executive Officer
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
The Company will furnish without charge
to each unitholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional
or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions
of such preferences and/or rights.
The following abbreviations, when used in
the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable
laws or regulations:
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TEN COM
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT —
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Custodian
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TEN ENT
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—
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as tenants by the entireties
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(Cust)
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(Minor)
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JT TEN
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as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common
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under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act
(State)
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Additional abbreviations may also be used
though not in the above list.
For value received, hereby sell, assign and transfer unto
PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR
OTHER
IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS,
INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE)
Units represented by the within Certificate, and do hereby
irrevocably constitute and appoint
Attorney to transfer the said Units on the books of the within
named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated
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Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond with
the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatever.
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED
BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP
IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
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In each case, as more fully described in the Company’s
final prospectus dated [_], 2021, the holder(s) of the Company’s Class A common Stock shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata
portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering only
in the event that (i) the Company redeems the shares of Class A common stock sold in its initial public offering and liquidates
because it does not consummate an initial business combination by [_], 2023 (or such later date if such period is extended pursuant
to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation as in effect at such time), (ii) the Company redeems the shares of Class A
common stock in connection with an initial business combination (including the release of funds to pay any amounts due to any public
stockholders who properly exercise their redemption rights in connection therewith), (iii) the Company redeems the shares of Class
A common stock sold in its initial public offering in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to
redeem 100% of the Class A common stock if it does not consummate an initial business combination by[_], 2023 (or such later date,
if such period is extended pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation as in effect at such time) or with respect
to any other material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iv) if
the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective shares of Class A common stock in connection with a tender
offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks stockholder approval of the proposed initial business combination)
setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right
or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.
Exhibit 4.2
NUMBER
C-______
[__] SHARES
SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP [●]
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE
OF DELAWARE
CLASS A COMMON STOCK
This Certifies that
is the owner of
FULLY PAID AND
NON-ASSESSABLE SHARES OF THE PAR VALUE OF $0.0001 EACH OF THE CLASS A COMMON STOCK (the “Class A Common Stock”) OF
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
(THE “CORPORATION”)
transferable on the books of the Corporation in person or by
duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly endorsed.
The Corporation will be forced to offer
to redeem of all the shares of Class A Common Stock in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem all of
the shares of Class A Common Stock if it is unable to complete a business combination by __, 2023 (unless extended pursuant to the
Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation as in effect at such time), all as more fully described in the Corporation’s
final prospectus dated __, 2021.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned
by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar.
Witness the seal of the Corporation and
the facsimile signatures of its duly authorized officers.
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Secretary
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[Corporate Seal] Delaware
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Chief Executive
Officer
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
The Corporation will furnish without charge
to each stockholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special
rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Corporation and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such
preferences and/or rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby are issued and shall be held subject to all the
provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and all amendments thereto and resolutions of the Board of Directors providing for
the issue of securities (copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Corporation), to all of which the holder of
this certificate by acceptance hereof assents. The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate,
shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:
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TEN COM
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—
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT —
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Custodian
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TEN ENT
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—
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as tenants by the entireties
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(Cust)
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(Minor)
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JT TEN
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—
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as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common
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under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act
(State)
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Additional abbreviations may also be used
though not in the above list.
For value received, hereby sells, assigns
and transfers unto
(PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER
IDENTIFYING NUMBER(S) OF ASSIGNEE(S))
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES),
INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE(S))
Shares of the capital stock represented
by the within Certificate, and hereby irrevocably constitutes and appoints Attorney to transfer the said stock on the books of
the within named Corporation with full power of substitution in the premises.
Dated:
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Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond
with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatever.
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
By
THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY
AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN
APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
In each case, as more fully described in
the Corporation’s final prospectus dated __, 2021, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata
portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with its initial public offering only in the event
that (i) the Corporation redeems the shares of Class A Common Stock sold in the Company’s initial public offering and liquidates
because it does not consummate an initial business combination by __, 2023 (or such later date if such period is extended pursuant
to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation as in effect at such time), (ii) the Corporation redeems the shares of Class
A Common Stock sold in its initial public offering in connection with a stockholder vote to amend the Corporation’s amended
and restated certificate of incorporation to modify the substance or timing of the Corporation’s obligation to redeem 100%
of the Class A Common Stock if it does not consummate an initial business combination by __, 2023 (or such later date if such period
is extended pursuant to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation as in effect at such time) or with respect to any other
material provisions relating to stockholders’ rights of pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s)
seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective shares of Class A Common Stock in connection with a tender offer (or proxy
solicitation, solely in the event the Corporation seeks stockholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting
forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest
of any kind in or to the trust account.
Exhibit 4.4
FORM OF PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS PUBLIC WARRANT AGREEMENT,
dated as of [ ], 2021 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”),
is by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged
in an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such
unit comprised of one share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and one-half
of one redeemable Warrant (as defined below) (the “Units”) and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue
and deliver up to 11,500,000 redeemable Warrants (including up to 1,500,000 redeemable Warrants if the Over-Allotment Option, as
defined in Section 2.4, is exercised in full) to public investors in the Offering (as defined below) (the “Warrants”);
WHEREAS, on [ ], 2021,
the Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 warrants (or
up to 7,100,000 warrants if the underwriters in the Offering exercise their over-allotment option in full) simultaneously with the closing
of the Offering (and the closing of the over-allotment option, if applicable) (the “Private Placement Warrants”)
at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, each whole Warrant
entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) one or more registration statements (together,
the “Registration Statement”) and the related final prospectus (the “Prospectus”),
for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the issuance of
the Units, the Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires
the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration,
transfer, exchange, redemption and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires
to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights,
limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things
have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or
on behalf of the Warrant Agent (in the case of definitive physical warrant certificates) or otherwise registered (in the case of book
entry warrants), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery
of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration
of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1.
Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants,
and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth
in this Agreement.
2.
Warrants.
2.1
Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only. Warrants may be represented by one or more
physical definitive certificates or by book-entry.
2.2
Effect of Countersignature. If a physical definitive certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant
Agent, either by manual or facsimile signature, pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant certificate shall be invalid and of no effect and
may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3
Registration.
2.3.1
Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”) for the registration
of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in
book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations
and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. All of the Warrants shall initially be registered
in the name of the nominee designated by The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”) and registered in the
name of a nominee of the Depository. Ownership of beneficial interests in the Warrants, registered in the name of the Depository, shall
be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership shall be effected through, records maintained by the Depository and institutions that
have accounts with the Depository (such institution, with respect to a Warrant in its account, a “Participant”).
If the Depository subsequently
ceases to make its book-entry settlement system available for the Warrants, the Company may instruct the Warrant Agent regarding making
other arrangements for book-entry settlement. In the event that the Warrants are not eligible for, or it is no longer necessary to have
the Warrants available in, book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall provide written instructions to the Depository to deliver to the Warrant
Agent for cancellation each book-entry Warrant, and the Company shall instruct the Warrant Agent to deliver to the Depository definitive
certificates in physical form evidencing such Warrants which shall be in the form annexed hereto as Exhibit A.
Physical definitive
certificates, if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the
Company (the “Board”), Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President, the Treasurer or the Secretary
or other principal officer of the Company. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall
have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before the Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the
same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.
2.3.2
Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent
may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered Holder”)
as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing
on any physical definitive certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent) for the purpose of any exercise thereof
and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4
Detachability of Warrants. The shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units shall begin separate trading
on the fifty-second (52nd) day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such fifty-second (52nd) day is not on
a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “Business
Day”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier (the “Detachment Date”)
with the consent of the underwriter(s) or representative(s) of the underwriters identified in the Prospectus with the respect to such
consent, but in no event shall the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants comprising the Units be separately traded until (A) the Company
has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of
the gross proceeds of the Offering, including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise by the underwriters of their right
to purchase additional Units in the Offering (the “Over-Allotment Option”), if the Over-Allotment Option is
exercised prior to the filing of such Form 8-K, and a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K to provide updated financial information
to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ Over-Allotment option, if the Over-Allotment option is exercised following the initial
filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, and (B) the Company issues a press release and files with the Commission a Current Report on
Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
2.5
No Fractional Warrants Other Than as Part of Units. The Company shall not issue fractional Warrants other than as part of
the Units. If, upon the detachment of the Warrants from the Units or otherwise, a holder of the Warrants would be entitled to receive
a fractional Warrant, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the Warrants to be issued to such holder.
3.
Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1 Warrant
Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and this Agreement,
to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the
adjustments provided in Section 4 and in the penultimate sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant
Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment for the Warrants
pursuant to a “cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) at which each share of Common Stock may be
purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to
the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than fifteen (15) Business Days (unless otherwise registered by the
Commission, any national securities exchange upon which the Warrants are then listed or applicable law); provided, however,
that the Company shall provide at least three (3) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further,
that any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants. The term “Business Day” means a day
other than a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, or which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.
3.2
Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”)
(A) commencing on the later of (i) the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a merger, stock
exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a
“Business Combination”), and (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering,
and (B) terminating upon the earliest to occur of (x) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date
on which the Company completes its initial Business Combination, (y) the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation (as further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Certificate
of Incorporation”), if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination and (z) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
on the Redemption Date (as defined below) as provided in Section 6.2 (the “Expiration Date”); provided,
however, that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection
3.3.2 with respect to an effective registration statement or a valid exemption being available. Except with respect to the right to
receive the Redemption Price (as defined below) in the event of a redemption (as set forth in Section 6), each Warrant not exercised
on or before the Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement
shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the
Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior
written notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such extension shall
be identical in duration among all of the Warrants.
3.3
Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1 Payment.
Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder thereof by
delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants to
be exercised or, in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry
Warrants”) on the records of the Depository to an account of the Warrant Agent at the Depository designated for such
purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase (“Election to
Purchase”) any Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed by the Registered
Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered by the
Participant in accordance with the Depository’s procedures, and (iii) the payment in full of the Warrant Price for each full
share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of
the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such shares of Common Stock, as
follows:
(a)
in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or by
wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) in
the event of a redemption pursuant to Section 6.1 in which the Company elects to require holders of the Warrants to exercise
the Warrants on a “cashless” basis, by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the
quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the
excess of the Fair Market Value (as defined in this subsection 3.3.1(b)) of the number of shares of Common Stock over the
Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market
Value” shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale price of the Common Stock as reported for the ten (10)
trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the
holders of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6.2; and
(c)
as provided in Section 7.4.
The Warrant Agent shall forward
funds received for warrant exercises in a given month by the fifth (5th) business day of the following month by wire transfer
to an account designated by the Company. Only whole Warrants are exercisable and a holder of the Warrants will not be able to exercise
any fraction of a warrant.
3.3.2 Issuance
of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds
in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)), the Company shall issue to the Registered
Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which
he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have
been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned physical definitive Warrant, as applicable, for the number of
shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not
be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such
Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock
underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue
shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been
registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence
of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. The Company may require holders of the Warrants to settle the Warrants on a
“cashless basis” pursuant to Section 7.4.2. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless
basis,” the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a
share of Common Stock, the Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued
to such holder.
3.3.3
Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement
and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4
Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common
Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which
the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective
of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment
is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed
to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer
books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5 Maximum
Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions
contained in this subsection 3.3.5; provided, however, that no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection
3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the
exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after
giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual
knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount) as the electing holder may specify (the
“Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such
exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person
and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which
the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise
of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or
conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and
its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a
limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence,
for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of
issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as
reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form
8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any
other notice by the Company or the transfer agent for the Common Stock setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and
outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2)
Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then issued and outstanding. In any
case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of
equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of
Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the
Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that
any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4.
Adjustments.
4.1
Stock Dividends.
4.1.1
Share Dividends; Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of
outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common
Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of
Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common
Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than
the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common
Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other
equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by
(ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market
Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for
shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration
received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value”
means the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the
trading day prior to the first (1st) date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable
market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
4.1.2 Extraordinary
Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a
distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common
Stock (or other shares of the Company’s capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection
4.1.1, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of
Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the
shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation in
accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation, or (e) in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock included in the
Units sold in the Offering upon the Company’s failure to complete the Company’s initial Business Combination and any
subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (any such non-excluded event, an “Extraordinary
Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such
Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board in good faith) of any
securities or other assets paid on each shares of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection
4.1.2, “Ordinary Cash Dividends” means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on
a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock
during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect
any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that
resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does
not exceed $0.50 (being five percent (5%) of the offering price of the Units in the Offering), which amount shall be adjusted to
appropriately reflect any of the events referred to this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or other cash distributions
that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of each
Warrant.
4.2
Aggregation of Shares. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of issued
and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares
of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification
or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease
in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3
Adjustments in Warrant Price. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants
is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by
multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares
of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall
be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4 Capital Raised in Connection with the
Initial Business Combination. If the Company issues additional shares of 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 Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the
Board and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Class B common stock
of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B Common Stock”) 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 sixty percent (60%) of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of
the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z)
the volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day
after the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market
Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to
one-hundred-fifteen percent (115%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price and the $18.00 per share redemption
trigger price described in Section 6.1 shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to one-hundred-eighty percent
(180%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.5 Replacement
of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock (other than a change under subsections 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 or Section 4.2 or that solely affects the par value
of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or
conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing
entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case
of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or
substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have
the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the
shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented
thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such
reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the
holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event
(the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that: (i) if the holders of the shares of
Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable
upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative
Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received
per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election; (ii)
if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the shares of Common Stock (other
than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the
Company as provided for in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of
the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders of the Company
for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with
members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together
with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such
group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act)
securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the
Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the
Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been
entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer,
accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange
offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to
the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; and (iii) if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable
by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity
that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so
listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within
thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference,
if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined
below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be
less than zero). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the
consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes model as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking
firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such
calculation. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of
Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the
volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading
day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in
shares of Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections
4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive
reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be
reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.6
Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable
upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price
resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such price
upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation
is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant
shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon
exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that are not made are carried forward
and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such carried forward adjustments shall be made
(i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried forward adjustments) would result in a change
of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date
of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.5 in connection
with which an adjustment is made to the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the
Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such
holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein,
shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.7
No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not
issue a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section
4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the
Company shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.8
Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and
Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the
Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion
make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant
thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as
so changed.
4.9
No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of
an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock or the conversion of the Class B Common
Stock into shares of Common Stock, in each case, pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
5.
Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1
Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon
the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures
properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal
aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated
warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2
Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for
exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered
Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that, except
as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any book entry Warrant, each book entry Warrant may be transferred only in whole and only
to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor depository; provided,
further, that, in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel
such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating
that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.
5.3 Transfers
of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange of the
Warrants which would require the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant, except as
part of the Units.
5.4
Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5
Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company,
whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.6
Transfer of Warrants. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the
Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such
Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included
in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.6 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants
on and after the Detachment Date.
6.
Redemption of Warrants.
6.1
Redemption of Warrants for Cash. Not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed for cash, at the option of
the Company, at any time while they are exercisable and prior to their expiration, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon notice to
the Registered Holders of the Warrants, as described in Section 6.2, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (the “Redemption
Price”); provided, however, that the last reported sale price of the Common Stock has been at least $18.00
per share (subject to adjustment in compliance with Section 4) for any ten (10) trading days within the twenty (20) trading-day
period ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is given to the Registered
Holders; provided, further, that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable
upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the Redemption Period (as defined in Section
6.2) or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 3.3.1
and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.
6.2
Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption. In the event that the Company elects to redeem all of the Warrants pursuant to Section
6.1 or 6.2, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “Redemption Date”). Notice of redemption
shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date (such
30-Day period, the “Redemption Period”) to the Registered Holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last
addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed
to have been duly given whether or not the Registered Holder received such notice.
6.3 Exercise
After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection
3.3.1, if applicable) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section
6.2 and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event that the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to
exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1, the notice of redemption shall
contain instructions on how to calculate the number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the
Warrants. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon
surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.
7.
Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
7.1
No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder
of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights
to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the
Company or any other matter.
7.2
Lost, Stolen, Mutilated or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the
Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated
Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated
or destroyed, and countersigned by the Warrant Agent. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the
Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone. The Warrant
Agent may, at its option, countersign replacement Warrants for mutilated certificates upon presentation thereof without such indemnity.
7.3
Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized
but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant
to this Agreement.
7.4
Registration of Shares of Common Stock; Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option.
7.4.1 Registration
of the Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days after
the closing of the initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission a
registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the
Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business
Days following the closing of the initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and
a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If
any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the sixtieth (60th) Business Day following the closing
of the Company’s initial Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on
the sixty-first (61st) Business Day after the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination and ending upon
such registration statement being declared effective by the Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to
have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to
exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by exchanging the Warrants (in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the
Securities Act (or any successor statute) or another exemption) for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient
obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of
the Fair Market Value (as defined below) less the Warrant Price by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this subsection
7.4.1, “Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported price of the Common
Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date that notice of exercise is
sent to the Warrant Agent from the holder of such Warrants or its securities broker or intermediary. The date that notice of
cashless exercise is received by the Warrant Agent shall be conclusively determined by the Warrant Agent. In connection with the
“cashless exercise” of a Warrant, the Company shall, upon request, provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel
for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on
a cashless basis in accordance with this subsection 7.4.1 is not required to be registered under the Securities Act and (ii)
the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise shall be freely tradable under United States federal securities laws by anyone
who is not (and has not been during the preceding three months) an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the
Securities Act (or any successor rule)) of the Company and, accordingly, shall not be required to bear a restrictive legend. Except
as provided in subsection 7.4.2, for the avoidance of doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised or have
expired, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of
this subsection 7.4.1.
7.4.2
Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the shares of 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 (or any successor statute), the Company may, at its option, require holders of Warrants who exercise Warrants to
exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor statute)
as described in subsection 7.4.1 and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain
in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise
of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, but shall be required to use its commercially reasonable
efforts to register or qualify for sale the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the “blue sky” laws
of the state of residence of the exercising Warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.
7.4.3
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time pursuant to this Agreement the Warrants may be exercised on a “ cashless basis”
pursuant to both (i) subsection 3.3.1(b) and (ii) this Section 7.4, exercise of the Warrants must be completed pursuant
to subsection 3.3.1(b).
8.
Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
8.1 Payment
of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant
Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company and the Warrant
Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
8.2
Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
8.2.1
Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties
and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving ninety (90) days’ notice in writing to the Company.
If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing
a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty
(30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who
shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the
Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s
cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be authorized under applicable laws to exercise
the powers of a transfer agent and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor
Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent
with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed but, if for any reason it becomes
necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring
to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder and, upon request of
any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully
and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations.
8.2.2
Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice
thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Company’s transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective
date of any such appointment.
8.2.3
Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be
consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor
Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
8.3
Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
8.3.1 Remuneration.
The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and shall,
pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant
Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
8.3.2
Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver, or cause to be performed, executed,
acknowledged and delivered, all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant
Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4
Liability of Warrant Agent.
8.4.1
Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem
it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder,
such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved
and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or
the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement
for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
8.4.2
Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives’, gross negligence,
willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save
it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the
Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s or its representatives’ gross
negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
8.4.3
Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect
to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any
breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible
to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such
adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment, nor shall it by any act hereunder be
deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant
to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
8.5
Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the
same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants
exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of
Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
8.6 Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”)
in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date
hereof, by and between the Company and the Warrant Agent, as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement,
payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent hereby waives any and all
Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
9.
Miscellaneous Provisions.
9.1
Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent
shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
9.2
Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the
holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by
certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Attention: J. Carney Hawks
Email: carneyhawks@outlook.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Brian M. Janson, Esq.
Email: bjanson@paulweiss.com
Any notice, statement or demand
authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently
given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days
after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company),
as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attention: Compliance Department
in each case, with a copy to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77002
Attention: Ryan J. Maierson, Esq.
Email: ryan.maierson@lw.com
9.3
Applicable Law; Jurisdiction. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and the Warrants shall be
governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result
in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against
it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York,
County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district
courts of the United States, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives
any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce (i) any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules
and regulations thereunder for which Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction, (ii) with respect to suits
brought in federal courts, any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section
22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts or (iii) 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 the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action,
the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the
City of New York, County of New York, 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 the Warrants, such holder of the Warrants shall be deemed to have consented to (x)
the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement
action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of the Warrants in any such enforcement action by service
upon such holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holders of the Warrants.
9.4
Compliance and Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent shall perform its duties under this Agreement in compliance with all applicable
laws, including those relating to privacy, data protection and information security, shall keep confidential all information (including
personally identifiable information and personal data) relating to this Agreement and, except as required by applicable law, shall not
use such information for any purpose other than the performance of the Warrant Agent’s obligations under this Agreement.
9.5 Persons
Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or
corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason
of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations,
promises and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their
successors and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
9.6
Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office
of the Warrant Agent for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such
holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
9.7 Counterparts;
Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts
shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
9.8
Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not
affect the interpretation thereof.
9.9
Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose
of (i) curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, including to conform the
provision of the Warrants and this Agreement to the description of the Warrants and this Agreement in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing
any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable
and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders under the Warrants and this Agreement or (iii)
to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.5, to reflect changes to the definition of “Ordinary
Cash Dividend” or to reflect other adjustments required by Section 4. All other modifications or amendments, including
any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period shall require the vote or written consent of
the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the number of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company
may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively,
without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration
of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Private Placement Warrants.
9.10 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision
hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu
of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement
a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
9.11 Business
Continuity Plan. The Warrant Agent shall maintain plans for business continuity, disaster recovery, and backup capabilities and
facilities designed to ensure the Warrant Agent’s continued performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including,
without limitation, loss of production, loss of systems, loss of equipment, failure of carriers and the failure of the Warrant
Agent’s or its supplier’s equipment, computer systems or business systems (“Business Continuity
Plan”). Such Business Continuity Plan shall include, but shall not be limited to, testing, accountability and
corrective actions designed to be promptly implemented, if necessary. In addition, in the event that the Warrant Agent has knowledge
of an incident affecting the integrity or availability of such Business Continuity Plan, then the Warrant Agent shall, as promptly
as practicable, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours (or sooner to the extent required by applicable law or regulation) after
the Warrant Agent becomes aware of such incident, notify the Company in writing of such incident and provide the Company with
updates, as deemed appropriate by the Warrant Agent under the circumstances, with respect to the status of all related remediation
efforts in connection with such incident. The Warrant Agent represents that, as of the date of this Agreement, such Business
Continuity Plan is active and functioning normally in all material respects.
9.12
Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the
business of the other party, including, inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received
pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Warrant Agreement, including the fees for services, shall remain confidential,
and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law or regulation, including, without limitation,
pursuant to requests from the Securities and Exchange Commission and subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g.,
in divorce and criminal actions).
Exhibit A – Form of Warrant Certificate
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties
hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name:
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John Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Chief Executive Officer
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY,
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as Warrant Agent
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement—Hawks Acquisition Corp]
EXHIBIT A
SPECIMEN WARRANT CERTIFICATE
NUMBER W–[ ]
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[ ] WARRANTS
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SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
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CUSIP [ ]
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WARRANTS
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT
EXERCISED PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of
Delaware
This
Warrant Certificate certifies that [ ], or registered assigns, is the registered holder of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the
“Warrants” and, each, a “Warrant”) to purchase shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001
par value per share (“Common Stock”), of Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”).
Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive
from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Warrant
Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender
of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for
in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein
and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to
them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially
exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant.
If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company
will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the
Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain
events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price
per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence
of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions
set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the
end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as
set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to
the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes
have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall
not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall
be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Reverse
of Warrant Certificate]
The Warrants evidenced by
this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common
Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement, dated as of [__], 2021 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise
modified from time to time, the “Warrant Agreement”), by and between the Company to Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the “Warrant
Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby
referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent,
the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered
Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon
written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to
them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised
at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate
may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed
and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise”
as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the designated office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants
evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued
to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else
in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (a) (i) a registration
statement covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii)
a prospectus thereunder relating to the shares of Common Stock is current or (b) the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise
may be issued pursuant to an exemption from registration under the Securities Act, including through “cashless exercise”
as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides
that, upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant
Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof
would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest
whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates,
when surrendered at the designated office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative
or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant
Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor
evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for
registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates
of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant
Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other third party charge
imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant
Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation
of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof,
and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the
Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
Election
to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably
elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [ ] shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment
for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) in the amount of $[ ]
in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the
name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ]. If said number
of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant
Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ]
and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
In the event that the Warrant
is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number
of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant
Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant
is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of shares
of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant
may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that
this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for
such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise
the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares
of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after
giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of
such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered
to [ ] whose address is [ ].
[Signature Page Follows]
Date: , 202[ ]
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(Signature)
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(Address)
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(Tax Identification Number)
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
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Exhibit 4.5
FORM OF PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE WARRANT AGREEMENT,
dated as of [ ], 2021 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”),
is by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, on [ ], 2021, the
Company entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement with Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company
(the “Sponsor”), pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 6,500,000 warrants (or up to 7,100,000
warrants if the underwriters in the Offering, as defined below, exercise their over-allotment option in full) simultaneously with the
closing of the Offering (and the closing of the over-allotment option, if applicable) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit A
hereto (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant;
WHEREAS, in order to finance
the Company’s transaction costs in connection with an intended initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (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
to the Company funds as the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into up to an additional 1,500,000
Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant (the “Working Capital Warrants” and, together with
the Private Placement Warrants, the “Warrants”);
WHEREAS, the Company is engaged
in an initial public offering (the “Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity securities, each such
unit comprised of one share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), and one-half
of one redeemable warrant (the “Public Warrants”, which, with the Common Stock, comprise the “Units”)
and, in connection therewith, has determined to issue and deliver up to 11,500,000 redeemable Public Warrants (including up to 1,500,000
redeemable Public Warrants subject to the over-allotment option) to public investors in the Offering;
WHEREAS, the Company has filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) one or more registration statements (together,
the “Registration Statement”) and the related final prospectus (the “Prospectus”),
for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), of the issuance of
the Units and the Public Warrants and the shares of Common Stock included in the Units;
WHEREAS, the Company desires
the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration,
transfer, exchange and exercise of the Warrants;
WHEREAS, the Company desires
to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights,
limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent and the holders of the Warrants; and
WHEREAS, all acts and things
have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or
on behalf of the Warrant Agent (in the case of definitive physical warrant certificates) or otherwise registered (in the case of book
entry warrants), as provided herein, the valid, binding and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery
of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration
of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:
1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants,
and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth
in this Agreement.
2. Warrants.
2.1 Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall initially be issued in registered form only. Warrants may be represented by one or more
physical definitive certificates or by book-entry.
2.2 Effect of Countersignature. If a physical definitive certificate is issued, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant
Agent, either by manual or facsimile signature, pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant certificate shall be invalid and of no effect and
may not be exercised by the holder thereof.
2.3 Registration.
2.3.1
Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (the “Warrant Register”) for the registration
of the initial issuance of the Warrants and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants in
book-entry form, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations
and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company. All of the Public Warrants shall initially
be registered in the name of the nominee designated by The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”) and registered
in the name of a nominee of the Depository. If requested, the Registered Holder (as defined below) shall be issued a definitive certificate
in physical form evidencing such Warrants, which shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B (the “Definitive
Warrant Certificate”).
Physical definitive certificates,
if issued, shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the “Board”),
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President, the Treasurer or the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company.
In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which
such person signed the Warrant before the Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be
such at the date of issuance.
2.3.2 Registered
Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and
treat the person in whose name such Warrant is registered in the Warrant Register (the “Registered
Holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation
of ownership or other writing on any physical definitive certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent) for
the purpose of any exercise thereof and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by
any notice to the contrary.
3.
Terms and Exercise of Warrants.
3.1 Warrant Price. Each Warrant shall entitle the Registered Holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and this
Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject
to the adjustments provided in Section 4 and in the penultimate sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant
Price” as used in this Agreement shall mean the price per share (including in cash or by payment for the Warrants pursuant
to a “cashless exercise,” to the extent permitted hereunder) at which each share of Common Stock may be purchased at the time
a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined
below) for a period of not less than fifteen (15) Business Days (unless otherwise registered by the Commission, any national securities
exchange upon which the Warrants are then listed or applicable law); provided, however, that the Company shall provide at
least three (3) days prior written notice of such reduction to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that
any such reduction shall be identical among all of the Warrants. The term “Business Day” means a day other than
a Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, or which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business.
3.2 Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period (the “Exercise Period”)
(A) commencing on the later of (i) the date that is thirty (30) days after the first date on which the Company completes a Business Combination,
and (ii) the date that is twelve (12) months from the date of the closing of the Offering, and (B) terminating upon the earliest to occur
of (x) at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the date that is five (5) years after the date on which the Company completes its initial
Business Combination and (y) the liquidation of the Company in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated certificate of
incorporation (as further amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Certificate of Incorporation”),
if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination (the “Expiration Date”); provided, however,
that the exercise of any Warrant shall be subject to the satisfaction of any applicable conditions, as set forth in subsection 3.3.2
with respect to an effective registration statement or a valid exemption being available. Each Warrant not exercised on or before the
Expiration Date shall become null and void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease
at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by
delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written
notice of any such extension to Registered Holders of the Warrants; provided, further, that any such extension shall be
identical in duration among all of the Warrants.
3.3 Exercise of Warrants.
3.3.1 Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant may be exercised by the Registered Holder
thereof by delivering to the Warrant Agent at its corporate trust department (i) the Definitive Warrant Certificate evidencing the Warrants
to be exercised or, in the case of a Warrant represented by a book-entry, the Warrants to be exercised (the “Book-Entry Warrants”)
on the records of The Depository Trust Company (the “Depository”) to an account of the Warrant Agent at the
Depository designated for such purposes in writing by the Warrant Agent to the Depository from time to time, (ii) an election to purchase
(“Election to Purchase”) any Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant, properly completed and executed
by the Registered Holder on the reverse of the Definitive Warrant Certificate or, in the case of a Book-Entry Warrant, properly delivered
by the institutions that have accounts with the Depository in accordance with the Depository’s procedures, and (iii) the payment
in full of the Warrant Price for each full share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes
due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Common Stock and the issuance of such
shares of Common Stock, as follows:
(a) in lawful money of the United States, in good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or by
wire transfer of immediately available funds;
(b) by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product
of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the excess of the Fair Market Value (as defined in this
subsection 3.3.1(b)) of the Common Stock over the Warrant Price by (y) the Sponsor Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this
subsection 3.3.1(b), the “Sponsor Fair Market Value” shall mean the volume-weighted average last reported sale
price of the Common Stock as reported for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third (3rd) trading day prior to the date
on which the notice of exercise of the Private Placement Warrant or Working Capital Warrant is sent to the Warrant Agent; and
(c) as provided in Section 6.4.
Only whole Warrants are exercisable and a holder
of the Public Warrants will not be able to exercise any fraction of a Warrant.
3.3.2 Issuance
of Shares of Common Stock on Exercise. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds
in payment of the Warrant Price (if payment is pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(a)), the Company shall issue to the Registered
Holder of such Warrant a book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for the number of full shares of Common Stock to which
he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have
been exercised in full, a new book-entry position or countersigned physical definitive Warrant, as applicable, for the number of
shares of Common Stock as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not
be obligated to deliver any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Warrant and shall have no obligation to settle such
Warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the shares of Common Stock
underlying the Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current or a valid exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act is available. No Warrant shall be exercisable and the Company shall not be obligated to issue
shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the shares of Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise have been
registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt from registration or qualification under the securities laws of the state of residence
of the Registered Holder of the Warrants. If, by reason of any exercise of Warrants on a “cashless basis,” the holder of
any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the
Company shall round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
3.3.3 Valid Issuance. All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement
and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation shall be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3.3.4 Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book-entry position or certificate, as applicable, for shares of Common
Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares of Common Stock on the date on which
the Warrant, or book-entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective
of the date of delivery of such certificate in the case of a certificated Warrant, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment
is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed
to have become the holder of such shares of Common Stock at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer
books or book-entry system of the Warrant Agent are open.
3.3.5 Maximum
Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions
contained in this subsection 3.3.5; provided, however, that no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection
3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the
exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after
giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual
knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount) as the electing holder may specify (the
“Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such
exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person
and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which
the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise
of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or
conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and
its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a
limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence,
for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of
issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock as
reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form
8-K or other public filing with the Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any
other notice by the Company or the transfer agent for the Common Stock setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock issued and
outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2)
Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then issued and outstanding. In any
case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of
equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of
Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the
Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that
any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.
4. Adjustments.
4.1
Stock Dividends.
4.1.1 Share Dividends; Split-Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of
outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split-up of shares of Common
Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of
Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Common
Stock. A rights offering to holders of shares of Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than
the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common
Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other
equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the shares of Common Stock) multiplied by
(ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market
Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for
shares of Common Stock, in determining the price payable for the shares of Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration
received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value”
means the volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the
trading day prior to the first (1st) date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable
market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
4.1.2 Extraordinary
Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a
distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock on account of such shares of Common
Stock (or other shares of the Company’s capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described in subsection
4.1.1, (b) Ordinary Cash Dividends (as defined below), (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the shares of
Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of the
shares of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation in
accordance with the Certificate of Incorporation, or (e) in connection with the redemption of shares of Common Stock included in the
Units sold in the Offering upon the Company’s failure to complete the Company’s initial Business Combination and any
subsequent distribution of its assets upon its liquidation (any such non-excluded event, an “Extraordinary
Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such
Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value (as determined by the Board in good faith) of any
securities or other assets paid on each shares of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend. For purposes of this subsection
4.1.2, “Ordinary Cash Dividends” means any cash dividend or cash distribution which, when combined on
a per share basis, with the per share amounts of all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the shares of Common Stock
during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution (as adjusted to appropriately reflect
any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that
resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant) does
not exceed $0.50 (being five percent (5%) of the offering price of the Units in the Offering), which amount shall be adjusted to
appropriately reflect any of the events referred to this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or other cash distributions
that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of each
Warrant.
4.2 Aggregation of Shares. If, after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6, the number of issued
and outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares
of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification
or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease
in issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock.
4.3 Adjustments in Warrant Price. Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants
is adjusted, as provided in subsection 4.1.1 or Section 4.2, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by
multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares
of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall
be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.
4.4 Capital
Raised in Connection with the Initial Business Combination. If the Company issues additional shares of 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 Common Stock (with such issue price or effective issue price to be
determined in good faith by the Board and, in the case of any such issuance to Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability
company (the “Sponsor”) or its affiliates, without taking into account any Class B common stock of the
Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B Common Stock”) 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 sixty percent (60%) of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of
the initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of the initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z)
the volume-weighted average trading price of the Common Stock during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the
trading day after the day on which the Company consummates the initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market
Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to
one-hundred-fifteen percent (115%) of the greater of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
4.5 Replacement
of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock (other than a change under subsections 4.1.1 or 4.1.2 or Section 4.2 or that solely affects the par value
of such shares of Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or
conversion of the Company into another type of entity (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing
entity and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock), or in the case
of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or
substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the holders of the Warrants shall thereafter have
the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the
shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented
thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such
reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the
holder of the Warrants would have received if such holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event
(the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that: (i) if the holders of the shares of
Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable
upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative
Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the kind and amount received
per share by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election; (ii)
if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the shares of Common Stock (other
than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by shareholders of the
Company as provided for in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the redemption of
the shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the shareholders of the Company
for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with
members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act) of which such maker is a part, and together
with any affiliate or associate of such maker (within the meaning of Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) and any members of any such
group of which any such affiliate or associate is a part, own beneficially (within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act)
securities representing more than 50% of the aggregate voting power, including the power to vote on the election of directors of the
Company, of the issued and outstanding equity securities of the Company, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the
Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been
entitled as a shareholder if such Warrant holder had exercised the Warrant prior to the expiration of such tender or exchange offer,
accepted such offer and all of the shares of Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange
offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to
the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; and (iii) if less than seventy percent (70%) of the consideration receivable
by the holders of the shares of Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity
that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so
listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within
thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current
Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) equal to the difference,
if positive, of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined
below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below) (which amount determined under this clause (ii) shall not be
less than zero). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the
consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes model as calculated by an accounting, appraisal, investment banking
firm or consultant of nationally recognized standing that is, in the good faith judgment of the Board, qualified to make such
calculation. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the shares of
Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the
volume weighted average price of the shares of Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading
day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification or reorganization also results in a change in
shares of Common Stock covered by subsection 4.1.1, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to subsection 4.1.1 or Sections
4.2, 4.3 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive
reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be
reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.
4.6 Notices
of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise
of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price
resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable at such
price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such
calculation is based; provided, however, that no adjustment to the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon
exercise of a Warrant shall be required until cumulative adjustments amount to one percent (1%) or more of the number of shares of
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant as last adjusted; provided, further, that any such adjustments that
are not made are carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all such
carried forward adjustments shall be made (i) in connection with any subsequent adjustment that (taken together with such carried
forward adjustments) would result in a change of at least one percent (1%) in the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon
exercise of a Warrant and (ii) on the exercise date of any Warrant. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections
4.1, 4.2, 4.3 or 4.5 in connection with which an adjustment is made to the Warrant Price or the number of
shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice of the occurrence of such event to
each holder of a Warrant, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective
date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.
4.7 No Fractional Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue
a fractional share of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4,
the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company
shall, upon such exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to such holder.
4.8 Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and
Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares of Common Stock as is stated in the
Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that the Company may at any time in its sole discretion
make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant
thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as
so changed.
4.9 No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of
an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Class B Common Stock into shares of Common Stock or the conversion of the Class B Common
Stock into shares of Common Stock, in each case, pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.
5.1 Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon
the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, in the case of certificated warrants, properly endorsed with signatures
properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal
aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated
warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.
5.2 Procedure
for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange or
transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the Registered
Holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that,
except as otherwise provided herein or with respect to any book entry Warrant, each book entry Warrant may be transferred only in
whole and only to the Depository, to another nominee of the Depository, to a successor depository or to a nominee of a successor
depository; provided, further, that, in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend,
the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange thereof until the Warrant Agent has received an
opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a
restrictive legend.
5.3 Transfers of Fractions of Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange
of the Warrants which would require the issuance of a Warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a Warrant.
5.4 Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.
5.5 Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance
with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company,
whenever required by the Warrant Agent, shall supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
6. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.
6.1 No Rights as Stockholder. A Warrant does not entitle the Registered Holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder
of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights
to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholder in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the
Company or any other matter.
6.2
Lost, Stolen, Mutilated or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed, the Company and the
Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated
Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated
or destroyed, and countersigned by the Warrant Agent. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the
Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone. The Warrant
Agent may, at its option, countersign replacement Warrants for mutilated certificates upon presentation thereof without such indemnity.
6.3 Reservation of Shares of Common Stock. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized
but unissued shares of Common Stock that shall be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant
to this Agreement.
6.4 Registration
of Shares of Common Stock. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty (20) Business Days
after the closing of the initial Business Combination, it shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the Commission
a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the
Warrants. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within sixty (60) Business
Days following the closing of the initial Business Combination and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and
a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.
7. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.
7.1 Payment of Taxes. The Company shall from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company
or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of the Warrants, but the Company
and the Warrant Agent shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares of Common Stock.
7.2
Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.
7.2.1 Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties
and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving ninety (90) days’ notice in writing to the Company.
If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing
a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty
(30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of a Warrant (who
shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the
Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s
cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be authorized under applicable laws to exercise
the powers of a transfer agent and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor
Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent
with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed but, if for any reason it becomes
necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring
to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder and, upon request of
any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully
and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties and obligations.
7.2.2 Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice
thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Company’s transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective
date of any such appointment.
7.2.3 Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any entity into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be
consolidated or any entity resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor
Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.
7.3
Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.
7.3.1
Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent
hereunder and shall, pursuant to its obligations under this Agreement, reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that
the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.
7.3.2
Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver, or cause to be performed, executed,
acknowledged and delivered, all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant
Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4
Liability of Warrant Agent.
7.4.1
Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem
it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder,
such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved
and established by a statement signed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, the President or
the Secretary or other principal officer of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement
for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.
7.4.2
Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own, or its representatives’, gross negligence,
willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save
it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the
Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement, except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s or its representatives’ gross
negligence, willful misconduct, fraud, bad faith or material breach of this Agreement.
7.4.3
Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect
to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof). The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible for any
breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant. The Warrant Agent shall not be responsible
to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such
adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment, nor shall it by any act hereunder be
deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant
to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock shall, when issued, be valid and fully paid and non-assessable.
7.5 Acceptance
of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the
terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants
exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares
of Common Stock through the exercise of the Warrants.
7.6
Waiver. The Warrant Agent has no right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”)
in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date
hereof, by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee thereunder) and hereby agrees not to
seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The Warrant Agent
hereby waives any and all Claims against the Trust Account and any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account.
8.
Miscellaneous Provisions.
8.1
Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent
shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.
8.2
Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the
holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by
certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another
address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, New York 10022
Attention: J. Carney Hawks
Email: carneyhawks@outlook.com
with a copy to (which shall not constitute notice):
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
Attention: Brian M. Janson, Esq.
Email: bjanson@paulweiss.com
Any notice, statement or demand
authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently
given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days
after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company),
as follows:
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attention: Compliance Department
in each case, with a copy to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77002
Attention: Ryan J. Maierson, Esq.
Email: ryan.maierson@lw.com
8.3
Applicable Law; Jurisdiction. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and the Warrants shall be
governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result
in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against
it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the City of New York,
County of New York, State of New York, the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York or the federal district
courts of the United States, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives
any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the
provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce (i) any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules
and regulations thereunder for which Section 27 of the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction, (ii) with respect to suits
brought in federal courts, any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder for which Section
22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts or (iii) 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 the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 8.3. If any action,
the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the
City of New York, County of New York, 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 the Warrants, such holder of the Warrants shall be deemed to have consented to (x)
the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for
the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement
action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of the Warrants in any such enforcement action by service
upon such holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holders of the Warrants.
8.4
Compliance and Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent shall perform its duties under this Agreement in compliance with all applicable
laws, including those relating to privacy, data protection and information security, shall keep confidential all information (including
personally identifiable information and personal data) relating to this Agreement and, except as required by applicable law, shall not
use such information for any purpose other than the performance of the Warrant Agent’s obligations under this Agreement.
8.5
Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any
person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the Registered Holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by
reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations,
promises and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors
and assigns and of the Registered Holders of the Warrants.
8.6
Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office
of the Warrant Agent for inspection by the Registered Holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit such
holder’s Warrant for inspection by the Warrant Agent.
8.7
Counterparts; Electronic Signatures. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts
and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute
but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability
as an original signature.
8.8
Effect of Headings. The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not
affect the interpretation thereof.
8.9
Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any Registered Holder for the purpose
of (i) curing any ambiguity, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, including to conform the
provision of the Warrants and this Agreement to the description of the Warrants and this Agreement in the Prospectus, (ii) adding or changing
any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable
and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the rights of the Registered Holders under the Warrants and this Agreement or (iii)
to provide for the delivery of an Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.5, to reflect changes to the definition of “Ordinary
Cash Dividend” or to reflect other adjustments required by Section 4. All other modifications or amendments, including
any modification or amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period shall require the vote or written consent of
the Registered Holders of fifty percent (50%) of the number of the then outstanding Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company
may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively,
without the consent of the Registered Holders. The Company covenants and agrees to not lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration
of the Exercise Period of the Warrants without taking the same actions with respect to the Public Warrants.
8.10
Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision
hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu
of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement
a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
8.11
Business Continuity Plan. The Warrant Agent shall maintain plans for business continuity, disaster recovery, and backup
capabilities and facilities designed to ensure the Warrant Agent’s continued performance of its obligations under this Agreement,
including, without limitation, loss of production, loss of systems, loss of equipment, failure of carriers and the failure of the Warrant
Agent’s or its supplier’s equipment, computer systems or business systems (“Business Continuity Plan”).
Such Business Continuity Plan shall include, but shall not be limited to, testing, accountability and corrective actions designed to be
promptly implemented, if necessary. In addition, in the event that the Warrant Agent has knowledge of an incident affecting the integrity
or availability of such Business Continuity Plan, then the Warrant Agent shall, as promptly as practicable, but no later than twenty-four
(24) hours (or sooner to the extent required by applicable law or regulation) after the Warrant Agent becomes aware of such incident,
notify the Company in writing of such incident and provide the Company with updates, as deemed appropriate by the Warrant Agent under
the circumstances, with respect to the status of all related remediation efforts in connection with such incident. The Warrant Agent represents
that, as of the date of this Agreement, such Business Continuity Plan is active and functioning normally in all material respects.
8.12
Confidentiality. The Warrant Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the
business of the other party, including, inter alia, personal, non-public warrant holder information, which are exchanged or received
pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Warrant Agreement, including the fees for services, shall remain confidential,
and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by law or regulation, including, without limitation,
pursuant to requests from the Securities and Exchange Commission and subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g.,
in divorce and criminal actions).
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties
hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed as of the date first written above.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name: John Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER &
TRUST COMPANY,
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as Warrant Agent
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement—Hawks Acquisition Corp]
EXHIBIT A
LEGEND
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED
OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION
IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT (THE “ LETTER AGREEMENT”)
BY AND AMONG HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP (THE “ COMPANY”), HAWKS SPONSOR LLC AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED
HEREBY MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS 30 DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS
COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN THE RECITALS OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DESCRIBED IN
SECTION 5(c) OF THE LETTER AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.
THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY AND CLASS A COMMON STOCK OF HAWKS
ACQUISITION CORP (THE “COMPANY”) ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER
A REGISTRATION AND SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.
NO. [ ] WARRANT
EXHIBIT B
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NUMBER W–[ ]
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NO. [ ] WARRANTS
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SEE REVERSE FOR CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
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CUSIP [ ]
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WARRANTS
THIS WARRANT SHALL BE NULL AND VOID IF NOT
EXERCISED PRIOR TO THE
EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD
PROVIDED FOR
IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
Incorporated Under the Laws of the State of
Delaware
This
Warrant Certificate certifies that [ ], or registered assigns, is the registered holder
of warrant(s) evidenced hereby (the “Warrants” and, each, a “Warrant”) to purchase
shares of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Common Stock”), of Hawks Acquisition Corp, a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”). Each whole Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period
set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and non-assessable shares
of Common Stock as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Warrant Price”) as determined pursuant to the
Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of
the Warrant Price (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the office or
agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms
used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.
Each whole Warrant is initially
exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable share of Common Stock. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of any Warrant.
If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company
will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of the number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the
Warrant. The number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain
events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
The initial Warrant Price
per share of Common Stock for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Warrant Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence
of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Subject to the conditions
set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the
end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become null and void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as
set forth in the Warrant Agreement.
Reference is hereby made to
the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes
have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.
This Warrant Certificate shall
not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement.
This Warrant Certificate shall
be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Reverse
of Warrant Certificate]
The Warrants evidenced by
this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive shares of Common
Stock and are issued or to be issued pursuant to the warrant agreement, dated as of [__], 2021 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise
modified from time to time, the “Warrant Agreement”), by and between the Company to Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company, as warrant agent (or successor warrant agent) (collectively, the “Warrant
Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby
referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent,
the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the Registered
Holders or Registered Holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon
written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to
them in the Warrant Agreement.
Warrants may be exercised
at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate
may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of election to purchase set forth hereon properly completed
and executed, together with payment of the Warrant Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise”
as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the designated office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants
evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued
to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.
Notwithstanding anything else
in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement
covering the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Securities Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder
relating to the shares of Common Stock is current or (b) the Common Stock to be issued upon exercise may be issued pursuant to an exemption
from registration under the Securities Act, including through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant
Agreement.
The Warrant Agreement provides
that, upon the occurrence of certain events the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants and the Warrant
Price set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof
would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share of Common Stock, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest
whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.
Warrant Certificates,
when surrendered at the designated office of the Warrant Agent by the Registered Holder thereof in person or by legal representative
or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant
Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor
evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.
Upon due presentation for
registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates
of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant
Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other third party charge
imposed in connection therewith.
The Company and the Warrant
Agent may deem and treat the Registered Holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation
of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof,
and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the
Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a stockholder of the Company.
Election
to Purchase
(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)
The undersigned hereby irrevocably
elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [ ] shares of Common Stock and herewith tenders payment
for such shares of Common Stock to the order of Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) in the amount of $[ ]
in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such shares of Common Stock be registered in the
name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ]. If said number
of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant
Certificate representing the remaining balance of such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ]
and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered to [ ] whose address is [ ].
In the event that the Warrant
is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number
of shares of Common Stock that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant
Agreement.
In the event that the Warrant
may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement, through cashless exercise (i) the number of shares of Common Stock that
this Warrant is exercisable for would be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for
such cashless exercise and (ii) the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise
the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive shares
of Common Stock. If said number of shares of Common Stock is less than all of the shares of Common Stock purchasable hereunder (after
giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of
such shares of Common Stock be registered in the name of [ ], whose address is [ ] and that such shares of Common Stock be delivered
to [ ] whose address is [ ].
[Signature Page Follows]
Date: ,
202[ ]
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(Signature)
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(Address)
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(Tax Identification Number)
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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THE SIGNATURE(S) MUST BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (OR ANY SUCCESSOR RULE).
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Exhibit 5.1
Registration Statement on Form S-1
(CIK No. 0001841144)
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special
counsel to Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the Registration
Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of the Company, filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), and the rules and regulations
thereunder (the “Rules”). You have asked us to furnish our opinion as to the legality of the securities being
registered under the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement relates to the registration under the Act of (i) 23,000,000
units (the “Units”) of the Company (including Units issuable by the Company upon exercise of the
underwriters’ over-allotment option), each such unit consisting of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par
value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”), and one-half of one warrant of the Company (each
whole warrant, a “Public Warrant”) to purchase a share of Class A Common Stock and (ii) all shares of Class A
Common Stock (the “Unit Shares”) and all Public Warrants issued as part of the Units, as specified in the
Registration Statement.
In connection with the furnishing of this
opinion, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of the following documents
(collectively, the “Documents”):
1.
the Registration Statement;
2.
the form of the underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”), proposed to be entered into between
the Company and the underwriters named in the Registration Statement;
3.
the Specimen Unit Certificate, included as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement;
4.
the Specimen Class A Common Stock Certificate, included as Exhibit 4.2 to the Registration Statement;
5.
the Specimen Warrant Certificate, included as Exhibit 4.3 to the Registration Statement; and
6. the
form of Public Warrant Agreement proposed to be entered into by and between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the
“Warrant Agent”) and the Company, included as Exhibit 4.4 to the Registration Statement (the “Public
Warrant Agreement”).
In addition, we have
examined (i) such corporate records of the Company that we have considered appropriate, including a copy of the certificate of
incorporation, as amended, and by-laws, of the Company, certified by the Company as in effect on the date of this letter and copies
of resolutions of the board of directors of the Company relating to the issuance of the Units, Unit Shares and the Public Warrants,
certified by the Company and (ii) such other certificates, agreements and documents that we deemed relevant and necessary as a
basis for the opinions expressed below. We have also relied upon the factual matters contained in the representations and warranties
of the Company made in the Documents and upon certificates of public officials and the officers of the Company.
In our examination of the documents referred
to above, we have assumed, without independent investigation, the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all individuals
who have executed any of the documents reviewed by us, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity
to the originals of all documents submitted to us as certified, photostatic, reproduced or conformed copies of valid existing agreements
or other documents, the authenticity of all the latter documents and that the statements regarding matters of fact in the certificates,
records, agreements, instruments and documents that we have examined are accurate and complete.
Based upon the above, and subject to the stated
assumptions, exceptions and qualifications, we are of the opinion that:
1.
The Units, when duly issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated in the
Registration Statement and in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, and assuming the due authorization,
execution and delivery thereof by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as transfer agent, will constitute the
legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except
that the enforceability of the Units may be subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance or
transfer, moratorium or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally.
2. The
Unit Shares have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action on the part of the Company and, when the Units are duly
issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting
Agreement, the Unit Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
3. The
Public Warrants included in the Units, when the Units are duly issued, delivered and paid for as contemplated in the Registration
Statement and in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and the Public Warrant Agreement, and assuming the due
authorization, execution and delivery of the Public Warrants by the Warrant Agent, will constitute the legal, valid and binding
obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except that (i) the enforceability of
the Public Warrants may be subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, fraudulent conveyance or transfer, moratorium or
similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, possible judicial action and general principles of equity (regardless of
whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law) and (ii) we express no opinion as to the validity, legally
binding effect or enforceability of any provision in the Public Warrant Agreement that requires or relates to adjustments to the
conversion rate in an amount that a court would determine in the circumstances under applicable law to be commercially unreasonable
or a penalty or forfeiture.
The opinions expressed above are limited to
the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware. Our opinion is rendered only with respect
to the laws, and the rules, regulations and orders under those laws, that are currently in effect.
We hereby consent to use of this opinion as
an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the heading “Legal Matters” contained in
the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we come within the
category of persons whose consent is required by the Act or the Rules.
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/s/ Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
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PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND, WHARTON & GARRISON LLP
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Exhibit 10.1
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE
(THIS “NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF
REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND
SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
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Principal Amount: $750,000
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Dated as of January 26, 2021
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Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation
(the “Maker”), promises to pay to the order of Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, or its
registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”), or order, the principal sum of Seven Hundred Fifty
Thousand Dollars ($750,000) or such lesser amount as shall have been advanced by Payee to Maker and shall remain unpaid under this
Note on the Maturity Date (as defined below) in lawful money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions described
below. All payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as otherwise determined
by the Maker to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of
this Note. Maker and Payee are entering into this Note in connection with the proposed initial public offering of the Maker’s
securities (the “IPO”).
1. Principal. The entire unpaid principal
balance of this Note shall be payable on the earlier of: (i) December 31, 2021, or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an
initial public offering of its securities (such earlier date, the “Maturity Date”). The principal balance may
be prepaid at any time. Under no circumstances shall any individual, including but not limited to any officer, director, employee
or shareholder of the Maker, be obligated personally for any obligations or liabilities of the Maker hereunder.
2. Drawdown Requests. Maker and
Payee agree that Maker may request, from time to time, up to Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000) in draw downs
under this Note to be used for costs and expenses related to Maker’s formation and IPO. Principal of this Note may be
drawn down from time to time prior to the Maturity Date upon written request from Maker to Payee (each, a “Drawdown
Request”), provided that each such Drawdown Request is duly authorized by the board of directors of Maker. Each
Drawdown Request must state the amount to be drawn down, and must not be an amount less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000).
Payee shall fund each Drawdown Request no later than three (3) business days after receipt of a Drawdown Request; provided,
however, that the maximum amount of drawdowns outstanding under this Note at any time may not exceed Seven Hundred Fifty
Thousand Dollars ($750,000). No fees, payments or other amounts shall be due to Payee in connection with, or as a result of,
any Drawdown Request by Maker.
3. Interest. Interest shall accrue
on the unpaid principal balance of this Note at a rate of 0.14% per annum.
4. Application of Payments. All payments
shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without
limitation) reasonable attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late charges, then to accrued interest thereon
to the date of such payment and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
5. Events of Default. The following
shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”):
(a) Failure to Make Required Payments.
Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount and accrued interest due pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the
Maturity Date.
(b) Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The
commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other
similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian,
sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment
for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking of corporate
action by Maker in furtherance of any of the foregoing.
(c) Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The
entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary case
under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee,
sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation
of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days.
6. Remedies.
(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default
specified in Section 5(a) hereof, Payee may, by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately and payable, whereupon
the unpaid interest and principal amount of this Note, and all other amounts payable thereunder, shall become immediately due and
payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived, anything contained
herein or in the documents evidencing the same to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default
specified in Sections 5(b) or 5(c), the unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable with regard to this Note,
shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part of Payee.
7. Waivers. Maker and all endorsers
and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, and notice of
protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the terms of
this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real or
personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution,
or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that any
real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment obtained by virtue hereof, on any writ of execution issued hereon, may
be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order desired by Payee.
8. Unconditional Liability. Maker hereby
waives all notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or enforcement of the payment of this Note,
and agrees that its liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability of any other party, and shall not be affected
in any manner by any indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification granted or consented to by Payee, and consents
to any and all extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be granted by Payee with respect to the payment
or other provisions of this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers, guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto
without notice to Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
9. Notices. All notices, statements
or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered (i) personally or sent
by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided
to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party or (iii) by electronic mail, to
the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in
writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery,
if delivered personally, on the day of receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1)
business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.
10. Construction. THIS NOTE SHALL BE
CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF.
11. Severability. Any provision
contained in this Note which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be
ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and
any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in
any other jurisdiction.
12. Trust Waiver. Notwithstanding anything
herein to the contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”)
in or to any distribution of or from the trust account to be established in which the proceeds of the IPO conducted by the Maker
(including the deferred underwriters discounts and commissions) and the proceeds of the sale of the warrants issued in a private
placement to occur on or prior to the consummation of the IPO are to be deposited, as described in greater detail in the registration
statement and prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees
not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the trust account for any reason whatsoever.
13. Amendment; Waiver. Any amendment
hereto or waiver of any provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written consent of the Maker and Payee.
14. Assignment. No assignment or transfer
of this Note or any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or otherwise) without
the prior written consent of the other party hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent shall be void.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Maker, intending to be legally bound
hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed by the undersigned as of the day and year first above written.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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/s/ John Carney
Hawks
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Name: John Carney Hawks
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Title: Director
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Accepted and agreed this 26th day of January, 2021
HAWKS SPONSOR LLC
By: Hawks Acquisition Founders Company LLC, its managing member
By: JC Hawks & Co LLC, its managing member
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By:
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/s/ John Carney
Hawks
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Name:
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John Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Managing Member
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Exhibit 10.2
[_________], 2021
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY, 10022
Re: Initial Public Offering
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter (this “Letter
Agreement”) is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting
Agreement”) entered into or proposed to be entered into by Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and [_________] [and [_________]] as [the representatives [the
“Representative[s]”) of] the [several] underwriter[s] named therein ([each] an
“Underwriter” [and collectively, the “Underwriters”]), relating to an
underwritten initial public offering (the “Public Offering”), of 23,000,000 of the Company’s units
(including up to 3,000,000 units that may be purchased to cover the Underwriters’ option to purchase additional units, if any)
(the “Units”), each comprised of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $0.0001 per
share (“Class A Common Stock”), and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable public warrant (each whole public
warrant, a “Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of
Class A Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, as described in the Prospectus (as defined below). The
Units will be sold in the Public Offering pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-1 and a prospectus (the
“Prospectus”) filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) and the Company has applied to have the Units listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Certain
capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.
In order to induce the Company and the [Representative(s) on
behalf of the] Underwriter[s] to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and for other good
and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited
liability company (the “Sponsor”), and the other undersigned persons (each such other undersigned persons,
an “Insider” and collectively, the “Insiders”), each hereby agrees, severally
but not jointly, with the Company as follows:
1. The Sponsor and each Insider agrees that if the Company seeks
stockholder approval of a proposed Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed Business Combination, it, he or
she shall (i) vote any Shares owned by it, him or her in favor of any proposed Business Combination (including any proposals recommended
by the Company’s Board of Directors in connection with such Business Combination) and (ii) not redeem any Shares owned by
it, him or her in connection with such stockholder approval. If the Company seeks to consummate a proposed Business Combination
by engaging in a tender offer, the Sponsor and each Insider agrees that it, he or she will not sell or tender any shares of Capital
Stock owned by it, him or her to the Company in connection therewith.
2. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees
that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within 18 months (or up to 24 months, as provided by Section
9.1(c) of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”)), or such other
time period in which we must consummate an initial business combination pursuant to an amendment to the Charter, from the closing of
the Public Offering (the “Completion Window”), or such later period approved by the Company’s stockholders
in accordance with the Charter, the Sponsor and each Insider shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease all operations
except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, subject
to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem 100% of the Class A Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Public Offering (the “Offering
Shares”), 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 (i) taxes payable and (ii) amounts withdrawn to fund the Company’s working capital requirements,
subject to an annual limit of $$1,000,000 (“Permitted Withdrawals”) and less up to $100,000 of interest to
pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish all
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 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 any other requirements of applicable law. The Sponsor and each
Insider agrees to not propose any amendment to the Charter (A) 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 Offering Shares if the
Company does not complete its initial Business Combination within the Completion Window or (B) with respect to any other material provision
relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides its Public Stockholders
with the opportunity to redeem their Offering Shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per share price, payable in cash, equal
to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest (which interest shall be net of Permitted Withdrawals),
divided by the number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
The Sponsor and each Insider acknowledges that it, he or she
has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account as a result of any liquidation
of the Company with respect to the Founder Shares held by it. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby further waives, with respect
to any Shares held by it, him or her, if any, any redemption rights it, he or she may have in connection with (x) the consummation
of a Business Combination, including, without limitation, any such rights available in the context of a stockholder vote to approve
such Business Combination or in the context of a tender offer made by the Company to purchase shares of Class A Common Stock and
(y) a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Charter (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation
to allow redemptions in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of the Offering Shares
if the Company has not consummated its initial Business Combination within the Completion Window or (B) with respect to any other
material provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity (although the Sponsor and
the Insiders shall be entitled to redemption and liquidation rights with respect to any Offering Shares it or they hold if the
Company fails to consummate a Business Combination the time period set forth in the Charter or in connection with a stockholder
vote to approve an amendment to the Charter to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100%
of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter
or with respect to any other material provisions relating to stockholders' rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity).
3. Notwithstanding the provisions set
forth in paragraphs 7(a) and (b) below, during the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and
ending 180 days after such date, the Sponsor and each Insider shall not, without the prior written consent of the
Representative[s], (i) offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of (or
enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by
actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise)), directly or indirectly, or
establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of
Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated
thereunder (the “Exchange Act”), with respect to, any Units, shares of Class A Common Stock,
Public Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Class A Common Stock, (ii) enter
into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of
ownership of any Units, shares of Class A Common Stock, Public Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or
exchangeable for, shares of Class A Common Stock owned by it, him or her, whether any such transaction is to be settled by
delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction
specified in clause (i) or clause (ii); provided, however, that the foregoing does not apply to the forfeiture
of any Founder Shares pursuant to their terms or any transfer of Founder Shares to any current or future independent director
of the company (as long as such current or future independent director transferee is subject to this Letter Agreement or
executes an agreement substantially identical to the terms of this Letter Agreement, as applicable to directors and officers
at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any reporting obligation pursuant to Section 16 of the Exchange
Act is triggered as a result of such transfer, any related filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the
transfer). Each of the Insiders and the Sponsor acknowledges and agrees that, prior to the effective date of any release or
waiver, of the restrictions set forth in this paragraph 3 or paragraph 7 below, the Company shall announce the impending
release or waiver by press release through a major news service at least two business days before the effective date of the
release or waiver. Any such release or waiver granted shall only be effective two business days after the publication date of
such press release. The provisions of this paragraph will not apply if (i) the release or waiver is effected solely to permit
a transfer of securities that is not for consideration and (ii) the transferee has agreed in writing to be bound by the same
terms described in this Letter Agreement to the extent and for the duration that such terms remain in effect at the time of
the transfer.
4. In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, the
Sponsor (which for purposes of clarification shall not extend to any other holder of common stock or any members or managers of
the Sponsor or to any other Insider) agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and all loss, liability, claim,
damage and expense whatsoever (including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating,
preparing or defending against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim whatsoever) to which the Company may
become subject as a result of any claim by (i) any third party (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting
firm) for services rendered or products sold to the Company or (ii) a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed
entering into an agreement for a Business Combination (a “Target”); provided, however,
that such indemnification of the Company by the Sponsor shall apply only to the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by
a third party for services rendered (other than the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm) or products
sold to the Company or a Target do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (i) $10.00 per Offering Share or
(ii) such lesser amount per Offering Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due
to reductions in the value of the trust assets as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, in each case, net of Permitted
Withdrawals, except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account
and except as to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In the event that any such executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against
such third party, the Sponsor shall not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third party claims. The Sponsor
shall have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if, within
15 days following written receipt of notice of the claim to the Sponsor, the Sponsor notifies the Company in writing that it shall
undertake such defense. For the avoidance of doubt, none of the Company’s officers or directors will indemnify the Company
for claims by third parties, including, without limitation, claims by vendors or any Target.
5. To the extent that the Underwriters do not exercise their
over-allotment option up to an additional 3,000,000 Units within 45 days from the date of the Prospectus (and as further described
in the Prospectus), the Sponsor agrees that it shall forfeit, at no cost, an aggregate number of Founder Shares in the aggregate
equal to the product of (a) 3,000,000 multiplied by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 750,000 minus the number of Units
purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their option to purchase additional Units, and (ii) the denominator of which
is 750,000. All references in this Letter Agreement to Founder Shares of the Company being forfeited shall take effect as a contribution
of such Founder Shares to the Company’s capital as a matter of Delaware law. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent
that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriters so that the number of Founder Shares will equal an
aggregate of 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock after the Public Offering. The Initial
Stockholders further agree that to the extent that the size of the Public Offering is increased or decreased, the Company will
effect a capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or stock split, reverse stock split or other appropriate mechanism, as
applicable, immediately prior to the consummation of the Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the number of Founder Shares
at 20.0% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares of Capital Stock upon the consummation of the Public Offering. In
connection with such increase or decrease in the size of the Public Offering, then (A) the references to 750,000 in the numerator
and denominator of the formula in the first sentence of this paragraph shall be changed to a number equal to 15.0% of the number
of shares of Class A Common Stock included in the Units issued in the Public Offering and (B) the reference to 750,000 in the formula
set forth in the immediately preceding sentence shall be adjusted to such number of Founder Shares that the Sponsor would have
to return to the Company in order for the number of Founder Shares to equal an aggregate of 20.0% of the Company’s issued
and outstanding shares of Capital Stock after the Public Offering.
6. The Sponsor and each Insider hereby agrees and acknowledges
that: (i) the Underwriters and the Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by such Sponsor or Insider of
its, his or her obligations under paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7(a), 7(b), and 9, as applicable, of this Letter Agreement, (ii) monetary
damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to seek injunctive relief,
in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.
7. (a) Subject to the exceptions set forth herein, the Sponsor
and each Insider agrees that it, he or she shall not Transfer (as defined below) any Founder Shares (or shares of Class A Common
Stock issuable upon conversion thereof) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of the Company’s initial Business
Combination and (B) subsequent to the 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 the Company’s initial Business Combination
or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction
that results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A Common Stock for cash, securities
or other property (the “Founder Shares Lock-up Period”).
(b) Subject to the exceptions set forth herein, the Sponsor
and each Insider agrees that it, he or she shall not Transfer any Private Placement Warrants or Working Capital Warrants (or shares
of Class A Common Stock issued or issuable upon the conversion or exercise of the Private Placement Warrants), until 30 days after
the completion of a Business Combination (the “Private Placement Warrants Lock-up Period,” together with
the Founder Shares Lock-up Period, the “Lock-up Periods”).
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions set forth in paragraphs 3
and 7(a) and (b), Transfers of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and shares of Class A Common Stock issued or issuable
upon the exercise or conversion of the Private Placement Warrants or the Founder Shares and that are held by the Sponsor or any
Insider or any of their permitted transferees (that have complied with this paragraph 7(c)), are permitted (a) to the Company’s
officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of the Company’s officers or directors, any members of the
Sponsor, or any affiliates of the Sponsor, (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of the individual’s immediate
family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family or an affiliate of such person,
or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of
the individual; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers
made in connection with the consummation of the Company’s Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which
the securities were originally purchased; (f) by an Insider to an entity that is an Affiliate of such Insider; (g) in the event
of the Company’s liquidation prior to the Company’s completion of an initial Business Combination; (h) by virtue of
the laws of Delaware or the Sponsor’s limited liability company agreement, as amended, upon dissolution of the Sponsor; (i)
to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (a) through
(h) above; or (j) in the event of the Company’s completion of a liquidation, merger, stock exchange, reorganization or other
similar transaction which results in all of the Public Stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A Common
Stock for cash, securities or other property subsequent to the Company’s completion of an initial Business Combination; provided,
however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) and (i), these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement
with the Company agreeing to be bound by the transfer restrictions and other applicable restrictions in this Letter Agreement.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any holder any other person who, directly or indirectly (including
through one or more intermediaries), controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person. For purposes of
this definition, “control,” when used with respect to any specified person, shall meant the power, direct or indirect,
to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of such person, whether through ownership of voting securities
or partnership or other ownership interests, by contract or otherwise; and the terms “controlling” and “controlled”
shall have correlative meanings.
8. The Sponsor and each Insider represents and warrants that
it, he or she has never been suspended or expelled from membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association or
had a securities or commodities license or registration denied, suspended or revoked. Each Insider’s biographical information
furnished to the Company, if any (including any such information included in the Prospectus), is true and accurate in all respects
and does not omit any material information with respect to such Insider’s background. The Sponsor and each Insider’s
questionnaire furnished to the Company, if any, is true and accurate in all respects. The Sponsor and each Insider represents and
warrants that: it, he or she is not subject to or a respondent in any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order
or order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction;
it, he or she has never been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any crime (i) involving fraud, (ii) relating to any financial
transaction or handling of funds of another person, or (iii) pertaining to any dealings in any securities and it, he or she is
not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding.
9. Except as disclosed in, or as expressly contemplated by,
the Prospectus, neither the Sponsor nor any Insider nor any affiliate of the Sponsor or any Insider, nor any director or officer
of the Company, shall receive from the Company any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any
repayment of a loan or other compensation prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate the consummation
of the Company’s initial Business Combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than the following,
none of which will be made from the proceeds held in the Trust Account prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination:
(i) repayment of a loan and advances of up to $750,000 made to the Company by the Sponsors to cover expenses related to the organization
of the Company and the Public Offering; (ii) reimbursement for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating
and consummating an initial Business Combination; and (iii) repayment of loans, if any, and on such terms as to be determined by
the Company from time to time, made by the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors to finance transaction
costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, provided, that, if the Company does not consummate an
initial Business Combination, a portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account may be used by the Company to repay
such loaned amounts so long as no proceeds from the Trust Account are used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may
be convertible into warrants (the “Working Capital Warrants”) of the post Business Combination entity
at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants,
including as to exercise price, exercisability and exercise period.
10. The Sponsor and each Insider has full right and power, without
violating any agreement to which it is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or non-solicitation agreement
with any employer or former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement and, as applicable, to serve as an officer and/or a
director on the board of directors of the Company and hereby consents to being named in the Prospectus as an officer and/or a director
of the Company.
11. As used herein, (i)
“Business Combination” shall mean a merger, consolidation, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition,
stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses; (ii)
“Capital Stock” shall mean, collectively, the Class A Common Stock and the Founder Shares; (iii)
“Founder Shares” shall mean the 5,750,000 shares of Class B Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share,
issued and outstanding immediately prior to the consummation of the Public Offering; (iv) “Initial
Stockholders” shall mean the Sponsor and any Insider that holds Founder Shares; (v) “Private Placement
Warrants” shall mean the warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 6,500,000 shares of Class A Common Stock of the
Company (or 7,100,000 shares of Class A Common Stock if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) that the Sponsor has agreed
to purchase for an aggregate purchase price of $6,500,000 (or $7,100,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$11.50 per Private Placement Warrant, in a private placement transaction that shall occur simultaneously with the consummation of
the Public Offering; (vi) “Public Stockholders” shall mean the holders of securities issued in the Public
Offering; (vii) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of the net proceeds of the
Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants shall be deposited; and (viii) “Transfer”
shall mean the (a) sale or assignment of, offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant of any option to
purchase or otherwise dispose of or agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment or increase of a put
equivalent position or liquidation with respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the meaning of the Exchange Act
with respect to, any security, (b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of
the economic consequences of ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such
securities, in cash or otherwise, or (c) public announcement of any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (a) or
(b) herein.
12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and
understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements,
or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter
hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than
to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by (1) each Insider that
is the subject of any such change, amendment modification or waiver and (2) the Sponsor.
13. Except as otherwise provided
herein, no party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder
without the prior written consent of the other parties. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void
and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This Letter
Agreement shall be binding on the Sponsor and each Insider and their respective successors, heirs and assigns and permitted
transferees.
14. Nothing in this Letter Agreement shall be construed to confer
upon, or give to, any person or entity other than the parties hereto any right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Letter
Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises
and agreements contained in this Letter Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors,
heirs, personal representatives and assigns and permitted transferees.
15. This Letter Agreement may be executed in any number of original
or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts
shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.
16. This Letter Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the
invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Letter Agreement
or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties
hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Letter Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable
provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.
17. This Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed
and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would
result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding,
claim or dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of
New York City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall
be exclusive and (ii) waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an inconvenient
forum.
18. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection
with any of the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private
courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or facsimile or other electronic transmission.
19. Each party hereto shall not be liable for any breaches or
misrepresentations contained in this Letter Agreement by any other party to this Letter Agreement (including, for the avoidance
of doubt, any Insider with respect to any other Insider), and no party shall be liable or responsible for the obligations of another
party, including, without limitation, indemnification obligations and notice obligations.
20. This Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of
(i) the expiration of the Lock-up Periods and (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided, however, that this Letter
Agreement shall earlier terminate in the event that the Public Offering is not consummated and closed by [●], 2021; provided
further that paragraph 4 of this Letter Agreement shall survive such liquidation.
[Signature page
follows]
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Sincerely,
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HAWKS SPONSOR LLC
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[D&O Name]
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[D&O Name]
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[D&O Name]
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[D&O Name]
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[OTHER ADVISOR]
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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Acknowledged and Agreed:
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Letter Agreement]
Exhibit 10.3
FORM OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This Investment Management Trust Agreement
(this “Agreement”) is made effective as of [_], 2021 by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York limited purpose trust company
(the “Trustee”).
WHEREAS, the
Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-[_] (the “Registration Statement”) and
prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the initial public offering of the Company’s units (the
“Units”), each of which consists of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per
share (the “Common Stock”), and one-half of one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant entitling the holder
thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock (such initial public offering hereinafter referred to as the
“Offering”), has been declared effective as of the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
and
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting
Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with [Representative] (the “Representative”) of
the several underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”); and
WHEREAS, as described in the Registration
Statement, an aggregate of $200,000,000 from the gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Private Placement Warrants (as defined
in the Underwriting Agreement) (or $230,000,000 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be delivered
to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust
Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Common Stock included in the Units issued in the Offering
as hereinafter provided (the amount to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) is referred to
herein as the “Property,” the stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will
be referred to as the “Public Stockholders,” and the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to
together as the “Beneficiaries”); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement,
a portion of the Property equal to $[_], or $[_] if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, is attributable
to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions that will be payable by the Company to the Underwriters upon and concurrently
with the consummation of the Business Combination (as defined below) (the “Deferred Discount”); and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire
to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property.
NOW THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1.
Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established
by the Trustee in the United States at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (or at another U.S. – chartered commercial bank with consolidated
assets of $100 billion or more) and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;
(b) Manage, supervise and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;
(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in solely United States
government securities within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, having a maturity
of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting the conditions of paragraphs (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4) of Rule 2a-7
promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government
treasury obligations, as determined by the Company; the Trustee may not invest in any other securities or assets, it being understood
that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder
and the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration;
(d) Collect and receive, when due, all interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,”
as such term is used herein;
(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property
requiring action by the Company;
(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection
with the Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account or in connection with the
preparation or completion of the audit of the Company’s financial statements by the Company’s auditors;
(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as
and when instructed by the Company to do so;
(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of, and amounts in, the Trust Account reflecting all
receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i) Commence
liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x) receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of
a letter from the Company (“Termination Letter”) in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto
as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, as applicable, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive
Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary or Chairman of the board of directors of the Company (the
“Board”) or other authorized officer of the Company and, in the case of Exhibit A,
acknowledged and agreed to by the Representative and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the
Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of amounts withdrawn in
accordance with this Agreement and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution
expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or (y) upon the date
which is the later of (i) 18 months (or up to 24 months, as provided by Section 9(c) of the Company’s amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation) and (ii) such later date as may be approved by the
Company’s stockholders in accordance with the Company’s amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation, if a
Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to such date, in which case the Trust Account shall be
liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the
Property in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (net of amounts withdrawn in
accordance with this Agreement and less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution
expenses) shall be distributed to the Public Stockholders of record as of such date;
(j)
Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached
hereto as Exhibit C (a “Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction”), withdraw from the Trust Account and
distribute to the Company the amount of interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to cover any tax obligation owed
by the Company as a result of assets of the Company or interest or other income earned on the Property, which amount shall be delivered
directly to the Company, the Company shall forward such amount to the relevant taxing authority; provided, however,
that to the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax obligation, the Trustee shall liquidate such
assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to make such distribution, so long as there is
no reduction in the principal amount per share initially deposited in the Trust account; provided, further, that
if the tax to be paid is a franchise tax, the written request by the Company to make such distribution shall be accompanied by
a copy of the franchise tax bill from the relevant taxing authority for the Company. The written request of the Company referenced
above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility
to look beyond said request;
(k) [Upon
written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached
hereto as Exhibit D (a “Working Capital Withdrawal Instruction”), withdraw from the Trust Account
and distribute to the Company the amount of interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to fund working capital
compliance requirements (a “Working Capital Withdrawal”), which amount shall be delivered directly to the
Company; provided, however, that to the extent there is not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to fund such
Working Capital Withdrawal, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the Trust Account as shall be designated by the
Company in writing to make such distribution, so long as there is no reduction in the principal amount initially deposited in
the Trust account. The written request of the Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the
Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request; provided,
further, that Working Capital Withdrawal shall not exceed $[●] per annum;] / [Reserved]
(l)
Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached
hereto as Exhibit [E] (a “Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction”), the Trustee shall distribute
to the Public Stockholders on behalf of the Company the amount requested by the Company to be used to redeem shares of Common Stock
from Public Stockholders properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s
amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to
redeem 100% of its public shares of Common Stock if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within such
time as is described in the Company’s amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation or with respect to any other material
provisions relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity. The written request of the Company
referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee shall
have no responsibility to look beyond said request; and
(m)
Not make any withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than pursuant to Section 1(i), (j),
(k) or (l) above.
2.
Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company hereby agrees and covenants to:
(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the Company’s Chairman of the Board, President,
Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or Secretary. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i),
1(j), 1(k) and 1(l) hereof, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic
advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized
above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;
(b) Subject
to Section 4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all reasonable
and documented out-of-pocket expenses, including reasonable outside counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the
Trustee in connection with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding
brought against the Trustee involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand, which arises out of or relates to
this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest earned on the Property, except for
expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s, or its representatives’, gross negligence, fraud or willful
misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or
proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this Section 2(b), it shall
notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The
Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim; provided that the
Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel; provided, further
that the Company may conduct and manage the defense against any Indemnified Claim if the Trustee does not promptly take
reasonable steps to mount such a defense. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written
consent of the Company. The Company may participate in any such action with its own counsel;
(c) Pay the Trustee the fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial set-up fee, annual administration
fee, and transaction processing fee which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly
understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until the property is distributed to the Company pursuant
to Sections 1(i) hereof. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial set-up fee and the first annual administration
fee at the consummation of the Offering. The Trustee shall refund to the Company the annual administration fee (on a pro rata
basis) with respect to any period after the liquidation of the Trust Account. The Company shall not be responsible for any other
fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this Section 2(c), Schedule A and as may be provided
in Section 2(b) hereof;
(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition,
stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination involving the Company and one or more businesses (the “Business
Combination”), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of the inspector of elections for the stockholder meeting
verifying the vote of such stockholders regarding such Business Combination;
(e) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence that is sent to the
Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same;
(f) Unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Representative, ensure that any Instruction Letter delivered in connection
with a Termination Letter in the form of Exhibit A expressly provides that the Deferred Discount is paid directly to
the accounts as directed by the Representative prior to any transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account to the Company or any
other person;
(g) Instruct the Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under this Agreement, and refrain from instructing
the Trustee to make any distributions that are not permitted under this Agreement; and
(h) Within four (4) business days after the Underwriters exercise the over-allotment option (or any unexercised portion
thereof) or such over-allotment expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing of the total amount of the Deferred Discount,
which shall in no event be less than $[●], or $[●] if the Underwriters’ overallotment option is exercised in
full.
3.
Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other
than this Agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein;
(b) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1 hereof, and the Trustee shall
have no liability to any third party except for liability arising out of the Trustee’s, or its representatives’, gross
negligence, fraud, or willful misconduct;
(c) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in or defend
any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company
given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any reasonably
incurred expenses incident thereto;
(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;
(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing
unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority
to the Trustee;
(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken
or omitted, in good faith and in the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s, or its representatives’,
gross negligence, fraud, or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order,
notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may be the Company’s
counsel), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness
of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which the Trustee believes,
in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee
shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement or any of
the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or parties and,
if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;
(g) Verify the accuracy of the information contained in the Registration Statement;
(h) Provide any assurance that any Business Combination entered into by the Company or any other action taken by the Company
is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;
(i) File information returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or federal taxing authority or provide
periodic written statements to the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any, relating to any interest income
earned on the Property;
(j) Prepare, execute and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes with respect to any income generated
by, and activities relating to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by the Trust Account or the Company,
including, but not limited to, franchise and income tax obligations, except pursuant to Section 1(j) hereof; or
(k) Verify calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Company’s written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i),
1(j), 1(k) and 1(l) hereof.
4.
Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”)
to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account
that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including,
without limitation, under Section 2(b) or Section 2(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely
against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.
5.
Termination and Replacement of Trustee. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use
its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall continue to act in accordance with this Agreement.
At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed and has agreed to become subject
to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including
but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account and any other reasonable
transfer requests that the Company may make, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that in
the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from
the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York
or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be
immune from any liability whatsoever; or
(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and its obligations in accordance with
the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination
Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 2(b).
(c) If
the Offering is not consummated within ten (10) business days of the date of this Agreement, in which case any funds received
by the Trustee from the Company or Sponsor, as applicable, shall be returned promptly following the receipt by the Trustee of
written instructions from the Company.
6.
Miscellaneous.
(a) The Company and the Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security procedures set forth below with respect
to funds transferred from the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information
relating to such security procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason
to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of any change in its authorized personnel.
In executing funds transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including, account names,
account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a Beneficiary, Beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank.
Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s, or its representatives’, gross negligence, fraud, or willful
misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability or out-of-pocket expense resulting from any error in the information
or transmission of the funds.
(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York,
without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.
This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and
together shall constitute but one instrument.
(c) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter
hereof. This Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified (other than to correct a typographical
error) by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d) Sections 1(i)
and 1(j) hereof may only be changed, amended or modified pursuant to Section 6(c) hereof with the Consent
of the Stockholders, it being the specific intention of the parties hereto that each of the Company’s stockholders is,
and shall be, a third party beneficiary of this Section 6(d) with the same right and power to enforce this Section 6(d) as
the other parties hereto. For purposes of this Section 6(d), the “Consent of the Stockholders”
means receipt by the Trustee of a certificate from the inspector of elections of the stockholder meeting certifying that
either (i) the Company’s stockholders of record as of a record date established in accordance with
Section 213(a) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as amended (“DGCL”) (or any successor rule),
who hold sixty-five percent (65%) or more of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock and Class B common stock, par
value $0.0001 per share, of the Company voting together as a single class, have voted in favor of such change, amendment or
modification, or (ii) the Company’s stockholders of record as of the record date who hold sixty-five percent (65%)
or more of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock and Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the
Company voting together as a single class, have delivered to such entity a signed writing approving such change, amendment or
modification. No such amendment will affect any Public Stockholder who has otherwise indicated his election to redeem his
share of Common Stock in connection with a stockholder vote sought to amend the Certificate of Incorporation. Except for any
liability arising out of the Trustee’s, or its representatives’, gross negligence, fraud, or willful misconduct,
the Trustee may rely conclusively on the certification from the inspector or elections referenced above and shall be relieved
of all liability to any party for executing the proposed amendment in reliance thereon.
(e) The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York,
County of New York, State of New York, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM
OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(f) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be
in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested),
by hand delivery or by facsimile or email transmission:
if to the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock Transfer &
Trust Company
1 State Street
30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and [_]
Email: fwolf@continentalstock.com
[_]
if to the Company, to:
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Attn: J. Carney Hawks
Email: [carneyhawks@outlook.com]
in each case, with copies to:
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019
Attn: Brian M. Janson, Esq.
Email: bjanson@paulweiss.com
Fax No.: (212) 492-0588
and
[Representative]
[Address]
Attn: [Name]
in each case, with copies to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
811 Main Street, Suite 3700
Houston, TX 77002
Attn.: Ryan J. Maierson, Esq.
Email: ryan.maierson@lw.com
(g) This Agreement may not be assigned by the Trustee without the prior consent of the Company.
(h) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized
to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder. The Trustee acknowledges and
agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled
to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance.
(i) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Representative, on behalf of the Underwriters,
is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.
(j) The Trustee shall perform its duties under this Agreement in compliance with all applicable laws[, including those relating
to privacy, data protection and information security,] shall keep confidential all information [(including personally identifiable
information and personal data)] relating to this Agreement and, except as required by applicable law, shall not use such information
for any purpose other than the performance of the Trustee’s obligations under this Agreement.
(k) Except as specified herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or delegate its obligations hereunder to any
other person or entity.
(l) Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary in this Agreement, for purposes of all services provided pursuant to this Agreement (the
“Services”), Trustee shall continuously maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans (including
regular updates) that are consistent with then current industry standards applicable to similarly situated providers of
services comparable to the Services. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the business continuity and/or
disaster recovery plans will cover the computer software, computer hardware, telecommunications capabilities and other
similar or related items of automated, computerized, software system(s) and network(s) or system(s) and will be designed,
among other things, to permit the ongoing operation and functionality of the Services on a continuous basis and/or to
facilitate the continuation and/or resumption of, the Services. In the event of the disruption in the Services for any reason
including the occurrence of a force majeure event that causes Trustee to be required to allocate limited resources between or
among Trustee’s affected customers, Trustee shall not do so in a manner that is intended to treat the Company less
favorably than other similarly situated affected customers generally. In addition, in the event Trustee has knowledge that
there is, or has been, an incident affecting the integrity or availability of Trustee’s business continuity and
disaster recovery system, Trustee shall endeavor to notify the Company in writing, as promptly as practicable, of the
incident.
(m) This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original
but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability
is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have
duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.
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Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Trustee
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By:
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Name:
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Francis Wolf
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Title:
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Vice President
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By:
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Name:
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J. Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Chief Executive Officer
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[Signature Page
to Investment Management Trust Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
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Fee Item
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Time and method of payment
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Amount
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Initial set-up fee.
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Initial closing of Offering by wire transfer.
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$ [_]
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Trustee administration fee
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Payable annually. First year fee payable at initial closing of Offering by wire transfer; thereafter, payable by wire transfer or check.
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$ [_]
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Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Sections 1(i), 1(j), 1(k) and 1(l)
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Billed to Company following disbursement made to Company under Section 1
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$ [_]
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Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(l)
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Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(l)
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Prevailing rates
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EXHIBIT A
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & [_]
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Re:
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Trust Account No. [_] - Termination Letter
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Dear Mr. Wolf and [_]:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the
Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [_], 20[_] (the “Trust Agreement”), this
is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [Target] (the “Target Business”) to consummate
a business combination with Target Business (the “Business Combination”) on or about [Date]. The Company shall
notify you at least seventy-two (72) hours in advance of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation
Date”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account, and to transfer the proceeds
into the trust operating account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of the funds held
in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the
Consummation Date (including as directed to it by the Representative) (with respect to the Deferred Discount). It is acknowledged
and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the trust operating account at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., awaiting distribution,
the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.
On the Consummation Date
(i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been
consummated, or will be consummated substantially concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the
Company (the “Notification”) and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) [an affidavit] [a
certificate] of the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by
a vote of the Company’s stockholders, if a vote is held and (b) a joint written instruction signed by the Company
and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of amounts owed
to public stockholders who have properly exercised their redemptions rights and payment of amounts of the Deferred Discount
to the underwriter from the Trust Account directly to the account or accounts directed by the Representative (the
“Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust
Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the
Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation
Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such
funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution
of all the funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust
Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the event that the Business Combination
is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original
Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company, the funds
held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately
following the Consummation Date as set forth in such written instructions as soon thereafter as possible.
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & [_]
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Re:
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Trust Account No. [_] - Termination Letter
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Dear Mr. Wolf and [_]:
Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the
Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [_], 20[_] (the “Trust Agreement”), this
is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a Target Business within the time frame
specified in the Company’s amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Company’s Prospectus
relating to the Offering. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In accordance with the terms of the Trust
Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into
a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has
selected [insert completion deadline] as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Stockholders will be
entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity
as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement
and the amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any payments
necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement
shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise provided in Section 1(i) of the Trust Agreement.
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & [_]
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Re:
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Trust Account No. [_] - Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction
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Dear Mr. Wolf and [_]:
Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the
Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company the “Trustee”), dated as of [_], 20[_] (the “Trust Agreement”), the Company
hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $___________ of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof.
Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay for the
tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement,
you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to
the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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[EXHIBIT D
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & [_]
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Re:
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Trust Account No.[_] - Working Capital Withdrawal Instruction
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Dear Mr. Wolf and [_]:
Pursuant to Section 1(k) of
the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [_], 20[_] (the “Trust Agreement”),
the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $___________ of the interest income earned on the Property as of the
date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to fund its working
capital requirements. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via
wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:
[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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EXHIBIT E
[Letterhead of Company]
[Insert date]
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf & [_]
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Re:
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Trust Account No. [_] - Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction
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Dear Mr. Wolf and [_]:
Pursuant to Section 1(l) of the
Investment Management Trust Agreement between Hawks Acquisition Corp (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of [_], 20[_] (the “Trust Agreement”), the
Company hereby requests that you deliver to the redeeming Public Stockholders of the Company $__________ of the principal and interest
income earned on the Property as of the date hereof into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries for distribution
to the Stockholders who have requested redemption of their shares. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the
meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
The Company needs such funds to pay its Public
Stockholders who have properly elected to have their shares of Common Stock redeemed by the Company in connection with a stockholder
vote to approve an amendment to the Company’s amended and restated Certificate of Incorporation. As such, you are hereby
directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter.
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Very truly yours,
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Hawks Acquisition Corp
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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Exhibit 10.4
FORM OF REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”),
dated as of [DATE], is made and entered into by and among Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”),
Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), and the undersigned parties
listed under Holder on the signature pages hereto (each such party, together with the Sponsor and any person or entity who hereafter
becomes a party to this Agreement pursuant to Section 5.2 of this Agreement, a “Holder” and collectively
the “Holders”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company and the Sponsor
have entered into that certain Securities Subscription Agreement, dated as of [___], pursuant to which the Sponsor purchased an
aggregate of 5,750,000 shares after giving effect to stock-splits occurring on or prior to the date hereof (the “Founder
Shares”) of the Company’s Class B Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Class
B Common Stock”), up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture to the Company for no consideration depending
on the extent to which the underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering exercise their over-allotment option;
WHEREAS, the Founder Shares will automatically
convert into Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (the “Common Stock”) at
the time of the Company’s initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, on the terms and conditions
provided in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation;
WHEREAS, on [___], the Company and
the Sponsor entered into that certain Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement (the “Private Placement Warrants
Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which the Sponsor agreed to purchase 6,500,000 warrants (or up to 7,100,000 warrants
if the over-allotment option in connection with the Company’s initial public offering is exercised in full) (the “Private
Placement Warrants”), in a private placement transaction occurring simultaneously with the closing of the Company’s
initial public offering (and the closing over the over-allotment option, if applicable); and
WHEREAS, in order to finance the Company’s
transaction costs in connection with its search for and consummation of an initial Business Combination (as defined below) the
Sponsor or affiliates of the Sponsor or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may loan to the Company funds as
the Company may require, of which up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants (“Working Capital
Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per warrant; and
WHEREAS, the Company and the Holders
desire to enter into this Agreement, pursuant to which the Company shall grant the Holders certain registration rights with respect
to certain securities of the Company, as set forth in this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the representations, covenants and agreements contained herein, and certain other good and valuable consideration, the receipt
and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
1.1.
Definitions. The terms defined in this Article I shall, for all purposes of this Agreement, have the respective
meanings set forth below:
“Adverse Disclosure”
shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment [of the Chief
Executive Officer or principal financial officer] of the Company, [after consultation with counsel to the Company], (i) would be
required to be made in any Registration Statement or Prospectus in order for the applicable Registration Statement or Prospectus
not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained
therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were
made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the Registration Statement were not being filed, and
(iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.
“Agreement” shall
have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Board” shall mean
the Board of Directors of the Company.
“Business Combination”
shall mean any merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination
with one or more businesses, involving the Company.
“Business Day” means
any day other than a Saturday or Sunday, that is neither a legal holiday nor a day on which banking institutions are generally
authorized or required by law or regulation to close in the City of New York, New York.
“Class B Common Stock”
shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Commission” shall
mean the Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Common Stock” shall
have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Company” shall
have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Demand Registration”
shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Demanding Holder”
shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Exchange Act” shall
mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as it may be amended from time to time.
“Form S-1” shall
have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Form S-3” shall
have the meaning given in subsection 2.3.
“Founder Shares”
shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto and shall be deemed to include the shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion
thereof.
“Founder Shares Lock-up Period”
shall mean, with respect to the Founder Shares, the period ending on the earlier of (A) one year after the date of the consummation
of the Company’s initial Business Combination or (B) subsequent to the Company’s initial Business Combination, (i)
the date on which the last sale price of the 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 the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination or (ii) the date on which the Company
consummates a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of
the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property.
“Holders” shall
have the meaning given in the Preamble.
“Insider Letter”
shall mean that certain letter agreement, dated as of [___], by and among the Company, the Sponsor and each of the Company’s
officers, directors and director nominees.
“Maximum Number of Securities”
shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.4.
“Misstatement” shall
mean an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a Registration Statement
or Prospectus, or necessary to make the statements in a Registration Statement or Prospectus (in the case of a Prospectus, in the
light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading.
“Permitted Transferees”
shall mean any person or entity to whom a Holder of Registrable Securities is permitted to transfer such Registrable Securities
prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period, Private Placement Lock-up Period or any other lock-up period, as
the case may be, and pursuant to the Insider Letter, the Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement, this Agreement and any
other applicable agreement between such Holder and the Company, in each case for so long as such agreements remain in effect, and
to any transferee thereafter.
“Piggyback Registration”
shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.2.1.
“Private Placement Lock-up Period”
shall mean, with respect to Private Placement Warrants that are held by the initial purchasers of such Private Placement Warrants
or their Permitted Transferees, and any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise or conversion of the Private
Placement Warrants that are held by the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants or their Permitted Transferees, the
period ending 30 days after the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination.
“Private Placement Warrants”
shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Private Placement Warrants Purchase
Agreement” shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
“Prospectus” shall
mean the prospectus included in any Registration Statement, as supplemented by any and all prospectus supplements and as amended
by any and all post-effective amendments and including all material incorporated by reference in such prospectus.
“Prospectus Date”
shall mean the date of the final prospectus filed with the Commission and relating to the Company’s initial public offering.
“Registrable
Security” shall mean (a) the Founder Shares and the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the
conversion of any Founder Shares, (b) the Private Placement Warrants (including any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable
upon the exercise of any such Private Placement Warrants), (c) any outstanding share of Common Stock or any other equity
security (including, without limitation, the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any other equity
security, units comprising shares of Common Stock and warrants, or warrants) of the Company held by a Holder from time to
time, (d) any equity securities (including the shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon the exercise of any such equity
security) of the Company issuable upon conversion of any working capital loans in an amount of up to $1,500,000 made to the
Company by a Holder (including the Working Capital Warrants and any shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the
Working Capital Warrants) and (e) any other equity security of the Company issued or issuable with respect to any such share
of Common Stock by way of a stock dividend or stock split or in connection with a combination of shares, recapitalization,
merger, consolidation or reorganization; provided, however, that, as to any particular Registrable Security,
such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (A) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such
securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred,
disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (B) such securities shall have been otherwise
transferred, new certificates for such securities not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered
by the Company and subsequent public distribution of such securities shall not require registration under the Securities Act;
(C) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding; (D) such securities have been sold without registration pursuant to
Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act or Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated
thereafter by the Commission) without limitation on the amount of securities sold or the manner of sale; or (E) such
securities have been sold to, or through, a broker, dealer or underwriter in a public distribution or other public securities
transaction.
“Registration” shall
mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements
of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming
effective.
“Registration Expenses”
shall mean the out-of-pocket expenses of a Registration, including, without limitation, the following:
(A)
all registration, filing and listing fees and expenses (including fees with respect to filings required to be made with
the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. and any securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are then listed);
(B)
fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel
for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities);
(C)
printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses;
(D)
reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company;
(E)
reasonable fees and disbursements of all independent registered public accountants of the Company incurred specifically
in connection with such Registration;
(F)
reasonable fees and expenses of one (1) legal counsel selected by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating
a Demand Registration to be registered for offer and sale in the applicable Registration; and
(G)
reasonable fees and disbursements of Underwriters customarily paid by the issuer or sellers of securities, including liability
insurance if the Company so desires or if the Underwriters so require (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer
taxes, if any, and fees and disbursements of counsel to Underwriters (other than reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for
the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of Registrable Securities)).
“Registration Statement”
shall mean any registration statement that covers the Registrable Securities pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including
the Prospectus included in such registration statement, amendments (including post-effective amendments) and supplements to such
registration statement, and all exhibits to and all material incorporated by reference in such registration statement.
“Requesting Holder”
shall have the meaning given in subsection 2.1.1.
“Securities Act”
shall mean the Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time.
“Sponsor” shall
have the meaning given in the Preamble hereto.
“Underwriter” shall
mean a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an Underwritten Offering and not as part of such
dealer’s market-making activities.
“Underwritten Registration”
or “Underwritten Offering” shall mean a Registration in which securities of the Company are sold to an
Underwriter in a firm commitment underwriting for distribution to the public.
“Working Capital Warrants”
shall have the meaning given in the Recitals hereto.
ARTICLE II
REGISTRATIONS
2.1.
Demand Registration.
2.1.1 Request
for Registration. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, at any time and
from time to time on or after the date the Company consummates the Business Combination, the Holders of at least 20% in
interest of the then-outstanding number of Registrable Securities (the “Demanding Holders”) may
make a written demand for Registration of all or part of their Registrable Securities, which written demand shall describe
the amount and type of securities to be included in such Registration and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof
(such written demand a “Demand Registration”). The Company shall, within ten (10) Business Days of
the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, notify, in writing, all other Holders of Registrable Securities of
such demand, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such
Holder’s Registrable Securities in a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration (each such Holder that includes all
or a portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration, a “Requesting
Holder”) shall so notify the Company, in writing, within five (5) Business Days after the receipt by the Holder
of the notice from the Company. Upon receipt by the Company of any such written notification from a Requesting Holder(s) to
the Company, such Requesting Holder(s) shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in a Registration
pursuant to a Demand Registration and the Company shall effect, as soon thereafter as practicable, but not more than forty
five (45) days immediately after the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration, the Registration of all Registrable
Securities requested by the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders pursuant to such Demand Registration. Under no
circumstances shall the Company be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three (3) Registrations pursuant to a Demand
Registration under this subsection 2.1.1 with respect to any or all Registrable Securities; provided, however,
that a Registration shall not be counted for such purposes unless a Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration statement
that may be available at such time (“Form S-1”) has become effective and all of the Registrable
Securities requested by the Requesting Holders to be registered on behalf of the Requesting Holders in such Form S-1
Registration have been sold, in accordance with Section 3.1 of this Agreement.
2.1.2
Effective Registration. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection 2.1.1 above or any other part of this
Agreement, a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration shall not count as a Registration unless and until (i) the Registration
Statement filed with the Commission with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration has been declared effective
by the Commission and (ii) the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided,
further, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, an offering of Registrable Securities in
a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration is subsequently interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission,
federal or state court or any other governmental agency the Registration Statement with respect to such Registration shall be deemed
not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated,
and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating such Demand Registration thereafter affirmatively elect to
continue with such Registration and accordingly notify the Company in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days, of such
election; and provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated or required to file another Registration
Statement until the Registration Statement that has been previously filed with respect to a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration
becomes effective or is subsequently terminated.
2.1.3
Underwritten Offering. Subject to the provisions of subsection 2.1.4 and Section 2.4 hereof, if a majority-in-interest
of the Demanding Holders so advise the Company as part of their Demand Registration that the offering of the Registrable Securities
pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an Underwritten Offering, then the right of such Demanding Holder
or Requesting Holder (if any) to include its Registrable Securities in such Registration shall be conditioned upon such Holder’s
participation in such Underwritten Offering and the inclusion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Underwritten
Offering to the extent provided herein. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through an Underwritten
Offering under this subsection 2.1.3 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter(s)
selected for such Underwritten Offering by the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating the Demand Registration.
2.1.4 Reduction
of Underwritten Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration pursuant to a
Demand Registration, in good faith, advises the Company, the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any) in writing
that the dollar amount or number of Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and the Requesting Holders (if any)
desire to sell, taken together with all other Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell and
the Common Stock, if any, as to which a Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back
registration rights held by any other stockholders who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of
equity securities that can be sold in the Underwritten Offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the
timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number
of such securities, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Securities”), then the Company shall
include in such Underwritten Offering, as follows: (i) first, the Registrable Securities of the Demanding Holders and the
Requesting Holders (if any) (pro rata based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Demanding Holder and
Requesting Holder (if any) has requested be included in such Underwritten Registration and the aggregate number of
Registrable Securities that the Demanding Holders and Requesting Holders have requested be included in such Underwritten
Registration) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (ii) second, to the extent that the
Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities of
Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection 2.2.1 hereof (pro rata
based on the respective number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested), without exceeding the Maximum
Number of Securities; (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the
foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which
can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of
Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), Common Stock or other
equity securities of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register in a Registration pursuant to
separate written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of
Securities.
2.1.5
Demand Registration Withdrawal. A majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders initiating a Demand Registration
or a majority-in-interest of the Requesting Holders (if any), pursuant to a Registration under subsection 2.1.1 shall have
the right to withdraw from a Registration pursuant to such Demand Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification
to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any) of their intention to withdraw from such Registration prior to the
effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to the Registration of their Registrable Securities
pursuant to such Demand Registration. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible
for the Registration Expenses incurred in connection with a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration prior to its withdrawal
under this subsection 2.1.5.
2.2.
Piggyback Registration.
2.2.1 Piggyback
Rights. If, at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination, the Company proposes to file
a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other
obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into equity securities, for its own account or for the account of
stockholders of the Company (or by the Company and by the stockholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant
to Section 2.1 hereof), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or
other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing stockholders,
(iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment
plan, then the Company shall give written notice of such proposed filing to all of the Holders of Registrable Securities as
soon as practicable but not less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date of such Registration Statement, which
notice shall (A) describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of
distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, in such offering, and (B) offer to
all of the Holders of Registrable Securities the opportunity to register the sale of such number of Registrable Securities as
such Holders may request in writing within five (5) days after receipt of such written notice (such Registration a
“Piggyback Registration”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to
be included in such Piggyback Registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters
of a proposed Underwritten Offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested by the Holders pursuant to this subsection
2.2.1 to be included in a Piggyback Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the
Company included in such Registration and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in
accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All such Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable
Securities through an Underwritten Offering under this subsection 2.2.1 shall enter into an underwriting agreement in
customary form with the Underwriter(s) selected for such Underwritten Offering by the Company.
2.2.2
Reduction of Piggyback Registration. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters in an Underwritten Registration
that is to be a Piggyback Registration, in good faith, advises the Company and the Holders of Registrable Securities participating
in the Piggyback Registration in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Common Stock that the Company desires to
sell, taken together with (i) the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been demanded pursuant to separate
written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, (ii) the
Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof, and (iii) the shares
of Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration has been requested pursuant to separate written contractual piggy-back registration
rights of other stockholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Securities, then:
(a)
If the Registration is undertaken for the Company’s account, the Company shall include in any such Registration (A)
first, Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum
Number of Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing
clause (A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant
to subsection 2.2.1 hereof (pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested), which
can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities
has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), share of Common Stock, if any, as to which Registration
has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, which can
be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities;
(b)
If the Registration is pursuant to a request by persons or entities other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, then
the Company shall include in any such Registration (A) first, Common Stock or other equity securities, if any, of such requesting
persons or entities, other than the Holders of Registrable Securities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of
Securities; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clause
(A), the Registrable Securities of Holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to subsection
2.2.1 hereof, (pro rata based on the number of Registrable Securities that each Holder has so requested), which can be sold
without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Securities has not been
reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), shares of Common Stock or other equity securities that the Company
desires to sell, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum
Number of Securities has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), shares of Common Stock
or other equity securities for the account of other persons or entities that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to separate
written contractual arrangements with such persons or entities, which can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Securities.
2.2.3
Piggyback Registration Withdrawal. Any Holder of Registrable Securities shall have the right to withdraw from a Piggyback
Registration for any or no reason whatsoever upon written notification to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters (if any)
of his, her or its intention to withdraw from such Piggyback Registration prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement
filed with the Commission with respect to such Piggyback Registration. The Company (whether on its own good faith determination
or as the result of a request for withdrawal by persons pursuant to separate written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration
Statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Piggyback Registration at any time prior to the effectiveness of such
Registration Statement. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company shall be responsible for the Registration
Expenses incurred in connection with the Piggyback Registration prior to its withdrawal under this subsection 2.2.3.
2.2.4
Unlimited Piggyback Registration Rights. For purposes of clarity, any Registration effected pursuant to Section
2.2 hereof shall not be counted as a Registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof.
2.3. Registrations
on Form S-3. The Holders of Registrable Securities may at any time, and from time to time, request in writing that the
Company, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission),
register the resale of any or all of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration
statement that may be available at such time (“Form S-3”); provided, however, that
the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an Underwritten Offering. Within five (5) days of the
Company’s receipt of a written request from a Holder or Holders of Registrable Securities for a Registration on Form
S-3, the Company shall promptly give written notice of the proposed Registration on Form S-3 to all other Holders of
Registrable Securities, and each Holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such
Holder’s Registrable Securities in such Registration on Form S-3 shall so notify the Company, in writing, within ten
(10) days after the receipt by the Holder of the notice from the Company. As soon as practicable thereafter, but not more
than twelve (12) days after the Company’s initial receipt of such written request for a Registration on Form S-3, the
Company shall register all or such portion of such Holder’s Registrable Securities as are specified in such written
request, together with all or such portion of Registrable Securities of any other Holder or Holders joining in such request
as are specified in the written notification given by such Holder or Holders; provided, however, that the
Company shall not be obligated to effect any such Registration pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof if (i) a Form S-3 is not
available for such offering; or (ii) the Holders of Registrable Securities, together with the Holders of any other equity
securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such Registration, propose to sell the Registrable Securities and such
other equity securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $25,000,000. Any request for any
underwritten offering pursuant to a Form S-3 shall follow the procedures of Section 2.1 (including Section
2.1.4) but, for the avoidance of doubt, shall not count as a demand registration or an exercise of any demand rights.
2.4.
Restrictions on Registration Rights. If (A) during the period starting with the date [sixty (60) days] prior to the
Company’s good faith estimate of the date of the filing of, and ending on a date [one hundred and twenty (120) days] after
the effective date of, a Company initiated Registration; provided that the Company has filed, or delivered written notice
to the Holders of the intent to file, a Company initiated Registration prior to receipt of a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection
2.1.1 provided, further, that if the Company receives a Demand Registration pursuant to subsection 2.1.1 prior the effective
date of such Company initiated Registration, the Company continues to actively employ, in good faith, all reasonable efforts to
cause the applicable Registration Statement to become effective; (B) the Holders have requested an Underwritten Registration and
the Company and the Holders are unable to obtain the commitment of underwriters to firmly underwrite the offer; or (C) in the good
faith judgment of the Board such Registration would be seriously detrimental to the Company and the Board concludes as a result
that it is essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement at such time, then in each case the Company shall furnish
to such Holders a certificate signed by the Chairman of the Board stating that in the good faith judgment of the Board it would
be seriously detrimental to the Company for such Registration Statement to be filed in the near future and that it is therefore
essential to defer the filing of such Registration Statement. In such event, the Company shall have the right to defer such filing
for a period of not more than [thirty (30) days]; provided, however, that the Company shall not defer its obligation
in this manner more than [once] in any [12-month] period. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement,
no Registration shall be effected or permitted and no Registration Statement shall become effective, with respect to any Registrable
Securities held by any Holder, until after the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up
Period, as the case may be.
ARTICLE III
COMPANY PROCEDURES
3.1.
General Procedures. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company
is required to effect the Registration of Registrable Securities, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect such Registration
to permit the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended plan of distribution thereof, and pursuant thereto
the Company shall, as expeditiously as possible:
3.1.1
prepare and file with the Commission as soon as practicable a Registration Statement with respect to such Registrable Securities
and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and remain effective until all Registrable
Securities covered by such Registration Statement have been sold;
3.1.2
prepare and file with the Commission such amendments and post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement, and such
supplements to the Prospectus, as may be requested by the Holders or any Underwriter of Registrable Securities or as may be required
by the rules, regulations or instructions applicable to the registration form used by the Company or by the Securities Act or rules
and regulations thereunder to keep the Registration Statement effective until all Registrable Securities covered by such Registration
Statement are sold in accordance with the intended plan of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or supplement
to the Prospectus;
3.1.3
prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to
the Underwriters, if any, and the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration, and such Holders’ legal
counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement
(in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the Prospectus included in such
Registration Statement (including each preliminary Prospectus), and such other documents as the Underwriters and the Holders of
Registrable Securities included in such Registration or the legal counsel for any such Holders may request in order to facilitate
the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such Holders;
3.1.4 prior
to any public offering of Registrable Securities, use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such
jurisdictions in the United States as the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light
of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities
covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be
necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be
necessary or advisable to enable the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate
the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall
not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify
or take any action to which it would be subject to general service of process or taxation in any such jurisdiction where it
is not then otherwise so subject;
3.1.5
cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange or automated quotation system on which similar
securities issued by the Company are then listed;
3.1.6
provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than
the effective date of such Registration Statement;
3.1.7
advise each seller of such Registrable Securities, promptly after it shall receive notice or obtain knowledge thereof, of
the issuance of any stop order by the Commission suspending the effectiveness of such Registration Statement or the initiation
or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and promptly use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any stop
order or to obtain its withdrawal if such stop order should be issued;
3.1.8
at least [five (5) days] prior to the filing of any Registration Statement or Prospectus or any amendment or supplement
to such Registration Statement or Prospectus or any document that is to be incorporated by reference into such Registration Statement
or Prospectus, furnish a copy thereof to each seller of such Registrable Securities or its counsel;
3.1.9
notify the Holders at any time when a Prospectus relating to such Registration Statement is required to be delivered under
the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the Prospectus included in such Registration Statement,
as then in effect, includes a Misstatement, and then to correct such Misstatement as set forth in Section 3.4 hereof;
3.1.10
permit a representative of the Holders, the Underwriters, if any, and any attorney or accountant retained by such Holders
or Underwriter to participate, at each such person’s own expense, in the preparation of the Registration Statement, and cause
the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information reasonably requested by any such representative,
Underwriter, attorney or accountant in connection with the Registration; provided, however, that such representatives
or Underwriters enter into a confidentiality agreement, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company, prior to
the release or disclosure of any such information;
3.1.11
obtain a “cold comfort” letter from the Company’s independent registered public accountants in the event
of an Underwritten Registration, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by “cold comfort”
letters as the managing Underwriter may reasonably request, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority-in-interest of the participating
Holders;
3.1.12
on the date the Registrable Securities are delivered for sale pursuant to such Registration, obtain an opinion, dated such
date, of counsel representing the Company for the purposes of such Registration, addressed to the Holders, the placement agent
or sales agent, if any, and the Underwriters, if any, covering such legal matters with respect to the Registration in respect of
which such opinion is being given as the Holders, placement agent, sales agent, or Underwriter may reasonably request and as are
customarily included in such opinions and negative assurance letters, and reasonably satisfactory to a majority in interest of
the participating Holders;
3.1.13
in the event of any Underwritten Offering, enter into and perform its obligations under an underwriting agreement, in usual
and customary form, with the managing Underwriter of such offering;
3.1.14
make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of
at least twelve (12) months beginning with the first day of the Company’s first full calendar quarter after the effective
date of the Registration Statement which satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder
(or any successor rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission);
3.1.15
if the Registration involves the Registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000,
use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show”
presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering; and
3.1.16
otherwise, in good faith, cooperate reasonably with, and take such customary actions as may reasonably be requested by the
Holders, in connection with such Registration, including, without limitation, making available senior executives of the Company
to participate in any due diligence sessions that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any Underwritten Offering.
3.2.
Registration Expenses. The Registration Expenses of all Registrations shall be borne by the Company. It is acknowledged
by the Holders that the Holders shall bear all incremental selling expenses relating to the sale of Registrable Securities, such
as Underwriters’ commissions and discounts, brokerage fees, Underwriter marketing costs and, other than as set forth in the
definition of “Registration Expenses,” all reasonable fees and expenses of any legal counsel representing the Holders.
3.3.
Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings. No person may participate in any Underwritten Offering
for equity securities of the Company pursuant to a Registration initiated by the Company hereunder unless such person (i) agrees
to sell such person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Company and (ii)
completes and executes all customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up agreements, underwriting agreements
and other customary documents as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements.
3.4.
Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure. Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a Registration Statement
or Prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until
he, she or it has received copies of a supplemented or amended Prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that
the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice),
or until he, she or it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the Prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial
effectiveness or continued use of a Registration Statement in respect of any Registration at any time would require the Company
to make an Adverse Disclosure or would require the inclusion in such Registration Statement of financial statements that are unavailable
to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action
to the Holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such Registration Statement for the shortest period
of time, but in no event more than [thirty (30) days], determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose.
In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the Holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their
receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the Prospectus relating to any Registration in connection with any sale or
offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which
it exercised its rights under this Section 3.4.
3.5.
Reporting Obligations. As long as any Holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it
shall be a reporting company under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file
within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections
13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the Holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company
further covenants that it shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from
time to time to enable such Holder to sell shares of Common Stock held by such Holder without registration under the Securities
Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor rule promulgated
thereafter by the Commission), including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any Holder, the Company shall deliver
to such Holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.
ARTICLE IV
INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION
4.1.
Indemnification.
4.1.1 The
Company agrees to indemnify, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder of Registrable Securities, its officers and
directors and each person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against all losses, claims,
damages, liabilities and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) caused by any untrue or alleged untrue statement of
material fact contained in any Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof or
supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make
the statements therein not misleading, except insofar as the same are caused by or contained in any information furnished in
writing to the Company by such Holder expressly for use therein. The Company shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers
and directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as
provided in the foregoing with respect to the indemnification of the Holder.
4.1.2
In connection with any Registration Statement in which a Holder of Registrable Securities is participating, such Holder
shall furnish to the Company in writing such information and affidavits as the Company reasonably requests for use in connection
with any such Registration Statement or Prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Company, its directors
and officers and agents and each person who controls the Company (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses,
claims, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation reasonable attorneys’ fees) resulting from any untrue
statement of material fact contained in the Registration Statement, Prospectus or preliminary Prospectus or any amendment thereof
or supplement thereto or any omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein
not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished
in writing by such Holder expressly for use therein; provided, however, that the obligation to indemnify shall be
several, not joint and several, among such Holders of Registrable Securities, and the liability of each such Holder of Registrable
Securities shall be in proportion to and limited to the net proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities
pursuant to such Registration Statement. The Holders of Registrable Securities shall indemnify the Underwriters, their officers,
directors and each person who controls such Underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided
in the foregoing with respect to indemnification of the Company.
4.1.3 Any
person entitled to indemnification herein shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with
respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall not impair any
person’s right to indemnification hereunder to the extent such failure has not materially prejudiced the indemnifying
party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified
and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such
claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall
not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall
not be unreasonably withheld). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim
shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying
party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist
between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. No indemnifying party
shall, without the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement which
cannot be settled in all respects by the payment of money (and such money is so paid by the indemnifying party pursuant to
the terms of such settlement) or which settlement does not include as an unconditional term thereof the giving by the
claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation.
4.1.4
The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation
made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling person of such indemnified party and shall
survive the transfer of securities. The Company and each Holder of Registrable Securities participating in an offering also agrees
to make such provisions as are reasonably requested by any indemnified party for contribution to such party in the event the Company’s
or such Holder’s indemnification is unavailable for any reason.
4.1.5
If the indemnification provided under Section 4.1 hereof from the indemnifying party is unavailable or insufficient
to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses referred to herein, then
the indemnifying party, in lieu of indemnifying the indemnified party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by the indemnified
party as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the
relative fault of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The
relative fault of the indemnifying party and indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether
any action in question, including any untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to
state a material fact, was made by, or relates to information supplied by, such indemnifying party or indemnified party, and the
indemnifying party’s and indemnified party’s relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct
or prevent such action; provided, however, that the liability of any Holder under this subsection 4.1.5 shall
be limited to the amount of the net proceeds received by such Holder in such offering giving rise to such liability. The amount
paid or payable by a party as a result of the losses or other liabilities referred to above shall be deemed to include, subject
to the limitations set forth in subsections 4.1.1, 4.1.2 and 4.1.3 above, any legal or other fees, charges
or expenses reasonably incurred by such party in connection with any investigation or proceeding. The parties hereto agree that
it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 were determined by pro rata allocation
or by any other method of allocation, which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in this subsection
4.1.5. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be
entitled to contribution pursuant to this subsection 4.1.5 from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
ARTICLE V
MISCELLANEOUS
5.1. Notices.
Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be in writing and given by (i) deposit in the United States mail,
addressed to the party to be notified, postage prepaid and registered or certified with return receipt requested, (ii)
delivery in person or by courier service providing evidence of delivery, or (iii) transmission by hand delivery, electronic
mail or facsimile. Each notice or communication that is mailed, delivered or transmitted in the manner described above shall
be deemed sufficiently given, served, sent, and received, in the case of mailed notices, on the third business day following
the date on which it is mailed and, in the case of notices delivered by courier service, hand delivery, electronic mail or
facsimile, at such time as it is delivered to the addressee (with the delivery receipt or the affidavit of messenger) or at
such time as delivery is refused by the addressee upon presentation. Any notice or communication under this Agreement must be
addressed, if to the Company, to: 600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022, or by email at:
[carneyhawks@outlook.com]. Any party may change its address for notice at any time and from time to time by written notice to
the other parties hereto, and such change of address shall become effective thirty (30) days after delivery of such notice as
provided in this Section 5.1.
5.2.
Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries.
5.2.1
This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company
in whole or in part.
5.2.2
A Holder may assign or delegate such Holder’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part,
to a Permitted Transferee who agrees to become bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement.
5.2.3
This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties and
its successors and the permitted assigns of the Holders, which shall include Permitted Transferees.
5.2.4
This Agreement shall not confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not parties hereto, other than as expressly
set forth in this Agreement and Section 5.2 hereof.
5.2.5
No assignment by any party hereto of such party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be binding upon or
obligate the Company unless and until the Company shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment as provided in Section
5.1 hereof and (ii) the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by
the terms and provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement).
Any transfer or assignment made other than as provided in this Section 5.2 shall be null and void.
5.3.
Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts (including facsimile or PDF counterparts),
each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which together shall constitute the same instrument, but only one of which
need be produced.
5.4. Governing
Law; Venue. NOTWITHSTANDING THE PLACE WHERE THIS AGREEMENT MAY BE EXECUTED BY ANY OF THE PARTIES HERETO, THE PARTIES EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT (I) THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE
GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK AS APPLIED TO AGREEMENTS AMONG NEW YORK RESIDENTS ENTERED INTO
AND TO BE PERFORMED ENTIRELY WITHIN NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO THE CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS OF SUCH JURISDICTION AND (II) THE
VENUE FOR ANY ACTION TAKEN WITH RESPECT TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE ANY STATE OR FEDERAL COURT IN NEW YORK COUNTY IN THE STATE OF
NEW YORK.
EACH PARTY HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES
THAT ANY CONTROVERSY WHICH MAY ARISE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IS LIKELY TO INVOLVE COMPLICATED AND DIFFICULT ISSUES, AND, THEREFORE,
EACH SUCH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT SUCH
PARTY MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT TO ANY ACTION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH OR
RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT.
5.5.
Amendments and Modifications. Upon the written consent of the Company and the Holders of at least fifty percent (50%) of
the Registrable Securities at the time in question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and conditions set forth in this
Agreement may be waived, or any of such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or modified; provided, however,
that notwithstanding the foregoing, any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects a Holder, solely in his, her or its
capacity as a holder of the shares of capital stock of the Company, in a manner that is materially disproportionate to the other Holders
(in such capacity) shall require the consent of such Holder so affected. No course of dealing between any Holder or the Company and any
other party hereto or any failure or delay on the part of a Holder or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies under this Agreement
shall operate as a waiver of any rights or remedies of any Holder or the Company. No single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies
under this Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder
by such party.
5.6.
Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than a Holder of Registrable Securities,
has any right to require the Company to register any securities of the Company for sale or to include such securities of the Company
in any Registration filed by the Company for the sale of securities for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further,
the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar
terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement
shall prevail.
5.7.
Term. This Agreement shall terminate upon the earlier of (i) the tenth anniversary of the date of this Agreement
or (ii) the date as of which (A) all of the Registrable Securities have been sold pursuant to a Registration Statement (but in
no event prior to the applicable period referred to in Section 4(a)(3) of the Securities Act and Rule 174 thereunder (or any successor
rule promulgated thereafter by the Commission)) or (B) the Holders of all Registrable Securities are permitted to sell the Registrable
Securities under Rule 144 (or any similar provision) under the Securities Act without limitation on the amount of securities sold
or the manner of sale. The provisions of Section 3.5 and Article IV shall survive any termination.
[SIGNATURE PAGES FOLLOW]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned
have caused this Agreement to be executed as of the date first written above.
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COMPANY:
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Hawks Acquisition Corp
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a Delaware corporation
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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HOLDER:
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[______]
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a [______]
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page
to Registration Rights Agreement]
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HOLDER:
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By:
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[Independent Director]
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[Independent Director]
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[Signature Page
to Registration Rights Agreement]
Exhibit 10.5
Hawks Acquisition Corp
c/o Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
January 26, 2021
Hawks Sponsor LLC
c/o Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
RE: Securities Subscription Agreement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We are pleased to accept the offer Hawks Sponsor VI LLC (the
“Subscriber” or “you”) has made to purchase 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock (the
“Shares”), $.0001 par value per share (the “Class B Common Stock” together with all other
classes of Company (as defined below) common stock, the “Common Stock”), up to 750,000 Shares of which are subject
to complete or partial forfeiture by you if the underwriters of the initial public offering (“IPO”) of Hawks
Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), do not fully exercise their over-allotment option
(the “Over-allotment Option”). The terms (this “Agreement”) on which the Company is willing
to sell the Shares to the Subscriber, and the Company and the Subscriber’s agreements regarding such Shares, are as follows:
1. Purchase of Shares. For the sum of $25,000 (the “Purchase
Price”), which the Company acknowledges receiving in cash, the Company hereby sells and issues the Shares to the Subscriber,
and the Subscriber hereby purchases the Shares from the Company, subject to the forfeiture provisions of Section 3 below, on the
terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement. Concurrently with the Subscriber’s execution of this Agreement,
the Company is delivering to the Subscriber a certificate registered in the Subscriber’s name representing the Shares (the
“Original Certificate”), receipt of which the Subscriber hereby acknowledges.
2. Representations, Warranties and Agreements.
2.1 Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements.
To induce the Company to issue the Shares to the Subscriber, the Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Company and agrees
with the Company as follows:
2.1.1. No Government Recommendation or Approval. The
Subscriber understands that no federal or state agency has passed upon or made any recommendation or endorsement of the offering
of the Shares.
2.1.2. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance
of this Agreement and the consummation by the Subscriber of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with
or constitute a default under (i) the formation and governing documents of the Subscriber, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument
to which the Subscriber is a party, (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or (iv) any
agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is subject.
2.1.3. Organization and Authority. The Subscriber is
a Delaware limited liability company, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of Delaware and possesses all requisite
power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Upon execution and delivery by you,
this Agreement will be a legal, valid and binding agreement of Subscriber, enforceable against Subscriber in accordance with its
terms, except as such enforceability may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance or similar laws
affecting the enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether
enforcement is sought in a proceeding at law or in equity).
2.1.4. Experience, Financial Capability and Suitability.
Subscriber is: (i) sophisticated in financial matters and is able to evaluate the risks and benefits of the investment in the
Shares and (ii) able to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Shares for an indefinite period of time because the Shares
have not been registered under the Securities Act (as defined below) and therefore cannot be resold unless subsequently registered
under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available. Subscriber is capable of evaluating the merits and
risks of its investment in the Company and has the capacity to protect its own interests. Subscriber must bear the economic risk
of this investment until the Shares are sold pursuant to: (x) an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or
(y) an exemption from registration available with respect to such sale. Subscriber is able to bear the economic risks of an investment
in the Shares and to afford a complete loss of Subscriber’s investment in the Shares.
2.1.5. Access to Information; Independent Investigation.
Prior to the execution of this Agreement, the Subscriber has had the opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from representatives
of the Company concerning an investment in the Company, as well as the finances, operations, business and prospects of the Company,
and the opportunity to obtain additional information to verify the accuracy of all information so obtained. In determining whether
to make this investment, Subscriber has relied solely on Subscriber’s own knowledge and understanding of the Company and
its business based upon Subscriber’s own due diligence investigation and the information furnished pursuant to this paragraph.
Subscriber understands that no person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations which were not
furnished pursuant to this Section 2 and Subscriber has not relied on any other representations or information in making its investment
decision, whether written or oral, relating to the Company, its operations or its prospects.
2.1.6. Accredited Investor. The Subscriber represents
that it is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) and acknowledges the sale contemplated hereby is being made in reliance
on a private placement exemption under federal and state law.
2.1.7. Investment Purposes. The Subscriber is purchasing
the Shares solely for investment purposes, for the Subscriber’s own account and not for the account or benefit of any other
person, and not with a view towards the distribution or dissemination thereof that would result in a violation of the Securities
Act. The Subscriber did not enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the
meaning of Rule 502 of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
2.1.8. Restrictions on Transfer; Shell Company. The Subscriber
understands the Shares are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering within the meaning of the Securities
Act. Subscriber understands the Shares will be “restricted securities” as defined in Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities
Act and Subscriber understands that the certificate representing the Shares will contain a legend in respect of such restrictions.
If in the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Shares, such Shares may be offered,
resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only in accordance with the provisions of Section 5 hereof. Subscriber agrees that if
any transfer of its Shares or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition precedent to any such transfer, Subscriber
may be required to deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company. Absent registration or an exemption,
the Subscriber agrees not to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Shares. Subscriber further acknowledges that because
the Company is a shell company, Rule 144 may not be available to the Subscriber for the resale of the Shares until one year following
consummation of the initial business combination of the Company, despite technical compliance with the certain requirements of
Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer restrictions.
2.1.9. No Governmental Consents. No governmental, administrative
or other third party consents or approvals are required, necessary or appropriate on the part of Subscriber in connection with
the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.2 Company’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements.
To induce the Subscriber to purchase the Shares, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Subscriber and agrees with the
Subscriber as follows:
2.2.1. Organization and Corporate Power. The Company
is a Delaware corporation and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably
be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company
possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.2.2. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance
of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or
constitute a default under (i) the Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the Company, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument
to which the Company is a party, (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or (iv) any agreement,
order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject.
2.2.3. Title to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance
with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Shares will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Upon
issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof the Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Shares,
free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (a) transfer restrictions hereunder and other agreements
to which the Shares may be subject which have been notified to the Subscriber in writing, (b) transfer restrictions under federal
and state securities laws, and (c) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Subscriber.
2.2.4. No Adverse Actions. There are no actions, suits,
investigations or proceedings pending, threatened against or affecting the Company which: (i) seek to restrain, enjoin, prevent
the consummation of or otherwise affect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or (ii) question the validity or legality
of any transactions or seek to recover damages or to obtain other relief in connection with any transactions.
3. Forfeiture of Shares.
3.1. Partial or No Exercise of the Over-allotment Option.
In the event the Over-allotment Option granted to the representative of the underwriters of the IPO is not exercised in full, the
Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that it (and, if applicable, any transferee of Shares) shall forfeit any and all rights to such
number of Shares (up to an aggregate of 750,000 Shares and pro rata based upon the percentage of the Over-allotment Option exercised)
such that immediately following such forfeiture, the Subscriber (and any such transferees) will own an aggregate number of Shares
(not including Shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants or any Common Stock purchased by Subscriber in the IPO or in the aftermarket)
equal to 20% of the issued and outstanding Common Stock immediately following the IPO.
3.2. Termination of Rights as Stockholder. If any of
the Shares are forfeited in accordance with this Section 3, then after such time the Subscriber (or successor in interest), shall
no longer have any rights as a holder of such Shares, and the Company shall take such action as is appropriate to cancel such Shares.
3.3. Share Certificates. In the event an adjustment to
the Original Certificate is required pursuant to this Section 3, then the Subscriber shall return such Original Certificate to
the Company or its designated agent as soon as practicable upon its receipt of notice from the Company advising Subscriber of such
adjustment, following which a new certificate (the “New Certificate”) shall be issued in such amount representing
the adjusted number of Shares held by the Subscriber. The New Certificate shall be returned to the Subscriber as soon as practicable.
4. Waiver of Liquidation Distributions; Redemption Rights.
In connection with the Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement, the Subscriber hereby waives any and all right, title, interest
or claim of any kind in or to any distributions by the Company from the trust account which will be established for the benefit
of the Company’s public stockholders and into which substantially all of the proceeds of the IPO will be deposited (the “Trust
Account”), in the event of a liquidation of the Company upon the Company’s failure to timely complete an initial
business combination. For purposes of clarity, in the event the Subscriber purchases Common Stock in the IPO or in the aftermarket,
any additional Common Stock so purchased shall be eligible to receive any liquidating distributions by the Company. However, in
no event will the Subscriber have the right to redeem any Shares into funds held in the Trust Account upon the successful completion
of an initial business combination.
5. Restrictions on Transfer.
5.1. Securities Law Restrictions. In addition to any
restrictions to be contained in that certain letter agreement (commonly known as an “Insider Letter”) to be
dated as of the closing of the IPO by and between Subscriber and the Company, Subscriber agrees not to sell, transfer, pledge,
hypothecate or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Shares unless, prior thereto (a) a registration statement on the appropriate
form under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws with respect to the Shares proposed to be transferred shall
then be effective or (b) the Company has received an opinion from counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company, that such registration
is not required because such transaction is exempt from registration under the Securities Act and the rules promulgated by the
Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder and with all applicable state securities laws.
5.2. Lock-up. Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares
will be subject to lock-up provisions contained in the Insider Letter.
5.3. Restrictive Legends. All certificates representing
the Shares shall have endorsed thereon legends substantially as follows:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN
MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER
SUCH ACT OR SUCH LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL, IS AVAILABLE.”
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT
TO LOCKUP PROVISIONS AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE LOCKUP PERIOD.”
5.4. Additional Shares or Substituted Securities. In
the event of the declaration of a stock dividend, the declaration of a special dividend payable in a form other than Common Stock,
a spin-off, a stock split, an adjustment in conversion ratio, a recapitalization or a similar transaction affecting the Company’s
outstanding Common Stock without receipt of consideration, any new, substituted or additional securities or other property which
are by reason of such transaction distributed with respect to any Shares subject to this Section 5 or into which such Shares thereby
become convertible shall immediately be subject to this Section 5 and Section 3. Appropriate adjustments to reflect the distribution
of such securities or property shall be made to the number or class of Shares subject to this Section 5 and Section 3.
5.5. Registration Rights. The Subscriber
acknowledges that the Shares are being purchased pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the
Securities Act and will become freely tradable only after certain conditions are met or they are registered pursuant to a
Registration Rights Agreement to be entered into with the Company prior to the closing of the IPO.
6. Other Agreements.
6.1. Further Assurances. The Subscriber agrees to execute
such further instruments and to take such further action as may reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.
6.2. Notices. All notices, statements or other documents
which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered: (i) personally or sent by first class registered
or certified mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii)
by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing
by such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic
mail address as may be designated in writing by such party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to
have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation,
if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5)
days after mailing if sent by mail.
6.3. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with
that certain Insider Letter to be entered into between Subscriber and the Company, substantially in the form to be filed as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement, embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the Subscriber and the Company with
respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements and understandings relating to the subject
matter hereof. No statement, representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of any kind not expressly set forth in this Agreement
shall affect, or be used to interpret, change or restrict, the express terms and provisions of this Agreement.
6.4. Modifications and Amendments. The terms and provisions
of this Agreement may be modified or amended only by written agreement executed by all parties hereto.
6.5. Waivers and Consents. The terms and provisions of
this Agreement may be waived, or consent for the departure therefrom granted, only by written document executed by the party entitled
to the benefits of such terms or provisions. No such waiver or consent shall be deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver or consent
with respect to any other terms or provisions of this Agreement, whether or not similar. Each such waiver or consent shall be effective
only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which it was given, and shall not constitute a continuing waiver or consent.
6.6. Assignment. The rights and obligations under this
Agreement may not be assigned by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party.
6.7. Benefit. All statements, representations, warranties,
covenants and agreements in this Agreement shall be binding on the parties hereto and shall inure to the benefit of the respective
successors and permitted assigns of each party hereto. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create any rights or obligations
except among the parties hereto, and no person or entity shall be regarded as a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement.
6.8. Governing Law. This Agreement and the rights and
obligations of the parties hereunder shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of New York applicable to contracts
wholly performed within the borders of such state, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. The parties
hereto irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any federal court sitting in the Southern District of New York or any
state court located in New York County, State of New York, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this
Agreement. To the fullest extent they may effectively do so under applicable law, the parties hereto irrevocably waive and agree
not to assert, by way of motion, as a defense or otherwise, any claim that they are not subject to the jurisdiction of any such
court, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought
in any such court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient
forum.
6.9. Severability. In the event that any court of competent
jurisdiction shall determine that any provision, or any portion thereof, contained in this Agreement shall be unreasonable or unenforceable
in any respect, then such provision shall be deemed limited to the extent that such court deems it reasonable and enforceable,
and as so limited shall remain in full force and effect. In the event that such court shall deem any such provision, or portion
thereof, wholly unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect.
6.10. No Waiver of Rights, Powers and Remedies. No
failure or delay by a party hereto in exercising any right, power or remedy under this Agreement, and no course of dealing
between the parties hereto, shall operate as a waiver of any such right, power or remedy of such party. No single or partial
exercise of any right, power or remedy under this Agreement by a party hereto, nor any abandonment or discontinuance of steps
to enforce any such right, power or remedy, shall preclude such party from any other or further exercise thereof or the
exercise of any other right, power or remedy hereunder. The election of any remedy by a party hereto shall not constitute a
waiver of the right of such party to pursue other available remedies. No notice to or demand on a party not expressly
required under this Agreement shall entitle the party receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or
demand in similar or other circumstances or constitute a waiver of the rights of the party giving such notice or demand to
any other or further action in any circumstances without such notice or demand.
6.11. Survival of Representations and Warranties. All
representations and warranties made by the parties hereto in this Agreement or in any other agreement, certificate or instrument
provided for or contemplated hereby, shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and any investigations made by or on behalf
of the parties.
6.12. No Broker or Finder. Each of the parties hereto
represents and warrants to the other that no broker, finder or other financial consultant has acted on its behalf in connection
with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as to create any liability on the other. Each of the
parties hereto agrees to indemnify and hold the other harmless from any claim or demand for commission or other compensation by
any broker, finder, financial consultant or similar agent claiming to have been employed by or on behalf of such party and to bear
the cost of legal expenses incurred in defending against any such claim.
6.13. Headings and Captions. The headings and captions
of the various sections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall in no way modify or affect the meaning
or construction of any of the terms or provisions hereof.
6.14. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in
one or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective
when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not
sign the same counterpart. In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or any other form of electronic
delivery, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature
is executed) with the same force and effect as if such signature page were an original thereof.
6.15. Construction. The words “include,”
“includes,” and “including” will be deemed to be followed by “without limitation.”
Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form
will be construed to include the plural and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words “this Agreement,”
“herein,” “hereof,” “hereby,” “hereunder,” and words
of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular section unless expressly so limited. The parties
hereto intend that each representation, warranty, and covenant contained herein will have independent significance. If any party
hereto has breached any representation, warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact that there exists another
representation, warranty or covenant relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative levels of specificity) which
such party hereto has not breached will not detract from or mitigate the fact that such party hereto is in breach of the first
representation, warranty, or covenant.
6.16. Mutual Drafting. This Agreement is the joint product
of the Subscriber and the Company and each provision hereof has been subject to the mutual consultation, negotiation and agreement
of such parties and shall not be construed for or against any party hereto.
7. Voting and Redemption of Shares. The Subscriber agrees
to vote the Shares in favor of an initial business combination that the Company negotiates and submits for approval to the Company’s
stockholders and shall not seek redemption with respect to such Shares. Additionally, the Subscriber agrees not to redeem any Shares
in connection with a redemption or tender offer presented to the Company’s stockholders in connection with an initial business
combination negotiated by the Company.
8. Indemnification. Each party shall indemnify (such
party, the “Indemnifying Party”) the other party (such party, the “Indemnified Party”) and
its respective officers, employees, and controlling persons to the fullest extent permitted by law from and against any and all
losses, damages, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses) or other liabilities resulting from or arising
out of such party’s breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement in this Agreement. The foregoing indemnification
rights apply so long as the action or failure to act by the Indemnified Party does not constitute fraud, bad faith, willful misconduct
or gross negligence. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing to the contrary, indemnification protections will not be construed so
as to relieve (or attempt to relieve) any Indemnified Party of any liability (including liability under federal securities laws
which, under certain circumstances, impose liability even on persons that act in good faith), to the extent (but only to the extent)
that such liability may not be waived, modified or limited under applicable law, but will only be construed so as to effectuate
the indemnification protections to the fullest extent permitted by law.
[Signature Page Follows]
If the foregoing accurately sets forth our understanding and
agreement, please sign the enclosed copy of this Agreement and return it to us.
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Very
truly yours,
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Hawks
Acquisition Corp
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By:
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/s/ John Carney
Hawks
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Name:
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John Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Director
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Accepted and agreed this 26th day of January, 2021
Hawks Sponsor LLC
By: Hawks Acquisition Founders Company LLC, its managing member
By: JC Hawks & Co LLC, its managing member
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By:
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/s/ John Carney
Hawks
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Name:
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John Carney Hawks
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Title:
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Managing Member
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[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement]
Exhibit 10.6
PRIVATE PLACEMENT
WARRANTS PURCHASE AGREEMENT
THIS PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS PURCHASE AGREEMENT,
dated as of [ ], 2021 (this “Agreement”), is entered into by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware
corporation (the “Company”), and Hawks Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Purchaser”).
WHEREAS, the Company intends to consummate
an initial public offering of the Company’s units (the “Public Offering”), each unit consisting of one
share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (each, a “Share”), and one-half (1/2) of one redeemable
warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share, as set forth in the Company’s
Registration Statement[s] on Form S-1, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), File No.
333-[ ] (the “Registration Statement”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities
Act”); and
WHEREAS, the Purchaser now wishes to purchase,
at a price of $1.00 per warrant, an aggregate of 6,500,000 warrants (or 7,100,000 warrants that may be purchased if the underwriter’s
over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Warrants”), each Private Placement Warrant
entitling the holder to purchase one Share at an exercise price of $11.50 per Share.
NOW THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual
promises contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby, intending legally to be bound, agree as follows:
AGREEMENT
Section 1.
Authorization, Purchase and Sale; Terms of the Private Placement Warrants.
A.
Authorization of the Private Placement Warrants. The Company has duly authorized the issuance and sale of the Private
Placement Warrants to the Purchaser.
B. Purchase
and Sale of the Private Placement Warrants.
(i)
On the date of the consummation of the Public Offering, the Company shall issue and sell to the Purchaser, and the Purchaser
shall purchase from the Company, 6,500,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant for an aggregate purchase
price of $6,500,000 (the “Purchase Price”). The Purchaser shall pay the Purchase Price by wire transfer of immediately
available funds in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions, at least one (1) business day prior to the effective
date of the Registration Statement, or on such other date as the Company and the Purchaser may agree.
(ii) In
the event that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, the Purchaser shall purchase up to an additional
600,000 Private Placement Warrants (the “Additional Private Placement Warrants”), in the same proportion as the
amount of the over-allotment option that is exercised, and simultaneously with such purchase of Additional Private Placement
Warrants, as payment in full for the Additional Private Placement Warrants being purchased hereunder, and at least one (1) business
day prior to the closing of all or any portion of the over-allotment option, or on such other date as the Company and the Purchaser
may agree, the Purchaser shall pay $1.00 per Additional Private Placement Warrant, up to an aggregate amount of $600,000 by wire
transfer of immediately available funds in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions.
(iii) The
closing of the purchase and sale of the Private Placement Warrants shall take place simultaneously with the closing of the Public
Offering (the “Initial Closing Date”). The closing of the purchase and sale of the Additional Private Placement
Warrants, if applicable, shall take place simultaneously with the closing of all or any portion of the over-allotment option (such
closing date, together with the Initial Closing Date, the “Closing Dates” and each, a “Closing
Date”). The closing of the purchase and sale of each of the Private Placement Warrants and the Additional Private Placement
Warrants shall
take place at the offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York,
10019, or such other place as may be agreed upon by the parties hereto.
C.
Terms of the Private Placement Warrants.
(i) Each
Private Placement Warrant shall have the terms set forth in a Private Warrant Agreement to be entered into by the Company and a
warrant agent, in connection with the Public Offering (the “Private Warrant Agreement”), and shall be subject to
the terms of a letter agreement to be entered into by the Company, the Purchaser and the other parties thereto, in connection with
the Public Offering.
(ii)
At or prior to the time of the Initial Closing Date, the Company and the Purchaser shall enter into a registration rights
agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) pursuant to which the Company will grant certain registration
rights to the Purchaser relating to the Private Placement Warrants and the Shares underlying the Private Placement Warrants.
Section 2.
Representations and Warranties of the Company. As a material inducement to the Purchaser to enter into this Agreement
and purchase the Private Placement Warrants, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Purchaser (which representations
and warranties shall survive the Closing Dates) that:
A.
Incorporation and Corporate Power. The Company is a corporation duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the State of Delaware and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify
would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company.
The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this
Agreement and the Private Warrant Agreement.
B.
Authorization; No Breach.
(i) The
execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the Private Placement Warrants have been duly authorized by the
Company as of the Closing Dates. This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Company, enforceable in
accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other
laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether
considered in a proceeding in equity or law). Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms of the
Private Warrant Agreement and this Agreement, the Private Placement Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the
Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms as of the Closing Dates.
(ii)
The execution and delivery by the Company of this Agreement and the Private Placement Warrants, the issuance and sale of
the Private Placement Warrants, the issuance of the Shares upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and the fulfillment
of, and compliance with, the respective terms hereof and thereof by the Company, do not and will not as of the Closing Dates (a)
conflict with or result in a breach of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the
creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the Company’s capital stock or assets under, (d) result
in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to,
or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the certificate of incorporation or the
bylaws of the Company (in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated Public Offering),
or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to
which the Company is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.
C. Title
to Securities. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Private Warrant Agreement,
the Shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof and the Private Warrant Agreement, the Purchaser will
have good title to the Private Placement Warrants purchased by it and the Shares issuable upon exercise of such Private Placement
Warrants, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (i) transfer restrictions hereunder and under
the other agreements contemplated hereby, (ii) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (iii) liens,
claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Purchaser.
D.
Governmental Consents. No permit, consent, approval or authorization of, or declaration to or filing with, any governmental
authority is required in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement or the consummation
by the Company of any other transactions contemplated hereby.
E.
Regulation D Qualification. Neither the Company nor, to its knowledge, any of its affiliates, officers, directors
or beneficial stockholders of 20% or more of its outstanding securities, has experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant
to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act.
Section 3.
Representations and Warranties of the Purchaser. As a material inducement to the Company to enter into this Agreement
and issue and sell the Private Placement Warrants to the Purchaser, the Purchaser hereby represents and warrants to the Company
(which representations and warranties shall survive the Closing Dates) that:
A.
Organization and Requisite Authority. The Purchaser possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry
out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
B.
Authorization; No Breach.
(i)
This Agreement constitutes a valid and binding obligation of the Purchaser, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject
to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to
or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law).
(ii)
The execution and delivery by the Purchaser of this Agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof
by the Purchaser does not and shall not as of the Closing Dates (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the Purchaser of the
terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest,
charge or encumbrance upon the Purchaser’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or € require any authorization,
consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental
body or agency pursuant to the Purchaser’s organizational documents in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior
to completion of the contemplated Public Offering, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Purchaser is subject,
or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the Purchaser is subject, except for any filings required after
the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.
C.
Investment Representations.
(i) The Purchaser is acquiring the Private Placement Warrants and, upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants, the Shares
issuable upon such exercise (collectively, the “Securities”), for the Purchaser’s own account, for investment
purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof.
(ii)
The Purchaser is an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D under the
Securities Act and the Purchaser has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation
D under the Securities Act.
(iii)
The Purchaser understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions
from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon
the truth and accuracy of, and the Purchaser’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the Purchaser set forth
herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the Purchaser to acquire such Securities.
(iv)
The Purchaser did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising
within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D. under the Securities Act.
(v)
The Purchaser has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and
materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the Purchaser. The Purchaser has been afforded
the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The Purchaser understands that its investment
in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary
to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities.
(vi)
The Purchaser understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has
passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities
by the Purchaser nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities.
(vii)
The Purchaser understands that: (a) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or
any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder
or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (b) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement,
neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state
securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. In this regard, the Purchaser understands
that the SEC has taken the position that the promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before
and after an initial Business Combination, are deemed to be “underwriters” under the Securities Act when reselling
the securities of a blank check company. Based on that position, Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act would not be available
for resale transactions of the Securities despite technical compliance with the requirements of such Rule, and the Securities can
be resold only through a registered offering or in reliance upon another exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities
Act.
(viii)
The Purchaser has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk
associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating
the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities
in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The Purchaser has adequate means of providing for its current
financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized
by the investment in the Securities. The Purchaser can afford a complete loss of its investments in the Securities.
Section 4.
Conditions of the Purchaser’s Obligations. The obligations of the Purchaser to purchase and pay for the Private
Placement Warrants are subject to the fulfillment, on or before the Closing Dates, of each of the following conditions:
A.
Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 2 shall
be true and correct at and as of the Closing Dates as though then made.
B.
Performance. The Company shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained
in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by it on or before the Closing Dates.
C.
No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have
been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory
organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or the Warrant Agreement.
D. Private Warrant
Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Private Warrant Agreement with a warrant agent on terms satisfactory to the
Purchaser.
Section 5.
Conditions of the Company’s Obligations. The obligations of the Company to the Purchaser under this Agreement
are subject to the fulfillment, on or before the Closing Dates, of each of the following conditions:
A.
Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Purchaser contained in Section 3
shall be true and correct at and as of the Closing Dates as though then made.
B.
Performance. The Purchaser shall have performed and complied with all agreements, obligations and conditions contained
in this Agreement that are required to be performed or complied with by the Purchaser on or before the Closing Dates.
C. No Injunction. No litigation, statute, rule, regulation, executive order, decree, ruling or injunction shall have
been enacted, entered, promulgated or endorsed by or in any court or governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or any self-regulatory
organization having authority over the matters contemplated hereby, which prohibits the consummation of any of the transactions
contemplated by this Agreement or the Private Warrant Agreement.
D. Private
Warrant Agreement. The Company shall have entered into the Private Warrant Agreement with a warrant agent on terms satisfactory
to the Company.
Section 6.
Termination. This Agreement may be terminated by the Company or the Purchaser at any time after [ ], 202[ ] upon
written notice to the other party hereto if the closing of the Public Offering does not occur prior to such date.
Section 7.
Survival of Representations and Warranties. All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive
the Closing Dates.
Section 8.
Definitions. Terms used but not otherwise defined in this Agreement shall have the meaning assigned to such terms
in the Registration Statement.
Section 9.
Miscellaneous.
A. Successors
and Assigns. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this Agreement by
or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties
hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not
assign this Agreement, other than assignments by the Purchaser to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation, one or
more of its members).
B.
Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective
and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable
law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder
of this Agreement.
C.
Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain
the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. A
signed copy of this Agreement delivered by facsimile, e-mail or other means of electronic transmission shall be deemed to have
the same legal effect as delivery of an original signed copy of this Agreement.
D.
Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only
and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall
be by way of example rather than by limitation.
E.
Governing Law. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be construed in accordance
with and governed by the laws of New York applicable to contracts wholly performed within the borders of such state, without giving
effect to the conflict of law principles thereof. The parties hereto irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of any federal
court sitting in the Southern District of New York or any state court located in New York County, State of New York, over any suit,
action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. To the fullest extent they may effectively do so under applicable
law, the parties hereto irrevocably waive and agree not to assert, by way of motion, as a defense or otherwise, any claim that
they are not subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of
the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding
brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.
F.
Amendments. This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written
instrument executed by all parties hereto.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto
have executed this Agreement to be effective as of the date first set forth above.
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COMPANY:
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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HAWKS SPONSOR LLC
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By:
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement]
Exhibit 10.7
INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this
“Agreement”) is made as of _________, 2021 by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and _________ (“Indemnitee”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of
the Company (the “Board”) has determined that it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually
to obligate itself to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate and to advance expenses on behalf of, persons who serve the Company (collectively,
the “Company”) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law;
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement
to and in furtherance of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Charter”) and the Bylaws
(the “Bylaws”) of the Company and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute
therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder; AND
WHEREAS, Indemnitee may not be willing
to serve as an officer or director or in another capacity without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve
in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company
on the condition that Indemnitee be so indemnified.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of
the premises and the covenants contained herein and subject to the provisions of the letter agreement dated as of _________, 2021,
the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. SERVICES
TO THE COMPANY. In consideration of the Company’s covenants and obligations hereunder, Indemnitee will serve or continue
to serve as an officer, director, key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as applicable, for so long as Indemnitee
is duly elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders Indemnitee’s resignation or until Indemnitee is removed. The foregoing
notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a director, officer,
key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as provided in Section 17. This Agreement, however, shall not impose any
obligation on Indemnitee or the Company to continue Indemnitee’s service to the Company beyond any period otherwise required
by law or by other agreements or commitments of the parties, if any.
2. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Agreement:
(a) References
to “agent” shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the
Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a
director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint
venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or
a subsidiary of the Company.
(b) The
terms “Beneficial Owner” and “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meanings set forth in
Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below) as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) A
“Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur upon the earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of
any of the following events:
(i)
Acquisition of Stock by Third Party. Other than an affiliate of Hawks Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”),
any Person (as defined below) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing
fifteen percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors, unless (1) the change in the relative Beneficial Ownership of the Company’s securities
by any Person results solely from a reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of securities entitled to vote generally
in the election of directors, or (2) such acquisition was approved in advance by the Continuing Directors (as defined below) and
such acquisition would not constitute a Change in Control under part (iii) of this definition;
(ii)
Change in Board of Directors. Individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board, and any new director
whose appointment by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s stockholders was approved by a vote of at least
two-thirds of the directors then still in office who were directors on the date hereof or whose appointment or nomination for election
was previously so approved (collectively, the “Continuing Directors”), cease for any reason to constitute a
majority of the members of the Board;
(iii) Corporate
Transactions. The effective date of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization
or similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business
Combination”), in each case, unless, following such Business Combination: (1) all or substantially all of the
individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners of securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the
election of directors immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 51%
of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company or the surviving or resulting entity or the
ultimate parent entity that controls such surviving or resulting entity (the “Successor”) entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors of the Successor (including, without limitation, a corporation which as a result of
such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or
more Subsidiaries (as defined below)) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such
Business Combination, of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; (2) other than an affiliate
of the Sponsor, no Person (excluding any corporation resulting from such Business Combination) is the Beneficial Owner,
directly or indirectly, of 15% or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors of the Successor except to the extent that such Person was the Beneficial Owner,
directly or indirectly, of 15% or more of the combined voting power of the Company prior to such Business Combination; and
(3) a majority of the board of directors (or comparable governing body) of the Successor were Continuing Directors at the
time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board of Directors, providing for such Business
Combination;
(iv)
Liquidation. The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement
or series of agreements for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, other
than factoring the Company’s current receivables or escrows due (or, if such stockholder approval is not required, the decision
by the Board to proceed with such a liquidation, sale, or disposition in one transaction or a series of related transactions);
or
(v)
Other Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item
6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or any successor rule) (or a response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form)
promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.
(d) “Corporate
Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing
member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise (as defined below) which such person is or was
serving at the request of the Company.
(e) “Delaware
Court” shall mean the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware.
(f) “Disinterested
Director” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in
respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.
(g) “Enterprise”
shall mean the Company and any other corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed
in a consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries) is a party, limited liability company,
partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request
of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.
(h) “Exchange
Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(i) “Expenses” shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever,
including, without limitation, all reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees
of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing
and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax transmission charges, secretarial services and all other
disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating,
being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding (as defined below),
including reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which he or she is not otherwise compensated by the Company
or any third party. Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding
(as defined below), including without limitation the principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond,
supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee
or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.
(j) References
to “fines” shall include any excise tax assessed on Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan; references
to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary
of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary with respect
to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee
reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee
shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as referred to in this
Agreement.
(k) “Independent
Counsel” shall mean a law firm or a member of a law firm with significant experience in matters of corporation law and
that neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter
material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees
under similar indemnification agreements); or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding (as defined below) giving rise to a claim
for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any
person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing
either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.
(l) The
term “Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act as in effect
on the date hereof; provided, however, that “Person” shall exclude: (i) the Company; (ii) any Subsidiaries
(as defined below) of the Company; (iii) any employment benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the
Company or of any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions
as their ownership of stock of the Company; and (iv) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit
plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or of a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the
stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of stock of the Company.
(m) The
term “Proceeding” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation,
alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed
proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional
tort claims), criminal, administrative, or investigative or related nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be involved
as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any
action (or failure to act) taken by Indemnitee or of any action (or failure to act) on Indemnitee’s part while acting as
a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company
as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each
case, whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement,
or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement but shall not include any Enforcement Proceeding pursuant to Section
14.
(n) The
term “Subsidiary,” with respect to any Person, shall mean any corporation, limited liability company, partnership,
joint venture, trust or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest
is owned, directly or indirectly, by that Person.
3. INDEMNITY
IN THIRD-PARTY PROCEEDINGS. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless
and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made,
a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right
of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless
and exonerated against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest,
assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines,
penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection
with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably
believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable
cause to believe that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
4. INDEMNITY
IN PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify,
hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened
to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company
to procure a judgment in its favor. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated
against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such Proceeding
or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be
in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration for Expenses shall be
made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by
a court of competent jurisdiction to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that any court in which the Proceeding
was brought or the Delaware Court shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of
all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, to be held harmless or to
exoneration.
5. INDEMNIFICATION
FOR EXPENSES OF A PARTY WHO IS WHOLLY OR PARTLY SUCCESSFUL. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement except
for Section 27, to the extent that Indemnitee was or is a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise,
in defending any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the defending Company shall,
to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually
and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in defense of such Proceeding
(or part thereof) but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in defense of one or more but less than all claims, issues or
matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and
exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection
with each such successfully resolved claim, issue or matter. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in defense of such Proceeding,
the Company also shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against
all Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or matter related to any claim, issue, or matter in defense
of which Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or
matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to the defense
of such claim, issue or matter.
6. INDEMNIFICATION
FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement except for Section 27, to the extent that
Indemnitee is, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness or deponent in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee was
not or is not a party or threatened to be made a party, Indemnitee shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be
indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s
behalf in connection therewith.
7. ADDITIONAL
INDEMNIFICATION, HOLD HARMLESS AND EXONERATION RIGHTS. Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, except for Section
27, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee if
Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the
Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses and judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement
(including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments,
liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with
the Proceeding.
8. CONTRIBUTION
IN THE EVENT OF JOINT LIABILITY.
(a) To
the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification, hold harmless and/or exoneration rights provided
for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying,
holding harmless or exonerating Indemnitee, shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether
for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with
any Proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any
right of contribution it may have at any time against Indemnitee.
(b) The
Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would
be if joined in such Proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.
(c) The
Company hereby agrees to fully indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be
brought by officers, directors or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.
9. EXCLUSIONS.
Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement except for Section 27, the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement
to make any indemnification, advance expenses, hold harmless or exoneration payment in connection with any claim made against
Indemnitee:
(a) for
which payment has actually been received by or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy, contract, agreement or other
indemnity or advancement provision or otherwise, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount actually received under any
insurance policy, contract, agreement, other indemnity or advancement provision or otherwise;
(b) for
an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within
the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule) or similar provisions of state statutory law or common
law; or
(c) except
as otherwise provided in Sections 14(f)-(g) hereof, prior to a Change in Control, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part
of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against
the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding (or any
part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation or (ii) the Company provides the indemnification, advance of expenses, hold harmless
or exoneration payment, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law. Indemnitee
shall seek payments or advances from the Company only to the extent that such payments or advances are unavailable from any insurance
policy of the Company covering Indemnitee.
10. ADVANCES
OF EXPENSES; DEFENSE OF CLAIM.
(a) Notwithstanding
any provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section 27, and to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable
law, the Company shall pay the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee (or reasonably expected by Indemnitee to be incurred by Indemnitee
within three months) in connection with any Proceeding within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or
statements requesting such advances from time to time, prior to the final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be made
without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement
to be indemnified, held harmless or exonerated under the other provisions of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all
reasonable Expenses incurred pursuing a Proceeding to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing
and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. Indemnitee shall qualify for advances upon the execution
and delivery of this Agreement, which shall constitute Indemnitee’s undertaking, but only to the extent such an undertaking
is required by applicable law, to repay the advanced amounts to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is
not entitled to be indemnified, held harmless or exonerated by the Company under the provisions of this Agreement, the Charter,
the Bylaws of the Company, applicable law or otherwise. This Section 10(a) shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for
which an indemnification, advance of expenses, hold harmless or exoneration payment is excluded pursuant to Section 9.
(b) The
Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense.
(c) The
Company shall not settle any action, claim or Proceeding (in whole or in part) which would impose any Expense, judgment, liability,
fine, penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.
11. PROCEDURE
FOR NOTIFICATION AND APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) Indemnitee
agrees to promptly notify the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment,
information or other document relating to any Proceeding, claim, issue or matter therein which may be subject to indemnification,
hold harmless or exoneration rights, or advancement of Expenses covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the
Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to Indemnitee under this Agreement, or otherwise.
(b) Indemnitee
may deliver to the Company a written application to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with this Agreement.
Such application(s) may be delivered from time to time and at such time(s) as Indemnitee deems appropriate in Indemnitee’s
sole discretion. Following such a written application for indemnification by Indemnitee, Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification
shall be determined according to Section 12(a) of this Agreement.
12. PROCEDURE
UPON APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) A
determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification shall be made
in the specific case by one of the following methods: (i) if no Change of Control has occurred (x) by a majority vote of the Disinterested
Directors, even if less than a quorum of the Board, (y) by a committee of Disinterested Directors, even if less than a quorum
of the Board, or (z) if there are no Disinterested Directors, or if the Indemnitee so directs by Independent Counsel in a written
opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee, or (ii) if a Change in Control has occurred, by Independent
Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to the Indemnitee. The Company will promptly advise
Indemnitee in writing with respect to any determination that Indemnitee is or is not entitled to indemnification, including a
description of any reason or basis for which indemnification has been denied. If it is so determined that Indemnitee is entitled
to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination. Indemnitee shall reasonably
cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification,
including providing to such person, persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is
not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary
to such determination. Any costs or Expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee
in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of
the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby agrees to indemnify and to hold
Indemnitee harmless therefrom.
(b) In
the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) hereof,
the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section 12(b). The Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee
(unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company
advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets
the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. If the Independent Counsel is
selected by the Board, the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising Indemnitee of the identity of the Independent
Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets the requirements of “Independent Counsel”
as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within ten (10)
days after such written notice of selection shall have been received, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may
be, a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the
Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of
this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and
timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and substantiated,
the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court
of competent jurisdiction has determined that such objection is without merit. If, within twenty (20) days after submission by
Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(b) hereof, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected
and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Delaware Court for resolution of any objection which shall
have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as
Independent Counsel of a person selected by the Delaware Court, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved
or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under Section 12(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of any judicial
proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and relieved of
any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing).
(c) The
Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel and to fully indemnify and hold harmless such Independent
Counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement
pursuant hereto.
13. PRESUMPTIONS
AND EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS.
(a) In
making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person, persons or entity making such determination
shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification
in accordance with Section 11(b) of this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption
in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. Neither the
failure of the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) to have made a determination prior to
the commencement of any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee
has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors
or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create
a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.
(b) If
the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 12 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled
to indemnification shall not have made a determination within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor,
the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to have
been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact,
or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with
the request for indemnification, or (ii) a final judicial determination that any or all such indemnification is expressly prohibited
under applicable law; provided, however, that such 30-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional
fifteen (15) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in
good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto.
(c) The
termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon
a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely
affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner
which Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal
Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
(d) For
purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action
is based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee
by the directors, manager, or officers of the Enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for
the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, or
on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee,
general partner, manager or managing member, by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert
selected by the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing
member. The provisions of this Section 13(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances
in which Indemnitee may be deemed or found to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.
(e) The
knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any other director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary,
agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification
under this Agreement.
14. REMEDIES
OF INDEMNITEE.
(a) In
the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 12 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification
under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, is not timely made pursuant
to Section 10 of this Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section
12(a) of this Agreement within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment
of indemnification is not made pursuant to Sections 5, 6, 7 or the last sentence of Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ten
(10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, (v) a contribution payment is not made in a timely manner
pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement, (vi) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3 or 4 of this Agreement is not made
within ten (10) days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, or (vii) payment to Indemnitee
pursuant to any hold harmless or exoneration rights under this Agreement or otherwise is not made in accordance with this Agreement,
Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication by the Delaware Court to such indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution
or advancement rights. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at Indemnitee’s option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted
by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Except as set forth
herein, the provisions of Delaware law (without regard to its conflict of laws rules) shall apply to any such arbitration. The
Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration. Such adjudication or
arbitration proceeding is referred to herein as “Enforcement Proceeding.”
(b) In
the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled
to indemnification, any Enforcement Proceeding shall be conducted in all respects as a de novo trial, or arbitration, on the merits
and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse determination.
(c) In
any Enforcement Proceeding, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to be indemnified, held harmless, exonerated and to receive
advancement of Expenses under this Agreement and the Company shall have the burden of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified, held harmless, exonerated and to receive advancement of Expenses, as the case may be, and the Company may not refer
to or introduce into evidence any determination pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement adverse to Indemnitee for any purpose.
If Indemnitee commences an Enforcement Proceeding, Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the Company for any advances
pursuant to Section 10 until a final determination is made with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification (as
to which all rights of appeal have been exhausted or lapsed).
(d) If
a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification,
the Company shall be bound by such determination in Enforcement Proceeding, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material
fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection
with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law.
(e) The
Company shall be precluded from asserting in Enforcement Proceeding that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are
not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Company is bound
by all the provisions of this Agreement.
(f) The
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law against all Expenses (assuming for
purposes of this sentence that all references to a Proceeding in the definition of Expenses were references to an Enforcement
Proceeding) and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after the Company’s receipt of such written request)
pay to Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, such Expenses which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection
with any Enforcement Proceeding brought by Indemnitee: (i) to enforce Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for
breach of, this Agreement or any other indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement or contribution agreement or provision
of the Charter, or the Bylaws now or hereafter in effect; or (ii) for recovery or advances under any insurance policy maintained
by any person for the benefit of Indemnitee, regardless of the outcome and whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled
to such indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration right, advancement, contribution or insurance recovery, as the case may
be (unless such Enforcement Proceeding was not brought by Indemnitee in good faith).
(g) Interest
shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee at a rate to be agreed between the Company and the Indemnitee for amounts which the
Company indemnifies, holds harmless or exonerates, or advances, or is obliged to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate or advance
for the period commencing with the date on which Indemnitee requests indemnification, to be held harmless, exonerated, contribution,
reimbursement or advancement of any Expenses and ending with the date on which such payment is made to Indemnitee by the Company.
15. SECURITY.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary except for Section 27, to the extent requested by Indemnitee and approved by the
Board, the Company may at any time and from time to time provide security to Indemnitee for the Company’s obligations hereunder
through an irrevocable bank line of credit, funded trust or other collateral. Any such security, once provided to Indemnitee,
may not be revoked or released without the prior written consent of Indemnitee.
16. NON-EXCLUSIVITY;
SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS; INSURANCE; SUBROGATION.
(a) The
rights of Indemnitee as provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at
any time be entitled under applicable law, the Charter, the Bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or a resolution of directors,
or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or restrict any right
of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any Proceeding (regardless of when such Proceeding is first threatened, commenced
or completed) or claim, issue or matter therein arising out of, or related to, any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee
in Indemnitee’s Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeals, except as may otherwise be expressly set
forth in such amendment, alteration or repeals and mutually agreed by Indemnitee and the Company. To the extent that a change
in applicable law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights
or advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the Charter, the Bylaws, or this Agreement, it is the intent
of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right
or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be
cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or
otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion
or employment of any other right or remedy.
(b) The
Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), the Charter and the Bylaws permit the Company to purchase and
maintain insurance or furnish similar protection or make other arrangements including, but not limited to, providing a trust fund,
letter of credit, or surety bond (“Indemnification Arrangements”) on behalf of Indemnitee against any liability
asserted against Indemnitee or incurred by or on behalf of Indemnitee or in such capacity as a director, officer, employee or
agent of the Company, or arising out of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to
indemnify Indemnitee against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement or under the DGCL, as it may then be in effect.
The purchase, establishment, and maintenance of any such Indemnification Arrangement shall not in any way limit or affect the
rights and obligations of the Company or of Indemnitee under this Agreement except as expressly provided herein, and the execution
and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and Indemnitee shall not in any way limit or affect the rights and obligations of
the Company or the other party or parties thereto under any such Indemnification Arrangement.
(c) To
the extent that any member of the Company Group maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors,
officers, trustees, partners, managers, managing members, fiduciaries, employees, or agents of the Company Group or of any other
Enterprise which such person serves at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance
with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director, officer, trustee, partner, manager,
managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time the Company receives notice from
any source of a Proceeding as to which Indemnitee is a party or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise), the Company
has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such Proceeding to the insurers
in accordance with the procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter take or cause to be taken
all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such
Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies.
(d) In
the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be subrogated to the
extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and take all action
necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to
enforce such rights.
(e) The
Company’s obligation to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate or advance Expenses hereunder to Indemnitee who is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent
of any other Enterprise shall be reduced by any amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration
payments or advancement of expenses from such Enterprise. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary
except for Section 27, (i) Indemnitee shall have no obligation to reduce, offset, allocate, pursue or apportion any indemnification,
hold harmless, exoneration, advancement, contribution or insurance coverage among multiple parties possessing such duties to Indemnitee
prior to the Company’s satisfaction and performance of all its obligations under this Agreement, and (ii) the Company shall
perform fully its obligations under this Agreement without regard to whether Indemnitee holds, may pursue or has pursued any indemnification,
advancement, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or insurance coverage rights against any person or entity other than the
Company.
(f) To
the extent Indemnitee has rights to indemnification, advancement of expenses and/or insurance provided by the Sponsor or its affiliates
as applicable, (i) the Company shall be the indemnitor of first resort (i.e., that its obligations to Indemnitee are primary and
any obligation of the Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, to advance expenses or to provide indemnification for the same
expenses or liabilities incurred by Indemnitee are secondary), (ii) the Company shall be required to advance the full amount of
expenses incurred by Indemnitee and shall be liable for the full amount of all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs and
expenses (including amounts paid in satisfaction of judgments, in compromises and settlements, as fines and penalties and legal
or other costs and reasonable expenses of investigating or defending against any claim or alleged claim) to the extent legally
permitted and as required by the terms of this Agreement, the Company’s organizational documents or other agreement, without
regard to any rights Indemnitee may have against the Sponsor or its affiliates, as applicable, and (iii) the Company irrevocably
waives, relinquishes and releases the Sponsor and its affiliates, as applicable, from any and all claims against them for contribution,
subrogation or any other recovery of any kind in respect thereof. No advancement or payment by the Sponsor or its affiliates,
as applicable, on behalf of Indemnitee with respect to any claim for which Indemnitee has sought indemnification from the Company
shall affect the foregoing, and the Sponsor and its affiliates, as applicable, shall have a right of contribution and be subrogated
to the extent of such advancement or payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee against the Company.
17. DURATION
OF AGREEMENT. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee serves
as a director or officer of the Company or as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee
or agent of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise which Indemnitee
serves at the request of the Company and shall continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding
or Enforcement Proceeding (including any rights of appeal thereto) by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, whether or
not Indemnitee is acting in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification or advancement
can be provided under this Agreement.
18. SEVERABILITY.
If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever:
(a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each
portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable,
that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall remain enforceable
to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform
to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible,
the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement
containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable)
shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.
19. ENFORCEMENT
AND BINDING EFFECT.
(a) The
Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby
in order to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director, officer or key employee of the Company Group, and the Company acknowledges
that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director, officer or key employee of the Company Group.
(b) Without
limiting any of the rights of Indemnitee under the Charter or Bylaws of the Company as they may be amended from time to time,
this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes
all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter
hereof.
(c) The
indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration and advancement of expenses rights provided by or granted pursuant to this Agreement
shall be binding upon and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns (including
any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or
assets of the Company, but subject to such successor’s compliance with Section 19(d)), shall continue as to an Indemnitee
who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager,
managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise at the Company’s request, and shall inure to the benefit
of Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s spouse, permitted assigns, heirs, devisees, executors and administrators and other legal
representatives.
(d) The
Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to
all, substantially all or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance
satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent
that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.
(e) The
Company and Indemnitee agree herein that a monetary remedy for breach of this Agreement, at some later date, may be inadequate,
impracticable and difficult of proof, and further agree that such breach may cause Indemnitee irreparable harm. Accordingly, the
parties hereto agree that Indemnitee may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, enforce this Agreement by seeking, among other
things, injunctive relief and/or specific performance hereof, without any necessity of showing actual damage or irreparable harm
and that by seeking injunctive relief and/or specific performance, Indemnitee shall not be precluded from seeking or obtaining
any other relief to which Indemnitee may be entitled. The Company and Indemnitee further agree that Indemnitee shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, be entitled to such specific performance and injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders,
preliminary injunctions and permanent injunctions, without the necessity of posting bonds or other security in connection therewith.
The Company acknowledges that in the absence of a waiver, a bond or other security may be required of Indemnitee by a court of
competent jurisdiction. The Company hereby waives any such requirement of such a bond or other security to the fullest extent
permitted by law.
20. MODIFICATION
AND WAIVER. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the
Company and Indemnitee. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement shall be enforceable unless in writing and signed by the
party against whom it is to be enforced. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute
a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.
21. NOTICES.
All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been
duly given (i) if delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been
directed, or (ii) mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third (3rd) business day after the date
on which it is so mailed:
(a) If
to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide
in writing to the Company.
(b) If
to the Company, to:
Hawks Acquisition Corp
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Attn: J. Carney Hawks, Chief Executive Officer
With a copy, which shall not constitute notice,
to
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019
Attn: Brian M. Janson, Esq.
Fax No.: (212) 492-0588
or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee
in writing by the Company.
22. APPLICABLE
LAW AND CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties shall be governed by, and construed
and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Except with
respect to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted
by law, the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally: (a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out
of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Delaware Court and not in any other state or federal court
in the United States of America or any court in any other country; (b) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the
Delaware Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement; (c) waive any objection
to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware Court; and (d) waive, and agree not to plead or to make,
any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum,
or is subject (in whole or in part) to a jury trial. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the parties hereby agree that the
mailing of process and other papers in connection with any such action or proceeding in the manner provided by Section 21 or in
such other manner as may be permitted by law, shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.
23. IDENTICAL
COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to
be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the
party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.
24. MISCELLANEOUS.
Use of the masculine pronoun shall be deemed to include usage of the feminine pronoun where appropriate. The headings of the paragraphs
of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect
the construction thereof.
25. ADDITIONAL
ACTS. If for the validation of any of the provisions in this Agreement any act, resolution, approval or other procedure is
required to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company undertakes to cause such act, resolution, approval or other procedure
to be affected or adopted in a manner that will enable the Company to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.
26. WAIVER OF CLAIMS TO TRUST ACCOUNT. Indemnitee hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or
claim of any kind (each, a “Claim”) in or to any monies in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s
initial public offering for the benefit of the Company and holders of shares issued in such offering, and hereby waives any Claim
it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against
such trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that any indemnification provided
hereto will only be able to be satisfied by the Company if (i) the Company has sufficient funds outside of the Trust Account to
satisfy its obligations hereunder or (ii) the Company consummates a Business Combination.
27. MAINTENANCE
OF INSURANCE. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain in effect during the entire period
for which the Company is obligated to indemnify the Indemnitee under this Agreement, one or more policies of insurance with reputable
insurance companies to provide the officers/directors of the Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts and omissions
and to ensure the Company’s performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. The Indemnitee shall be
covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any
such director or officer under such policy or policies. In all such insurance policies, the Indemnitee shall be named as an insured
in such a manner as to provide the Indemnitee with the same rights and benefits as are accorded to the most favorably insured
of the Company’s directors and officers.
[Signature Page Follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have
caused this Indemnity Agreement to be signed as of the day and year first above written.
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HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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INDEMNITEE
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[Signature Page
to Indemnity Agreement]
Exhibit 10.8
HAWKS ACQUISITION CORP
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th
Floor
New York, NY 10022
[ ], 2021
GLC Advisors & Co., LLC
600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10022
Re: Administrative Services Agreement
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter agreement (the
“Agreement”) by and between Hawks Acquisition Corp, a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and GLC Advisors & Co., LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the
“Services Provider”), dated as of the date hereof, will confirm our agreement that, commencing on the date
that securities of the Company are first listed in connection with the Company’s initial public offering (the
“Listing Date”) and continuing until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of an initial business
combination and the Company’s liquidation (in each case as described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1
(File No. 333-[●]) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission) (such earlier date hereinafter referred to as the
“Termination Date”):
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1.
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The Services Provider (and/or any of its affiliates designated by the Services Provider) shall make
available, or cause to be made available, to the Company, at 600 Lexington Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10022 (or any successor
location or, in Services Provider’s discretion, other existing office locations of the Services Provider or any of its
affiliates), certain office space, administrative and secretarial services as may be reasonably requested by the Company. In
exchange therefor, the Company shall pay in advance to the Services Provider the sum of $10,000 per month, commencing on the Listing
Date and continuing every 30 days thereafter until the Termination Date;
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2.
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In addition to the above, the Company shall reimburse the Services
Provider for all reasonable and documented expenses, costs and disbursements incurred or made by the Services Provider on behalf of the
Company in connection with providing the services described above, including reimbursement of reasonable and documented third party-expenses
for professional services, if any, related to performing such services; and
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3.
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The Services Provider hereby irrevocably waives any and all right, title, interest, causes of action and claims of any kind
or nature as a result of, or arising out of, this Agreement (each, a “Claim”) in or to, and any
and all right to seek payment of any amounts due to it out of, the trust account established for the benefit of the public stockholders
of the Company and into which substantially all of the proceeds of the Company’s initial public offering will be deposited
(the “Trust Account”), and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim it presently has or may have in the future
as a result of, or arising out of, this Agreement, which Claim would reduce, encumber or otherwise adversely affect the
Trust Account or any monies or other assets in the Trust Account, and further agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment
or satisfaction of any Claim against the Trust Account or any monies or other assets in the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
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The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the Services Provider is an independent contractor for the Company and that the Services
Provider is not the actual or implied agent of the Company; (ii) the rights, duties, obligations, and liabilities of the parties under
this Agreement shall be individual, not joint or collective; (iii) it is not the intention of the parties to create, nor shall this Agreement
be deemed or construed to create, a partnership, joint venture or association or a trust; (iv) the Services Provider shall determine the
number of its employees, the selection of its employees, and the hours of work and the compensation to be paid to its employees used in
performing the services to be provided hereunder; and (v) the Services Provider has the exclusive authority to control and direct the
specific means, method, and manner of performance of the details of any services to be provided hereunder, subject to the other express
provisions of this Agreement and the right of the Company to direct the Services Provider with respect to the ends to be accomplished.
The Services Provider shall have no liability to the Company or any
of its affiliates, directors, officers, managers, representatives, agents, members and employees for losses sustained or liabilities
incurred in the performance of the services, except to the extent of liabilities that arise in whole or in part from the gross negligence
or willful misconduct of the Services Provider. The Company shall indemnify, defend, hold harmless, and waives and releases the Services
Provider, its affiliates, and its and their respective directors, officers, managers, representatives, agents, members, and employees
(together with the Service Provider, the “Service Provider Indemnitees”) from and against and in respect of any and
all claims, liabilities, losses, costs, expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs), or damages incurred or suffered
by a Service Provider Indemnitee in connection with, arising out of, or relating to, directly or indirectly, its performance of the Services
hereunder, EVEN IF SUCH LIABILITIES OR DAMAGES AROSE IN WHOLE OR IN PART FROM THE ACTIVE, PASSIVE, OR CONCURRENT NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY,
OR OTHER FAULT OF THE SERVICE PROVIDER OR ANY OTHER SERVICE PROVIDER INDEMNITEE, except that such indemnity will not apply in cases in
which any such liabilities or damages result from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of the Services Provider or any other Service
Provider Indemnitee. In no event shall Services Provider or any Service Provider Indemnitee be liable to the Company in an aggregate
amount in excess of the amount of fees actually received by the Services Provider pursuant to this Agreement.
The termination or expiration of this Agreement shall not relieve the Company from any expense, liability or other obligation or remedy
therefor that has accrued or attached prior to the Termination Date and the provisions under the prior paragraph and each successive paragraph,
including this paragraph, shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement.
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding
of the parties hereto in respect of its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations
by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions
contemplated hereby.
This Agreement may not be amended, modified or waived
as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.
No party hereto may assign either this Agreement or any
of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written approval of the other party; provided that the Services
Provider may assign this Agreement or any of its rights, interests or obligations hereunder to an affiliate without the
prior written approval of the Company. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and
shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee.
This Agreement constitutes the entire relationship of
the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter described herein and any litigation between the parties (whether grounded
in contract, tort, statute, law or equity) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with, and interpreted pursuant to,
the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to its choice of law principles, and shall be held in New York County, New York, or as mutually agreed by the parties. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY
APPLICABLE LAW, EACH OF THE PARTIES TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY WAIVES ITS RESPECTIVE RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL OF ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION
BASED UPON OR ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT OR ANY DEALINGS BETWEEN THEM RELATING TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT AND THE RELATIONSHIP
THAT IS BEING ESTABLISHED. EACH PARTY HERETO ALSO WAIVES ANY BOND OR SURETY OR SECURITY UPON SUCH BOND WHICH MIGHT, BUT FOR THIS WAIVER,
BE REQUIRED OF ANY OF THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO. THE SCOPE OF THIS WAIVER IS INTENDED TO BE ALL-ENCOMPASSING OF ANY AND ALL DISPUTES THAT
MAY BE FILED IN ANY COURT AND THAT RELATE TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, CONTRACT CLAIMS, TORT
CLAIMS, BREACH OF DUTY CLAIMS, AND ALL OTHER COMMON LAW AND STATUTORY CLAIMS.
The terms of this Agreement have been negotiated by the parties hereto, who have each been represented by counsel, there shall be no presumption
that any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be construed adverse to any party as “drafter” in the event of a contention
of ambiguity in this Agreement, and the parties waive any statute or rule of law to such effect.
This Agreement may be executed in one or
more counterparts, including by electronic means, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original but all of which
together shall constitute one and the same Agreement.
[Signature page follows]
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Very truly yours,
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Hawks Acquisition Corp
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By:
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Name: J. Carney Hawks
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY:
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GLC ADVISORS
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Administrative Services Agreement]
Exhibit 23.1
Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration
Statement of Hawks Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated February 24, 2021,
which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of
the financial statements of the Company as of January 29, 2021 and for the period from January 4, 2021 (inception) through January 29,
2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm
under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.
/s/ Marcum LLP
Marcum llp
Boston, MA
July 29, 2021