As filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on October 6, 2021 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its certificate of incorporation)
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Cayman Islands
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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6770
(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)
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98-1596288
(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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190 Elgin Avenue
George Town, Grand Cayman
KY1-9008
Cayman Islands
Tel.: +44 (0) 2703 93702
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Tifosy Limited
16 Hanover Square
London, W1S 1HT
United Kingdom
Tel.: +44 (0) 2703 93702
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies of all communications, including communications sent to agent for service, should be sent to:
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Christian O. Nagler
Alla Digilova
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Tel: (212) 446-4800
Fax: (212) 446-4900
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Brian E. Rosenzweig
Mark Brod
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
425 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10017
Tel: (212) 455-2000
Fax: (212) 455-2502
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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, 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 Securities
to be Registered
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Amount
to be Registered
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Proposed Maximum
Offering Price
Per Unit(1)
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Proposed Maximum
Aggregate
Offering Price(1)(2)
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Amount of
Registration Fee
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Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value, and one-half of one redeemable warrant(2)
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28,750,000 units
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$
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10.00
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$
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287,500,000
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$
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26,652
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Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(3)
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28,750,000 shares
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—
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—
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—(4)
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Redeemable warrants included as part of the units(3)
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14,375,000 warrants
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—
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—
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—(4)
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Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of redeemable warrants included as part of the units
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14,375,000 shares
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$
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11.50
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$
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165,312,500
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$
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15,325(5)
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Total
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$
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452,812,500
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$
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41,977
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(1)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.
(2)
Includes 3,750,000 units, consisting of 3,750,000 Class A ordinary shares and 1,875,000 redeemable 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(a), there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be offered or issued to prevent dilution resulting from share sub-divisions, share dividends, or similar transactions.
(4)
No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).
(5)
Calculated pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act, based on the exercise price of the warrants.
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 or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the 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 OCTOBER 6, 2021
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
$250,000,000
25,000,000 Units
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as our “initial business combination.” We have not selected any 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. We will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region in our identification and acquisition of a target company.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, terms and limitations as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations as described herein. We will have 15 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 15 months, we may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination once by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete an initial business combination), as described in more detail in this prospectus. Public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within the above time period, we will redeem 100% of the public shares for cash, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as described herein.
Our sponsor, Iconic Sports Management LLC, has agreed to purchase 12,750,000 warrants (or 14,437,500 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants are identical to the warrants sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering, at a price of $10.00 per unit. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on any units purchased in this offering by our sponsor.
Our sponsor currently owns 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares, up to 937,500 of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors. In addition, in a vote to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents for such jurisdiction) which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a shareholder meeting, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share and, as a result, our sponsor will be able to approve any such proposal without the vote of any other shareholder. Incumbent directors will also have the ability to appoint and remove additional directors or to appoint replacement directors in the event of a casual vacancy. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.
Currently, there is no public market for our securities. We intend to apply to have our units listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “ICNC.U.” We expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on NYSE under the symbols “ICNC” and “ICNC WS,” respectively, on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless the representatives of the underwriters permit earlier separate trading and we have satisfied certain conditions as described herein.
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 a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page
38 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (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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Public offering price
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$
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10.00
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$
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250,000,000
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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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239,000,000
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(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,312,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the consummation of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of underwriting compensation payable to the underwriters. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on the 5,000,000 units purchased in this offering by our sponsor.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants as described in this prospectus, $256,250,000 in the aggregate, or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $10.25 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and $2,500,000 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering.
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.
Credit Suisse Morgan Stanley
The date of this prospectus is , 2021.
We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and neither we nor the underwriters take any responsibility for any other information others may give to you. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
Table of Contents
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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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“amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that the company will adopt prior to the consummation of this offering;
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“Class A ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share;
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“Class B ordinary shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share;
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“Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands as the same may be amended from time to time;
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“directors” are to our current directors named in this prospectus;
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“founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares initially issued to our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”);
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“initial shareholders” are to all of our shareholders immediately prior to the date of this prospectus, including all of our officers and directors to the extent they hold such shares;
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“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors (including our director nominees that will become directors upon the closing of this offering);
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“ordinary resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter;
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“ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
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“private placement warrants” are to the warrants to be issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and upon conversion of working capital loans, if any;
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“public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) (except as described in the definition of “founder shares” above);
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“public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor and management team to the extent our sponsor and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that our sponsor’s and each member of our management team’s status as a “public shareholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
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“special resolution” are to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority (or such higher threshold as specified in the company’s amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of the votes cast by the holders of the issued shares present in person or represented by proxy at a general meeting of the company and entitled to vote on such matter or a resolution approved in writing by all of the holders of the issued shares entitled to vote on such matter;
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“sponsor” or “sponsor group” are to Iconic Sports Management LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company, which is owned directly or indirectly by James G. Dinan (a member of our Board of Directors), Alexander Knaster (a member of our Board of Directors), Edward Eisler and Tifosy SponsorCo LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company and an affiliate of Tifosy Capital & Advisory;
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“Tifosy” or “Tifosy Capital & Advisory” are to Tifosy Limited, a London based boutique sports advisory firm and an affiliate of our sponsor;
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“warrants” are to our redeemable warrants, which includes the public warrants as well as the private placement warrants to the extent that they are no longer held by the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants or their permitted transferees; and
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“we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company.
Any forfeiture of shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law, or as otherwise permitted by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividends described in this prospectus will take effect as share capitalizations as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Any share capitalization described in this prospectus will take effect as an issuance of shares from share premium as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Unless otherwise stated, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
General
We are a new blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “initial business combination.” To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not identified any potential business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date, and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
While we may pursue a business combination opportunity in any business industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our sponsor group and management team to identify, acquire and accelerate a business in the global sports industry or an adjacent sector including data and analytics, media and technology. In doing so, we intend to focus our search on iconic businesses, including sports franchises, which will complement our differentiated expertise, benefit from our strategic and hands-on operational leadership and where we believe there are opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns and to build a platform for future investments.
With decades of combined global experience across the sports, media and financial investment landscapes, and with significant transactional expertise, access to capital and a track record of value creation, both in the United States and in Europe, we believe our combined sponsor group and management team will make us a unique partner to potential target businesses and will enhance our ability to effect an attractive and successful business combination.
Our Sponsor Group
Our sponsor group is a partnership between Mr. James G. Dinan, Mr. Alexander Knaster, Mr. Edward Eisler and Tifosy SponsorCo LLC, an affiliate of Tifosy Capital & Advisory, a leading boutique sports advisory firm.
The history of the working relationship between the members of the sponsor group goes back several years, bringing together a powerful combination of experience and industry relationships. This cohesive group combines global expertise across sports, finance and management, and we believe the highly complementary attributes of each member create a differentiated sponsor that will provide competitive advantages in sourcing and executing an attractive business combination and driving long-term value for our shareholders.
In our view, the hands-on approach that the sponsor group intends to take, combined with its extensive track-record, deal-making capabilities and access to capital will give us a distinct advantage to capitalize on opportunities in sports or in adjacent data & analytics, media and technology sectors.
James G. Dinan
Mr. Dinan founded York Capital Management in September 1991 and is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm. From 1985 to 1991, he worked at Kellner, DiLeo & Co., where he became a General Partner and was responsible for investing in risk arbitrage and special situation investments. From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Dinan was a member of the investment banking group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.
In 2014, Mr. Dinan purchased a stake in the Nation Basketball Association’s (“NBA”) Milwaukee Bucks, partnering with Marc Lasry and Wes Edens. Over the course of the following five years, from the 2013/14 season to the 2018/19 season, as owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, Messrs. Dinan, Lasry and Edens have completely reimagined, rebuilt and re-energized the team’s business operations, resulting in substantial increases in attendance (+68%), ticket revenue (+186%), digital and social media audience (+283%), concessions and retail revenue (+600%), partnership sales (+200%) and cable revenue (+65%). They have assembled a top-flight management team and instilled a new corporate culture marked by accountability, collaboration and results and are credited with the turnaround that saw the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA Championship and lift the Larry O’Brien trophy on July 20, 2021, for the first time since 1971.
Mr. Dinan has also been instrumental in driving the vision, financing, planning, design and construction of the Deer District, a 30-acre mixed-use development project that has transformed downtown Milwaukee, featuring a new 714,000 square feet multi-purpose arena, financed by a $524 million public and private investment, and a new state-of-the-art 55,000 square feet training facility for the Milwaukee Bucks, financed by a $30 million private investment. He has worked to ensure that this historic project will be catalytic to the economic development of both the city of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin. Throughout his time in Milwaukee, Mr. Dinan has devoted significant energy and effort to working within the Milwaukee community to accomplish important social and economic goals, which include spearheading the development and launch of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation.
Mr. Dinan is a member of the NBA’s Board of Governors, responsible for the strategy and global direction of the NBA across media, digital, operations, partnerships and many other facets of the league.
Mr. Dinan is currently the Vice-Chair and Chairman Emeritus of the Museum of the City of New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the USA Wrestling Foundation. Additionally, he is a U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation (“USOPF”) Trustee and he served as Team Leader for Men’s Freestyle Wrestling for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mr. Dinan sits on the Harvard Business School's Board of Dean's Advisors, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton Board of Advisors at the University of Pennsylvania and the Board of Trustees for The Rockefeller University.
Alexander Knaster
Mr. Knaster is the Chairman of Pamplona Capital Management, a global investment management firm that he founded in 2005. As of 2020, Pamplona Capital Management has managed over $13 billion in private equity, hedge funds and fund of funds assets.
Prior to founding Pamplona Capital Management, Mr. Knaster served as the Chief Executive Officer at Alfa Bank from 1998 to 2004. From 1985 to 1998, he has held senior positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, Bankers Trust Company, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Grenfell and Simmons and Company in New York, London, Moscow and Houston.
Mr. Knaster has a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and Ph.D. in Economics from Russian Academy of Science.
Mr. Knaster is currently concluding a Master of Science program in Molecular Biology at New York University. He is an active philanthropist focusing extensively on funding cancer research and educational activities.
Mr. Knaster is already an investor in the sports sector, having acquired a majority stake in the Italian professional football team A.C. Pisa 1909 in January 2021.
Edward Eisler
Mr. Eisler is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Eisler Capital, a global investment management firm established in 2015 with $4 billion of assets under management. Eisler Capital pursues a multi-strategy investment framework on both a discretionary and systematic basis, utilising directional, relative value, mean reversion and volatility trading strategies across all asset classes.
Prior to founding Eisler Capital, Mr. Eisler had a 20-year career at Goldman Sachs. He was a Partner and Co-Head of the Global Markets Division, where he oversaw the firm’s global trading activities. Additionally, he was a member of the Goldman Sach’s Management Committee, the Firmwide Risk Committee and the Finance Committee.
Mr. Eisler holds a B.S. in Economics and Finance and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from New York University. Mr. Eisler serves as an Executive Trustee of the Tate Foundation.
Tifosy SponsorCo LLC
Tifosy SponsorCo LLC is an affiliate of Tifosy Capital & Advisory. Tifosy is a leading boutique sports advisory firm. The firm has an extensive track record of sourcing and executing transactions in sports and providing strategic financial advisory services to clients across the sports sector.
Tifosy was founded by Mr. Zanetton and Mr. Vialli. The firm employs an experienced team comprised of leading individuals from the worlds of finance and sports, including Marco Re (a former Chief Financial Officer of Juventus Football Club (“Juventus”)) and Tim Williams (a former Chief Financial Officer of Football Club Internazionale Milano (“Inter Milan”) and Finance Director of Manchester United Football Club (“Manchester United”)), as well as other talented and focused individuals from across top-tier investment banking, legal and sports marketing institutions.
Tifosy represents a powerful complement to the sponsor group’s sourcing and execution capabilities, given its unique set of deep sector relationships, industry expertise and a global platform with integrated investment and advisory capabilities. Tifosy has served as an advisor to numerous leading professional football clubs, private equity funds and high net worth individuals (including Mr. Dinan and Mr. Knaster).
We intend to leverage Tifosy’s unique and extensive global network to access direct and proprietary opportunities within the sports ecosystem providing a method to source, screen and select potential target companies in a way that will be highly differentiated from any other party in the sector.
Our Management Team and Board of Directors
Management
Our company is supported by a fully dedicated management team with decades of combined experience operating and completing transactions in the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. Our operations will also be overseen by an experienced board of directors.
Our management team is led by Gianluca Vialli (Co-Chief Executive Officer) and Fausto Zanetton (Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Offer) and is supported by an experienced execution team who bring a combination of strategic, operational, financial and transactional experience paired with a deep-rooted network in the global sports ecosystem.
Gianluca Vialli, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Vialli is one of the most iconic and successful European professional footballers of the modern era, having played at U.C. Sampdoria (“Sampdoria”), Juventus and Chelsea Football Club (“Chelsea”). He represented Italy in 59 matches and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the only nine players who have won all three major Union of European Football Associations (“UEFA”) club
competitions: the UEFA Champions League/European Cup, the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Mr. Vialli was also the first Italian to have been appointed manager to a Premier League club, having led the first teams of Chelsea (1998-2000) and Watford (2001-2002). During his tenure at Chelsea, Mr. Vialli led the team to two international (the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup) and three domestic titles (the 2000 FA Cup, the 1998 League Cup and the 2000 Football Association Charity Shield).
After his professional playing and coaching career, Mr. Vialli spent 15 years at Sky Sports Italia as an ambassador, an advisor to the CEO on sporting matters and a highly respected commentator and media personality with deep expertise in Serie A, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cups.
Mr. Vialli is also a Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of Tifosy Capital & Advisory. He focuses on advising clients on sporting strategy, organisational matters including recruitment and capital allocation decisions.
In addition, Mr. Vialli currently serves as Head of the Italian national football team delegation and is a mentor to players and management. In July 2021, as part of the team led by Italian manager Roberto Mancini, Mr. Vialli oversaw Italy’s triumph in the 2020 European Championships. Mr. Vialli has a Masters in Football Business from the Johan Cruyff Institute and a Masters in Marketing and Sponsorship from University Bocconi.
Fausto Zanetton, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Zanetton is a much sought-after and trusted advisor in the sports industry and has over 20 years of experience advising global media, sports and technology companies.
Mr. Zanetton is the Chief Executive Officer of Tifosy, which he co-founded with Gianluca Vialli after seeing an unprecedented need for high-quality advisory services and financing solutions in professional sports. Mr. Zanetton directs Tifosy’s strategy and is responsible for managing the firm day-to-day, as well as in the sports sector advising clients on large-scale mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions. Mr. Zanetton has worked with professional sports franchises across Europe and the United States and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, Parma Calcio 1913, Sampdoria, Glasgow Rangers Football Club, Queens Park Rangers Football Club, A.C. Pisa 1909, Norwich City Football Club and others. He has also been a speaker at various industry conferences, including Leaders in Sport, Soccerex Global Convention and Web Summit.
Mr. Zanetton previously held various positions as an experienced sports, media and entertainment banker at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, with additional sector experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brussels and Boston. Mr. Zanetton has a successful track record in leading high-profile transactions.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Zanetton has developed a vast network within the global sports, finance and private equity industries and brings to the management team significant experience as a leader on large-scale mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private financing transactions.
Mr. Zanetton holds an M.B.A. from London Business School, is a qualified chartered accountant and is fluent in several languages.
Marco Re, Executive Vice President
Mr. Re is a Managing Director and the Head of Italy at Tifosy. At Tifosy, Mr. Re is primarily responsible for the Italian market and office, but also leads the firm’s strategic client coverage as an adviser to top-tier clubs and clients across Europe. Mr. Re has an in-depth knowledge of the sports industry and is valued by clients for his holistic view on the sports financing market.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Re served at Juventus FC in various roles, including as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Board, where he held responsibility for all financial and non-sporting operations. During his 20 year career at Juventus, Mr. Re led capital market transactions including the Juventus initial public offering, a €300 million rights issue, stadium construction financing, Juventus Village financing (real
estate fund structure) and a €175 million senior unsecured bond issuance. As an experienced Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Re has a detailed understanding of not only industry-specific financing arrangements, such as factoring of broadcasting and player receivables, but also related developments, having assumed senior leadership roles in the J|Medical and J|Hotel projects.
Mr. Re holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Turin and has been enrolled in the Italian Register of Chartered Accountants and in the Register of Auditors since 2003.
Tim Williams, Executive Vice President
Mr. Williams is a Managing Director and the Head of UK at Tifosy. At Tifosy, he is responsible for the strategy and development of the business in the United Kingdom and focuses on strategic and capital solutions for a wide range of clubs across multiple leagues. Mr. Williams is a finance professional with more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years in sport, media, advertising and entertainment.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Williams served as Chief Financial Officer and member of the San Siro stadium management company board at Inter Milan, where he held responsibility for financial, strategic and management reporting and the club’s financing and capital structure since 2015. While at Inter Milan, Mr. Williams led the issue of structured bond and revolving credit facilities totalling €425 million, as well as securing short-term financing arrangements on numerous occasions. Mr. Williams also has extensive experience in the UEFA Financial Fair Play (“FFP”) regulations after leading Inter Milan to the successful release from a four-year FFP Settlement Agreement.
Before joining Inter Milan, he trained with KPMG and held senior finance roles for advertising agency McCann Erickson and Manchester United. Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor’s Degree in finance from Manchester Metropolitan University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Tommy Aylmer, Executive Vice President
Mr. Aylmer is a Managing Director and the Chief Legal Officer at Tifosy. At Tifosy, he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, strategy and sports regulation and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, A.C. Pisa and Norwich City Football Club, among others. Mr. Aylmer also oversees the wider team at the firm and the firm’s regulated investment platform activities.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Aylmer was a corporate lawyer at leading European law firm Arthur Cox, specialising in M&A and corporate finance. While at Arthur Cox, he gained significant experience in complex mergers and acquisitions and financing arrangements, representing and advising a wide variety of investment banking and corporate clients. Mr. Aylmer’s select former experience includes advising: Greencore Group plc on the $747.5 million acquisition of Peacock Foods; Goldman Sachs as part of Activision Blizzard’s $5.9 billion takeover of King Digital; CRH plc on the €6.5 billion multi-jurisdictional acquisition of businesses and assets from Lafarge S.A. and Holcim Ltd; the Eir Group on the acquisition of international sports broadcaster Setanta Sports Ireland; and Emirates National Oil Company on the £4.0 billion takeover and delisting of Dragon Oil plc.
Mr. Aylmer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Law from University College Dublin and is a dual-qualified lawyer with professional solicitor qualifications from the Law Societies of Ireland and England & Wales.
Our management team will capitalize on the collective experiences, networks, and resources of the Tifosy platform as well as our independent director nominees to effectuate an attractive transaction for our shareholders. The past performance of our sponsor group or management team is not a guarantee of 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 record of our sponsor group’s or management team’s performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors have had experience with special purpose acquisition companies in the past.
Board of Directors
In addition to James G. Dinan and Alexander Knaster, whose biographies are set out above, our board of directors will be comprised of the following independent directors:
Renée E. LaBran
Renée E. LaBran currently serves on the boards of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), a diversified financial services provider, serving on the audit and governance committees, and Idealab. In addition to leading strategy initiatives and M&A projects as a consultant to large corporate clients, she is an active investor and advisor to early-stage companies. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UCLA Anderson Business School’s entrepreneurship program, and serves on the Advisory Board of Principia Growth, a late-stage growth fund.
In 2015, Ms. LaBran was appointed by Governor Brown to the California State Bar Board of Trustees (responsible for regulation of California attorneys) and was confirmed to two terms by the State Senate as a non-attorney public member. Ms. LaBran played a key role in the restructuring of both the board and the organization and completed her tenure in December 2020.
Ms. LaBran has been involved in the venture capital industry since 2000, initially as a founding partner of Rustic Canyon Partners (“RCP”), a technology focused venture capital fund. RCP also served as the launching pad for RC/Fontis, a growth stage fund targeting underserved markets. Ms. LaBran served as a Board Director for multiple portfolio companies (including audit chair experience) as well as provided oversight of both firms’ finance functions and operations.
Prior to venture capital, Ms. LaBran held a variety of executive management positions at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing $300 million in revenue and launching their digital initiatives, including co-founding two media industry joint ventures, serving as Chief Executive Officer of one joint venture. Prior to the Los Angeles Times, Ms. LaBran was a management consultant with Monitor Company US and Europe (“Monitor”), working on corporate strategy projects for Fortune 500 companies.
Ms. LaBran is a graduate of Harvard Business School and received her B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. LaBran is the mother of two sons. She is active in her community, including past Board Chair for Hathaway—Sycamores Child and Family Services, and co-founder of Women Founders Network, supporting female entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Investment Committee for Alliance for Southern California Innovation.
Alex Liu
Alex Liu is the managing partner and chairman of the board of directors at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. A trusted advisor to chief executive officers and boards, he was elected as the firm’s ninth managing partner in 2018 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. He was named on the 2020 Global Diversity CEO List and has appeared on platforms such as the World Economic Forum (“WEF”), The Economist and CNBC to discuss equity and inclusion matters for business and society.
Mr. Liu has worked extensively in the communications, media, and technology sectors in more than 50 countries and was named a Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine.
Mr. Liu has served as both speaker and co-chair at WEF events, including the Annual Summit in Davos and the WEF on Africa Summit, sharing his perspectives on global trends around the fourth industrial revolution and future-workforce topics. He is also a member of the WEF International Business Council (“IBC”), an advisory body made up of 120 chief executives and chairs representing cross-industry global organizations, and a participant in G20 Economist events.
Mr. Liu publishes frequently in business periodicals and newspapers such as Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times and speaks often on culture and joy at work, hosting a popular podcast, Joy@Work.
Prior to joining Kearney, Mr. Liu was Chief Executive Officer of a technology start-up and a partner with Boston Consulting Group, helping establish the firm’s Asian operations outside of Japan in the 1990s.
He also served as a board adviser to Etisalat, one of the largest-cap public companies in the Middle East. He began his career in brand management at a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.
Mr. Liu has an M.B.A. from Harvard and a Bachelor’s degree from Yale and remains an avid rugby player.
Fahd Beg
Fahd Beg is the Chief Operating Officer of Prosus Food and Edtech and a member of the Prosus Investment Committee. Prosus N.V. (“Prosus”) is a global consumer internet group listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Mr. Beg joined Naspers Limited (“Naspers”), the controlling shareholder of Prosus, in 2016 and went on to become the Group Chief Investment Officer of Naspers in 2018 and of Prosus in 2019 following its incorporation, where he presided over a period of significant acceleration in the deployment of capital.
In 2021 Mr. Beg became Chief Operating Officer of two of the Prosus’s key segments, where he is responsible for strategy and investments as well as a number of growth and operational functions that provide support to scale portfolio companies.
Before joining Prosus, Mr. Beg held the position of Managing Director and Head of EMEA Internet Investment Banking at Citi.
Mr. Beg has an M.B.A. from Insead and a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University.
Market Opportunity
We believe that sports and adjacent technology and services markets are among the most attractive segments in the broader media entertainment ecosystem, supported by macro tailwinds, large addressable markets and the ability for organic growth and consolidation. We believe that our sponsor group and management team is uniquely positioned to identify and execute an attractive transaction that will leverage the macro trends outlined below and create significant shareholder value as a result of our investment and operating expertise.
Unparalleled value and growth of global sports ecosystem. The total addressable market of the professional sports and adjacent technology and services sectors is estimated at approximately $172 billion and growing at approximately 8% per year, underpinned by continued high global demand for live viewership and other forms of sports media consumption. The value of this unique, exciting, unscripted and live form of entertainment is best exemplified by the continued inflation in sports media rights. A recent example is the new 11-year National Football League’s rights deal, which is estimated to be worth over $110 billion and which constitutes an increase of approximately 75% comparing to the prior deal, based on annual contract value. The deal has attracted significant investment from Amazon.com, Inc., marking further validation of the value of premium must-have sports content for both traditional broadcasters and new entrants, such as over-the-top delivery platforms. Jointly with the continued proliferation of online and mobile connectivity and the growth of social media, this has continued to drive value for major sports franchises and businesses serving the wider sports industry across the globe.
Market dislocation from COVID-19. The impact of the global pandemic on sports franchises and sports-related adjacencies has been profound. As a result, sports franchises and vendors are facing a significant strain on cash flows, leaving many ownership groups without the appetite, nor liquidity to continue franchise funding for an undetermined period. Organizations with inefficient operating models are experiencing significant stress during these times, leading many groups to revaluate their funding strategies. While the length and severity of the impact on live events and other core activities is still uncertain, the market has historically proven resilient to cyclicality—especially for businesses with strong fundamentals and long-term intellectual property value—and is poised to benefit from strong demand in a post-COVID environment.
Decisive shift towards professional ownership and management. Global sports franchises, leagues and businesses active within the wider sports ecosystem are attracting unprecedented interest from institutional and more sophisticated investors. As these businesses reach scale at a global level and need to continue to grow shareholder value in a competitive market, there will be an increased need for professional ownership and
management. Access to capital and financial expertise will be fundamental for businesses that require significant funding in coming years for projects, such as infrastructure and stadium developments, squad investments and others.
Continued technological and data-driven value creation. Technology has significantly transformed consumer behavioural and engagement patterns; and digital adoption and innovation is changing the way that businesses around the globe are conducting their operations. The need for innovative and dynamic operating models is increasingly evident, accelerated by the global pandemic. In order to drive shareholder value, the sports industry can benefit significantly from increased adoption of technology informing data-driven team management and capital allocation decisions, player and performance analytics and Enterprise Resource Planning/Customer Relationship Management improvements. Our management team and sponsor group have significant experience and track-record in pursuing value creation opportunities via adopting innovative and data-driven techniques, which will be leveraged to identify and pursue assets with unique potential.
Global sports platform. Significant synergies can be achieved by building a global sports platform, where best-in-class management practices, capital allocation and innovation can be shared and optimised across various assets. As more sports franchises and sports and media related businesses understand the necessity of building global brands in order to compete for revenue and brand recognition across wider consumer audiences, experienced management teams with operational and financial expertise will be required to create value and enhance visibility and profitability.
Sourcing
We intend to leverage both the sponsor group’s and management team’s unique and extensive global networks to access direct and proprietary business combination opportunities. Our competitive advantage is driven by the deep industry experience and extensive deal sourcing capabilities of our sponsor group and management team. We believe our process of screening and selecting potential target companies for our initial business combination will be highly differentiated and that through our combined networks and expertise we can generate a wide range of business combination opportunities with potential target companies.
We plan to utilize the collective and distinctive capabilities of our sponsor group and management team and, in particular, leverage the:
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deep and broad network of relationships in the sports and entertainment industry to create a significant pipeline of opportunities including opportunities with multiple professional sports franchises and adjacent businesses (both in the United States and Europe);
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extensive experience of sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;
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use of advanced analytics to evaluate opportunities and provide businesses with competitive advantages;
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track record of driving value in existing businesses, including operating leading sport franchises; and
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significant M&A experience, including in consummating transactions across a wide range of sectors.
In addition to our sponsor group’s and management team’s sourcing and evaluation capabilities, our board of directors will be comprised of senior executives with complementary business profiles and experience in a variety of relevant industries. We believe our directors will add depth to our expertise, broaden our network of relationships, and provide exceptional governance to our company. We expect our broad network to provide our management team with a robust flow of business combination opportunities.
We also anticipate that we will have opportunities to leverage our relationships with several investment banks, private equity groups and law firms, which will present us with certain advantages in identifying prospective target companies in the areas that we determine are appropriate and attractive for our initial business combination.
Our Business Strategy
Our strategy is to source, identify, acquire and, upon completion of our initial business combination, accelerate a business to create long-term value for our shareholders. While we will not be limited to a
particular industry or geographic region, we believe the experience of our sponsor group and management team will be highly complementary to a business in sports or in adjacent data and analytics, media and technology sectors, particularly a business that can benefit from our strategic, operational and financial expertise.
Our global network of investors and connections provides us with wide access to source attractive opportunities and our team will consider a broad set of opportunities but will apply a disciplined investment framework based on core acquisition criteria.
We believe our sponsor group and management team will be able to provide a level of support and assistance on key operational and strategic matters that is highly differentiated relative to other potentially competing SPACs. The recent achievements of members of our sponsor group and management team with the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA Championship winners 2021) and the Italian national football team (European Championship winners 2020) only serves to further underline our ability to add significant value. We are therefore focused on opportunities where we will have a unique advantage in driving value creation once a business combination is completed. We have an extensive track record as investors and operators, which in our view will differentiate us as potential partners in an initial business combination and will be a valuable factor in distinguishing ourselves to potential target businesses.
Our Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have developed the following general, non-exclusive investment criteria and guidelines that we believe are important and plan to use when screening for and evaluating target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines. We will seek to acquire a business that:
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operates in sports or an adjacent industry and is well-positioned to benefit from the broad network and strategic expertise of our sponsor group and management team;
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is a leading business with strong business fundamentals, intrinsic brand value and a seasoned executive leadership;
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is operating at scale and is prepared to make the transition to the public markets, but can benefit from guidance and advice in developing a clear message describing the business model and investment opportunity to public investors;
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has the potential to develop fundamentally sound financial performance, with visibility into revenue and cash flow growth and relatively predictable future financial performance;
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operates in a large addressable market and has a sustainable competitive advantage;
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would benefit from an acquisition strategy and more efficient capital allocation and could leverage our access to capital, operational expertise and financial insights; and
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would serve as a platform for both organic and acquisitive growth.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based 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 that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder 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.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review, which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with members of the target’s management and other employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also benefit from our sponsor group’s and
management team’s network of relationships with senior executives, board members and members of executive management teams to provide specialized insights into their areas of expertise and leverage their operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or any subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion, from either an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting, valuation or appraisal firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of the management team will, directly or indirectly, own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officer and director was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then he or she may be required to honour such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. If those other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof.
While Tifosy will not have any duty to present business combination opportunities to us, Tifosy may become aware of a potential transaction that may be an attractive opportunity for us, which it may or may not decide to share with us. Tifosy is a boutique advisory firm focused exclusively on the professional sports sector. As such, Tifosy provides a diversified range of financial advisory services in a broad spectrum of activities including merger and acquisition advisory services. Additionally, we may, but are not required to, engage Tifosy for services as a financial advisor in connection with identifying and investigating potential targets for our initial business combination. Conflicts may arise from Tifosy’s part sponsorship of our company, its provision of services both to us (including as a financial advisor) and to third-party clients. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for its own account, Tifosy may take commercial steps that may have an adverse effect on us.
In addition, our officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. In particular, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
So long as our securities are then listed on the NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net
assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our shareholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to shareholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-business combination company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination company will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Even if the post-business combination company will own or acquire 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a business combination in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests 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 pre-combination shareholders could own less than a majority of the shares of the post-business combination company. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination 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 the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. If our securities are not then listed on NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
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.
Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman, KY1-9008, Cayman Islands. We maintain a corporate website at . The information that may be contained on or
accessible through our corporate website or any other website that we may maintain is not incorporated by reference in, or otherwise a part of, this prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to invest in our securities.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or 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, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act 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, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
The Offering
In deciding 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” of this prospectus.
25,000,000 units (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
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one Class A ordinary share; and
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one-half of one redeemable warrant.
Units: “ICNC.U”
Class A ordinary shares: “ICNC”
Warrants: “ICNC WS”
Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on
Form 8-K
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly, and no later than four business days, after the closing of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option 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’ over-allotment option.
Units:
Number outstanding before this offering
0
Number outstanding after this offering
25,000,0001
Ordinary shares:
Number outstanding before this offering
7,187,5001,2
Number outstanding after this offering
31,250,0001,2,3
Warrants:
Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering
12,750,0001
Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the sale of private placement warrants
25,250,0001
Each whole warrant sold in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable.
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one redeemable warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar blank check companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of our initial business combination as compared to units, which contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
$11.50 per whole share, subject to adjustments as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities (as defined below) for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business
1
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
2
Founder shares are currently classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we do not consummate an initial business combination.
3
Includes 25,000,000 public shares and 6,250,000 founder shares, assuming 937,500 founder shares have been forfeited.
combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by 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 thereby 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 ordinary shares 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, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to the captions “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described adjacent to the caption “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; provided that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement, including as a result of a notice of redemption described below under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”). If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable
efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement provided that if our Class A ordinary shares 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, 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. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares 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, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds
$18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the “30-day redemption period”; and
•
if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading
day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
Except as set forth below, none of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds
$10.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table set forth under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants”;
•
if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and
•
if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.
The “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares for the above purpose shall mean the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in other blank check offerings. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the ten trading day period described above ends. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment).
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon redemption. If, upon redemption, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. Please see the section entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
On April 20, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares. On September 29, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to us for no consideration resulting in an aggregate of 7,187,500 outstanding (up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). As a result of such surrender, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Such shares will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. 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. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization, surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
•
prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors and holders of our founder shares may by way of ordinary resolution remove a member of our board of directors for any reason;
•
incumbent directors shall also have by written resolution the ability to appoint additional directors or to appoint replacement directors in the event of a casual vacancy;
•
the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described adjacent to the caption “Transfer restrictions on founder shares” below;
•
our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive, to the extent such exist, their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares (ii) waive, to the extent such exist, their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, or such higher approval threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and the sponsor’s 5,000,000 public shares purchased as part of the 5,000,000 units in the IPO, we would need 4,375,001, or 17.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law;
•
the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof
as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights” and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association;
•
the founder shares are entitled to registration and shareholder rights; and
•
in a vote to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents for such jurisdiction) which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a shareholder meeting, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share.
Transfer restrictions on founder shares
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and officers with respect to any founder shares.
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares, which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions if we do not consummate an initial business combination, at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and
any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or any member of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a compulsory redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our Class A ordinary shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including, but not limited to, a private placement of equity or debt.
Appointment and Removal of Directors; Voting rights
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors, by way of ordinary resolution. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment or removal of directors during such time. In addition, in a vote to continue our company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents for such jurisdiction) which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes cast by the holders of the issued ordinary shares present in person or represented by proxy at a shareholder meeting, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Sponsor participation in IPO
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering, at a price of $10.00 per unit, pursuant to an investment agreement. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on any units purchased in this offering by our sponsor. These units (and their constituent shares and warrants) will not be subject to the restrictions on transfer applicable to the founder shares and private placement warrants as described below under “Transfer restrictions on founder shares” and “Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants”.
Private placement warrants
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 12,750,000 private placement warrants (or 14,437,500 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($12,750,000 in the aggregate or $14,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we have not completed our initial
business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable by us (except as set forth under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”) and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Private Placement Warrants”). If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares 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 herein under “Principal Shareholders—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, except as described under “Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00,” they would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” (as defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. The “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these 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 they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they 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
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants as described in this prospectus, $256,250,000 in the aggregate, or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $10.25 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $2,500,000 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust
account include $7,000,000 (or $8,312,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as discussed below and subject to the requirements of law and regulation, will provide that the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will not be released from the trust account (1) to us, until the completion of our initial business combination, or (2) to our public shareholders, until the earliest of (a) the completion of our initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholders properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (b) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and (c) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (b) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. 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 shareholders.
Anticipated expenses and funding sources
Except as described above with respect to the payment of taxes, or to redeem our public shares as described herein, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use. 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 0.1% per year, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $256,250 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 only 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 $750,000 used to pay expenses in connection with this offering and $1,750,000 used for working capital following this offering; and
•
any loans or additional investments from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors, although they are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances, and provided any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination.
Conditions to completing our initial business combination
So long as our securities are then listed on NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. Our shareholders may not be provided with a copy of, nor will they be able to rely on, such opinion. If our securities are not then listed on NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-business combination company will own or acquire 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination 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 and we will treat the target businesses together as our initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking shareholder approval, as applicable.
Permitted purchases and other transactions with respect to our securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public
shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or 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 nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) 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, in cases where, among others, it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the
completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.25 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public shareholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if a business combination does not close. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Limitations on redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). However, a greater net tangible asset or cash requirement may be contained in the agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. Furthermore, although we will not redeem shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to fall below $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions, we do not have a maximum redemption threshold based on the percentage of shares sold in this offering, as many blank check companies do. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash
conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve our initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval, while direct mergers with our company, including where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other reasons.
If we hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will:
•
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
•
file proxy materials with the SEC.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution or such higher approval threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and the sponsor’s 5,000,000 public shares purchased as part of the 5,000,000 units in the IPO, we would need 4,375,001, or 17.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business
combination approved, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have it approved. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such general meeting.
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
•
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
•
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our 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 our Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange
Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder 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, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders 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 shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination
On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be disbursed directly by the trustee to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights as described above adjacent to the caption “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of 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 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 the 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 memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering to consummate our initial business combination. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, 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 (and 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering.
Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an 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 they hold if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame).
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that: (1) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (2) the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public shareholders.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to
pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described above adjacent to the caption “Limitations on redemptions.” For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination. In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking shareholder approval of such proposal and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon shareholder approval of such amendment. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if a resolution of the company’s shareholders is passed pursuant to the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands to commence the voluntary liquidation of the company, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Ability to extend time to complete business
combination
We will have 15 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, but are not obligated to, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination once by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete an initial business combination), subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below.
Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in order for the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination to be extended, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance notice prior to the deadline, must deposit into the trust account $2,500,000 (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full ($0.10 per share of Class A common stock in either case), adjusted proportionately in the case of a partial exercise), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Any such payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such time extension funding loans will be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our initial business combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Following the consummation of our initial business combination, the lender will have the right to require us to convert the extension funding loans in whole or in part into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. If we do not complete a business combination, we will not
repay such loans. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. Our public shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. As a result, we may conduct such an extension even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such an extension and will not be able to redeem their shares in connection therewith.
Limited payments to insiders
There will be no finder’s fees, reimbursements or cash payments made by the company to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:
•
repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
•
reimbursement for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor, in the amount of $50,000 per month;
•
reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination; and
•
repayment of loans which our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors have the right, but not the obligation, to extend to us pursuant to an interest free loan on substantially the same terms as our existing promissory note. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans, which we have agreed to incur and which are due upon the earlier of our liquidation or the consummation of our initial business combination, may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
•
At the closing of the initial business combination, a customary financial advisory fee will be paid to Tifosy Capital & Advisory, an affiliate of a member of our sponsor group, in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory fee.
Any such payments will be made either (i) prior to our initial business combination using proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held outside the trust account or from loans made to us by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors or (ii) in connection with or after the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will establish and maintain an audit committee, which will be composed entirely of independent directors. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or their affiliates and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.”
Risks
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. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.” You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus. Such risks include, but are not limited to:
•
We are a recently incorporated company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
•
Past performance by our sponsor group, management team or their respective affiliates, including Tifosy Capital & Advisory, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
•
Our shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our shareholders do not support such a combination.
•
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
•
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
•
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
•
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
•
The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) after the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our initial business combination deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
•
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 coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
•
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
•
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
•
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
•
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.
•
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
•
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 have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
•
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for the 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) following the closing of this offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
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June 30, 2021
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Actual
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As Adjusted
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Balance Sheet Data:
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Working capital (deficiency)
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$
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(518,142)
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$
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1,231,858
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Total assets
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$
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531,261
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|
|
|
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$
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258,013,119
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Total liabilities
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|
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$
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518,142
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$
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35,333,625
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Value of Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption
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|
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$
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—
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$
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256,250,000
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Shareholders’ equity
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$
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13,119
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|
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$
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(33,570,506)
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|
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The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units in this offering, the sale of the private placement warrants, repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor and the payment of the estimated expenses of this offering and assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option. The “as adjusted” total assets amount includes the $256,250,000 held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, which amount, less deferred underwriting commissions, will be available to us only upon the completion of our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. The “as adjusted” working capital and “as adjusted” total assets include $7,000,000 being held in the trust account representing deferred underwriting commissions. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
If no business combination is completed within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes and working capital needs as described herein (less $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into letter agreements 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 have not completed our initial business combination within such time period.
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, a Business Combination
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 established in the Cayman Islands 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 have not completed our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Past performance by our sponsor group, management team or their respective affiliates, including Tifosy Capital & Advisory, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in us.
Information regarding performance by, or businesses associated with, our sponsor group, management team or their affiliates, including Tifosy, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience of and performance by, or businesses associated with, our sponsor group, management team or their affiliates, including Tifosy, is not a guarantee either: (1) that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination; or (2) of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our sponsor group, management team, Tifosy or any of their affiliates’ or managed fund’s performance as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or the returns we will, or are likely to, generate going forward. An investment in us is not an investment in Tifosy. Our management team has no experience in operating special purpose acquisition companies.
Our shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination if the business combination would not require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. For instance, if we were seeking to acquire a target business where the consideration we were paying in the transaction was all cash, we would typically not be required to seek shareholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete.
Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any target businesses. Since our board of directors may complete a business
combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder approval. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to exercising your redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor and members of our management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). Our sponsor and members of our management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and the sponsor’s 5,000,000 public shares purchased as part of the 5,000,000 units in the IPO, we would need 4,375,001, or 17.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have it approved. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor and each member of our management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account.
Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a prospective target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If a large number of shares are submitted for redemption, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for additional third-party financing. Raising additional third-party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure. The amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per-share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with our redemption until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
The requirement that we consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) after the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our initial business combination deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. 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 time frame described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and the status of debt and equity markets.
In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus was reported to have surfaced in Wuhan, China, which has and is continuing to spread throughout China and other parts of the world, including the United States. On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” On January 31, 2020, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex M. Azar II declared a public health emergency for the United States to aid the U.S. healthcare community in responding to COVID-19, and on March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization characterized the outbreak as a “pandemic.” The COVID-19 outbreak has and a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 continues to 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.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Our warrants are expected to be accounted for as a warrant liability and will be recorded at fair value upon issuance with changes in fair value each period reported in earnings, which may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares or may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Following the consummation of this offering and the concurrent private placement of warrants, we will issue an aggregate of 25,250,000 warrants in connection with this offering (comprised of the 12,500,000 warrants included in the units and the 12,750,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised). We expect to account for these as a warrant liability and will record at fair value upon issuance any changes in fair value each period reported in earnings as determined by us based upon a valuation report obtained from its independent third party valuation firm. The impact of
changes in fair value on earnings may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, potential targets may seek a SPAC that does not have warrants that are accounted for as a warrant liability, which may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
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 no cash and a working capital deficiency of $518,142. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of an initial business combination. 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.
We may not be able to consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) after the closing of this offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) after the closing of this offering. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the outbreak of COVID-19 continues to grow both in the United States and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the outbreak on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within such applicable time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses), divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law; and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if a resolution of the company’s shareholders is passed pursuant to the Companies Act to commence voluntary liquidation of the Company, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law. In either such case, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less than $10.25 per public share, on the redemption of their shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than $10.25 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
Unlike other blank check companies, we may extend the time to complete an initial business combination by up to three months without a shareholder vote or your ability to redeem your shares.
We will have until 15 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, unlike other similarly structured blank check companies, if we anticipate that we
may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees may, but are not obligated to, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination once by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete an initial business combination); provided that, pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, the only way to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination is for our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days’ advance notice prior to the deadline, to deposit into the trust account $2,500,000 (or $2,875,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full ($0.10 per share of Class A common stock in either case), adjusted proportionately in the case of a partial exercise), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline. Public shareholders will not be offered the opportunity to vote on or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase public shares or warrants, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or warrants in such transactions.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange. 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. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly redeem or tender public shares. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares
may not be redeemed. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights.”
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 preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause target companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive business combinations 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.
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.
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 have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in
identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of 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. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than approximately $10.25 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate for the 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) following the closing of this offering, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and our ability to complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
Of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, only approximately $1,750,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon the closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account, together with funds available from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) following the closing of this offering; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate, and our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Of the funds available to us, we expect to use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.
In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, unless funded by the proceeds of loans available from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, its affiliates, members of our management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor their affiliates is under any obligation to us in such circumstances. Any such advances may be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management
team as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.25 per public share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless. 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 shareholders may be less than $10.25 per public share” and other risk factors herein.
We may seek business combination opportunities with a high degree of complexity that require significant operational improvements, which could delay or prevent us from achieving our desired results.
We may seek business combination opportunities with large, highly complex companies that we believe would benefit from operational improvements. While we intend to implement such improvements, to the extent that our efforts are delayed or we are unable to achieve the desired improvements, the business combination may not be as successful as we anticipate.
To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a large complex business or entity with a complex operating structure, we may also be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine, which could delay or prevent us from implementing our strategy. Although our management team will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business and its operations, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors until we complete our initial business combination. If we are not able to achieve our desired operational improvements, or the improvements take longer to implement than anticipated, we may not achieve the gains that we anticipate. Furthermore, some of these risks and complexities may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks and complexities will adversely impact a target business. Such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a smaller, less complex organization.
Involvement of members of our management and companies with which they are affiliated in civil disputes and litigation, governmental investigations or negative publicity unrelated to our business affairs could materially impact our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
Our directors and officers and companies with which they are affiliated have been, and in the future will continue to be, involved in a wide variety of business affairs, including transactions, such as sales and purchases of businesses, and ongoing operations. As a result of such involvement, members of our management and companies with which they are affiliated in have been, and may in the future be, involved in civil disputes, litigation, governmental investigations and negative publicity relating to their business affairs. Any such claims, investigations, lawsuits or negative publicity may be detrimental to our reputation and could negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination in a material manner and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable for a fine of approximately $18,000 and imprisonment for five years in the Cayman Islands.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NYSE. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors which may or may not be outside of our management’s area of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s area of expertise if a business combination target is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination target, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination target. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained 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. Accordingly, any holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Unlike some other similarly structured blank check companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we have not completed an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, any of its affiliates or any members of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one. This is different than some other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial shareholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to the initial business combination.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceeds the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters, memorandum and articles of association and 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. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require a special resolution of our shareholders as a matter of Cayman Islands law (or such higher threshold as specified in our amended and restated articles of association), and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of any of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities.
Our sponsor controls a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering, our sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, it may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If our sponsor purchases any units in this offering or if our sponsor purchases any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase its control. Neither our sponsor 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 ordinary shares. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination
in order to have it approved. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were elected by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of its ownership position, will control the outcome, as only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and to remove directors prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
After our initial business combination, it is possible that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
It is possible that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
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 selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the 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 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 an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business—Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
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 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 shareholders who choose to retain their securities and remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.25 per public share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third-party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers (except our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements, they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third-party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third-party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third-party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third-party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the ten years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.25 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, 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 amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) approximately $10.25 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 $10.25 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims.
However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. 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 $10.25 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption
of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.25 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 $10.25 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.25 per public share.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders 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 shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy 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 or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected 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 pursue business combination opportunities in any sector, except that we will not, under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected 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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent accounting or investment banking firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our company 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the price we are paying is fair to our company from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may 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 fact that 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.
Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less 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 have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate a business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing a 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 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 business combination.
Other than amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and amendments relating to the company’s continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval of a special resolution which requires the approval of the holders of at least two-thirds (or such higher threshold as specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association) of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, 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 memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter (or equivalent) which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to the rights of a company’s shareholders, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s shareholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that any of its provisions related to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of at least 65% of our ordinary shares; provided that the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and provisions relating to the company’s continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction) may each only be amended by the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voted at a general meeting . Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of our Class A ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other blank check companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Our letter agreement with our initial shareholders may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our initial shareholders contains provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement warrants, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of
redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction not to transfer the founder shares for 180 days following the date of this prospectus will require the prior written consent of the underwriters). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement 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 the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be sufficient to allow us to complete our initial business combination, because we have not yet selected any prospective target business we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering and 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 shareholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment may make it difficult for companies to obtain acquisition financing. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after 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 holders who choose to retain their securities following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such holders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this 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 and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per-share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
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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 is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
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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 Class A ordinary shares 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.
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 negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will provide us with up to $249,250,000 (or $286,375,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $7,000,000, or $8,312,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account and the estimated expenses of this offering).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single-target business or multiple-target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry.
Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
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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 (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.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) before redemption from our trust account.
If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the
Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless, prior thereto, we consummate our initial business combination or amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon their redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we have not completed our initial business combination and do not amend certain provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if a resolution of the company’s shareholders is passed pursuant to the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands to commence the voluntary liquidation of the company, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
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 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 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 either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance
or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; or (iii) absent our completing an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders 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 complete a business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period, our public shareholders may receive only approximately $10.25 per public share, or less in certain circumstances, on the liquidation of our trust account and our warrants will expire worthless.
Risks Relating to our Securities
The securities in which we invest the proceeds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the interest income available for payment of taxes or reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.25 per share.
The net proceeds of this offering and certain proceeds from the sale of the private placement warrants, in the amount of $256,250,000, or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be held in an interest-bearing trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in direct U.S. Treasury obligations having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in certain money market funds which invest only in direct U.S. Treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. Treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event of very low or negative yields, the amount of interest income (which we may withdraw to pay our taxes, if any) would be reduced. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income. If the balance of the trust account is reduced below $256,250,000, or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, as a result of negative interest rates, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.25 per share.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent.
However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
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 the date of this prospectus and our Class A ordinary shares and warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the NYSE 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 share price levels. Generally, we must maintain a minimum market capitalization (generally $50,000,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders).
Additionally, our units will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination and, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE.
For instance, in order for our shares to be listed upon the consummation of our initial business combination, at such time our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share, our total market capitalization would be required to be at least $200.0 million, the aggregate market value of publicly held shares would be required to be at least $100.0 million and we would be required to have at least 400 round lot shareholders. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those 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 our 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 ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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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 ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of covered securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
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 ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share 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 closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 153.7% (or $15.37 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share of $(5.37) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, and 5,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 475,000,000 and 43,750,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares, if any. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we have not completed an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redeeming the warrants as described in “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants” or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth herein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination or on any other proposal presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (except those subject to higher voting thresholds on particular matters as further described herein), may be amended by special resolution of our shareholders. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
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may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and
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may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Holders of Class A ordinary shares will not be entitled to vote on any appointment of directors we hold prior to our initial business combination.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors, by way of ordinary resolution. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote and removal on the appointment of directors during such time. Accordingly, you may not have any say in the management of our company prior to the consummation of an initial business combination.
Our ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis after we call the warrants for redemption or if there is no effective registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to pay the exercise price of their warrants in cash.
If we call the warrants for redemption for cash, we will have the option, in our sole discretion, to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a cashless basis. If we choose to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis or if holders elect to do so when there is no effective registration statement, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his or her warrant for cash.
For example, if the holder is exercising 875 public warrants at $11.50 per share through a cashless exercise when the Class A ordinary shares have a fair market value of $17.50 per share when there is no effective registration statement, then upon the cashless exercise, the holder will receive 300 Class A ordinary shares. The holder would have received 875 Class A ordinary shares if the exercise price was paid in cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of Class A ordinary shares upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the rights of the holders of public warrants under the warrant agreement. 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 and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with
the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will be able to exercise their warrants prior to redemption for a number of Class A ordinary shares determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our Class A ordinary shares. Please see “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00.” This $10.00 trading price per share is less than the $11.50 exercise price of the warrants and a redemption at this share price might result in holders having to exercise their warrants at a time when they are “out-of-the-money” or having to receive nominal consideration from us for them. When the warrants are “out-of-the-money,” you would lose any potential embedded value from a subsequent increase in the value of the Class A ordinary shares had your warrants remained outstanding. In fact, the value received upon exercise of the warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of ordinary shares received is capped at 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us as (except as set forth under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding public warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the warrants. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, we expect would be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 12,500,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 14,375,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 12,750,000 private placement warrants (or 14,437,500 private placement
warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. In addition, if the sponsor, its affiliates or a member of our management team makes any working capital loans to us, up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be converted by the lenders at their option into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares in connection with our redemption of our warrants.
To the extent we issue ordinary shares for any reason, including to effectuate a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other blank check companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one redeemable warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one whole warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units, which contain a whole warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses.
Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if a unit included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
Unlike most blank check companies, if (i) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares 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 ordinary 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 Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger prices described below under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and
expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities 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 (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants.
The warrants may become exercisable and redeemable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares, and you will not have any information regarding such other security at this time.
In certain situations, including if we are not the surviving entity in our initial business combination, the warrants may become exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if the surviving company redeems your warrants for securities pursuant to the warrant agreement, you may receive a security in a company of which you do not have information at this time. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, the surviving company will be required to use commercially reasonable efforts to register the issuance of the security underlying the warrants within twenty business days of the closing of an initial business combination.
The 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 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 ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
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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 at attractive values;
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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 operating companies;
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
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other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price 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. Shareholders 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.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions will include a staggered board of directors, the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, and the fact that prior to the completion of our initial business combination only holders of our Class B ordinary shares, which have been issued to our sponsor, are entitled to vote on the appointment of directors, which may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forum for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive
jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
The grant of registration rights to our sponsor may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the resale of the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of such warrants. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares and the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants. 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 ordinary shares. Further, the market price of our Class A ordinary shares might also be adversely affected by the fact that the founder shares held by our sponsor and our directors and officers may become transferable earlier than one year after the completion of our initial business combination if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, which represents a relatively small premium compared to the initial public offering price of our units of $10.00 per unit.
In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the
equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our securities that is expected when the securities owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants or their permitted transferees are registered for resale.
Risks Relating to our Sponsor and Management Team
We are dependent upon our officers and directors and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers and directors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors or 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 totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. The role of our key personnel in the target business, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may remain with the target business in senior management, director or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business. In addition, pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration and Shareholder Rights.”
The officers and directors of a business target candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of a business target’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of a business target’s
management team will remain associated with the business target’s following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of a business target’s will not wish to remain in place.
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 businesses. We do not intend to have any full- time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he 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. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors ‘other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees.”
Our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including another blank check company, and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of 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, officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. 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. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our sponsor, officers and directors and Tifosy Capital & Advisory or its affiliates, may also become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a business combination opportunity for both us and our sponsor and another entity (including any entities managed by our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or such entities have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge).
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management—Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into
a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our best interest. If this were the case, and the directors fail to act in accordance with their fiduciary duties owed to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law we or our shareholders may have a claim against such individuals. See the section entitled “Description of Securities—Certain Differences in Corporate Law—Shareholders’ Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
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 entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management—Conflicts of Interest.” Our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. 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 and guidelines for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Evaluation 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 or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, 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 shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Moreover, we may pursue a business combination jointly with one or more parties affiliated with Tifosy or our sponsor, including without limitation, officers, partners, investment funds, co-investment vehicles and other entities managed by affiliates of Tifosy or our sponsor and/or investors in funds, co-investment vehicles and other entities managed by affiliates of Tifosy or our sponsor. Any such parties may co-invest with us in the target business at the time of our initial business combination, or we could raise additional proceeds to complete the business combination by issuing to such parties a class of equity or equity-linked securities. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
A conflict of interest may arise from the need to obtain the consent of Tifosy, which through an affiliate owns a significant interest in our sponsor, to our initial business combination.
We may elect not to complete a business combination without the consent of Tifosy, which through an affiliate owns a significant interest in our sponsor. As a consequence, interests of affiliates of our sponsor may conflict with those of the rest of our shareholders if Tifosy does not wish to proceed with a business combination.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. Upon the loss of control of a target business, new management may not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination 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-business combination company will own 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger portion of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On April 20, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares. On September 29, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to us for no consideration resulting in an aggregate of 7,187,500 outstanding (up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). As a result of such surrender, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Such shares will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. 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. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization, surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 12,750,000 private placement warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($12,750,000 in the aggregate), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we do not consummate an initial business within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. 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. This risk may become more acute as the 15-months (or 18-months, as applicable) anniversary of the closing of this offering nears, which is the deadline for our consummation of an initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors have or will have direct and indirect economic interests in us and/or our sponsor after the consummation of this offering and such interests may potentially conflict with those of our public shareholders as we evaluate and decide whether to recommend a potential business combination to our public shareholders.
Certain of our officers and directors may own membership interests in our sponsor and indirect interests in our Class B ordinary shares and private placement warrants which may result in interests that differ from the economic interests of the investors in this offering, which includes making a determination of whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. There may be a potential conflict of interest between our officers and directors that hold membership interests in our sponsor and our public shareholders that may not be resolved in favor of our public shareholders. See “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors and officers.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers and directors to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers and directors may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
General Risk Factors
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
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.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to “emerging growth companies” or “smaller reporting companies,” this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our warrant agreement 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 agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act (as the same may be supplemented or amended from time to time) and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Walkers, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or
the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
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 ordinary shares and the one-half of a warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined below in “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors, upon the listing of our shares on NYSE, NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors. As a result, NYSE may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE corporate governance standards. Under the NYSE corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power is held by an individual, group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
•
we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of NYSE;
•
we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
•
we have a nominating and corporate governance committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of NYSE, subject to applicable phase-in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the NYSE corporate governance requirements.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we
qualify for the PFIC start-up exception and the timing of our initial business combination (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception, potentially not until after the two taxable years following our current taxable year). Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election in respect of our Class A ordinary shares, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules with respect to their particular circumstances. For a more detailed discussion of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.
We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Companies Act, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or is subject to tax or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
•
costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
•
rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
•
complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
•
laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
•
exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
•
tariffs and trade barriers;
•
regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
•
local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
•
unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
•
longer payment cycles;
•
tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
•
currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
•
rates of inflation;
•
challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
•
cultural and language differences;
•
employment regulations;
•
underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
•
corruption;
•
protection of intellectual property;
•
social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
•
regime changes and political upheaval;
•
terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; and
•
deterioration of political relations with the United States.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue may be derived from our operations in any such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and social conditions and government policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by
reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the SEC, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from seeking a business combination target.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. 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 potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
•
our pool of prospective target businesses;
•
our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic;
•
the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
•
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
•
the lack of a market for our securities;
•
the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
•
the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
•
our financial performance 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 25,000,000 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:
|
Gross proceeds
|
|
|
Without Over-
allotment
Option
|
|
|
Over-allotment
Option
Exercised
|
|
|
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)
|
|
|
|
$
|
250,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
287,500,000
|
|
|
|
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement
|
|
|
|
|
12,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
14,437,500
|
|
|
|
Total gross proceeds
|
|
|
|
$
|
262,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
301,937,500
|
|
|
|
Estimated offering expenses(2)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)(4)
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
4,750,000
|
|
|
|
Legal fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
350,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
350,000
|
|
|
|
Printing and engraving expenses
|
|
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
SEC/FINRA Expenses
|
|
|
|
|
137,927
|
|
|
|
|
|
137,927
|
|
|
|
Travel and road show
|
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
NYSE listing and filing fees
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
|
|
67,073
|
|
|
|
|
|
67,073
|
|
|
|
Total estimated offering expenses (excluding underwriting commissions)
|
|
|
|
$
|
750,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
750,000
|
|
|
|
Proceeds after estimated offering expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
258,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
296,437,500
|
|
|
|
Held in trust account(3)
|
|
|
|
$
|
256,250,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
294,687,500
|
|
|
|
% of public offering size
|
|
|
|
|
102.5%
|
|
|
|
|
|
102.5%
|
|
|
|
Not held in trust account after offering expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,750,000
|
|
|
The following table shows the use of the estimated $1,750,000 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(6)
|
|
|
|
$
|
300,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
17.1%
|
|
|
|
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations
|
|
|
|
|
160,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.1%
|
|
|
|
Payment for office space, administrative and support services
|
|
|
|
|
750,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
42.9%
|
|
|
|
NYSE continued listing fees
|
|
|
|
|
165,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.4%
|
|
|
|
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses and reserves
|
|
|
|
|
35,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
2.0%
|
|
|
|
Director & Office liability insurance premiums
|
|
|
|
|
340,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
19.5%
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
$
|
1,750,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
(1)
Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2)
A portion of the offering expenses will be paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $99,920 under the promissory note with our sponsor. Any amounts that are borrowed will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) and not to be held in the trust account. In the event that
offering 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 are more than as set forth in this table, we may fund such excess with funds not held in the trust account.
(3)
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering at the public offering price. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on any units purchase in this offering by our sponsor.
(4)
The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, $7,000,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or $8,312,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. See “Underwriting.” The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which 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.
(5)
These expenses are estimates only. 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 0.1% per year, we estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $256,250 per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.
(6)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants as described in this prospectus, $256,250,000 in the aggregate, or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (approximately $10.25 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee and $2,500,000 will be available to pay fees and expenses in connection with this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $7,000,000 (or $8,312,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest income earned on the trust account (if any) will be sufficient to pay our 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, 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 the redemption of our public shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-business combination company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust, together with funds available to us from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors although they are under no obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances.
We will reimburse our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to members of our management team, in the amount of $50,000 per month. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. To date, we have not borrowed any funds under the promissory note with our sponsor. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans may be repaid only out of funds held outside the trust account. 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 of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or any members of our management team 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 ordinary shares 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. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a 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 Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share 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 shareholders 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 ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $(518,412), or approximately $(0.07) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 28,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), 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 $(33,570,506) or $(5.37) per share (or $(5.41) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of 25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 28,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(5.30) per share (or $(5.34) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our sponsor as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $15.37 per share (or $15.41 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
|
|
|
|
Without Over-allotment
|
|
|
With Over-allotment
|
|
|
Public offering price
|
|
|
|
$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
Net tangible book deficit before this offering
|
|
|
|
|
(0.07)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(0.07)
|
|
|
|
Increase attributable to public shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
(5.30)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(5.34)
|
|
|
|
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants
|
|
|
|
|
(5.37)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(5.41)
|
|
|
|
Dilution to public shareholders
|
|
|
|
$
|
15.37
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
15.41
|
|
|
|
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
153.7%
|
|
|
|
|
|
154.1%
|
|
|
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $256,250,000 because holders of up to 100.0% 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 consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares).
The following table sets forth information with respect to our sponsor and the public shareholders:
|
|
|
|
Shares Purchased
|
|
|
Total Consideration
|
|
|
Average
Price
per
share
|
|
|
|
Number
|
|
|
Percentage
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Percentage
|
|
|
Class B Ordinary Shares(1)
|
|
|
|
|
6,250,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
20.0%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.01%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
0.004
|
|
|
|
Public Shareholders
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
80.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
250,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
99.99%
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31,250,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
250,025,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
100.0%
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering is calculated as follows:
|
|
|
|
Without Over-
allotment
|
|
|
With Over-
allotment
|
|
|
Numerator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net tangible book deficit before this offering
|
|
|
|
$
|
(518,142)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(518,142)
|
|
|
|
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants(1)
|
|
|
|
|
258,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
296,437,500
|
|
|
|
Plus: Offering costs accrued or paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering
|
|
|
|
|
531,261
|
|
|
|
|
|
531,261
|
|
|
|
Less: Warrant Liability
|
|
|
|
|
(28,333,625)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(32,329,531)
|
|
|
|
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions(2)
|
|
|
|
|
(7,000,000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(8,312,500)
|
|
|
|
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(3)
|
|
|
|
|
(256,250,000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(294,687,500)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(33,570,506)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(38,878,912)
|
|
|
|
Denominator:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised
|
|
|
|
|
(937,500)
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares included in the units offered
|
|
|
|
|
25,000,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,750,000
|
|
|
|
Less: Ordinary shares subject to redemption
|
|
|
|
|
(25,000,000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(28,750,000)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,250,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
(1)
Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $750,000 and underwriting commissions of $4,000,000 or $4,750,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2)
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering at the public offering price. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on any units purchase in this offering by our sponsor.
(3)
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities.”
CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities:
|
|
|
|
June 30, 2021
|
|
|
|
Actual
|
|
|
As Adjusted(1)
|
|
|
Note payable – related party(2)
|
|
|
|
$
|
99,920
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
Deferred underwriting commissions
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
7,000,000
|
|
|
|
Warrant liability(4)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
28,333,625
|
|
|
|
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 25,000,000 are shares subject to possible redemption), actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)(5)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
256,250,000
|
|
|
|
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 and 6,250,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(1)
|
|
|
|
|
719
|
|
|
|
|
|
625
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
|
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit
|
|
|
|
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(33,571,131)
|
|
|
|
Total shareholders’ equity
|
|
|
|
|
13,119
|
|
|
|
|
|
(33,570,506)
|
|
|
|
Total capitalization
|
|
|
|
$
|
113,039
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
258,013,119
|
|
|
(1)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 937,500 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
(2)
Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $99,920 under the promissory note with our sponsor.
(3)
Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein whereby redemptions cannot cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination.
(4)
We will account for the 25,250,000 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (the 12,500,000 warrants included in the units and the 12,750,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, we will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in our statement of operations.
(5)
The as adjusted amount is presented net of proceeds allocated to the public warrants and net of allocated transaction costs related to this offering. The Class A ordinary shares contain redemption rights that make them redeemable by our public shareholders. Accordingly, they are classified within temporary equity in accordance with the guidance provided in ASC 480-10-S99-3A.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on April 15, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. We have not selected any 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. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing or other sources.
The issuance of additional shares 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 ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
•
may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
•
could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
•
may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us;
•
may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants; and
•
may not result in adjustment to the exercise price of our warrants.
Similarly, if we issue debt or otherwise incur significant debt, 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 Class A ordinary shares;
•
using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
•
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
•
increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
•
limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of June 30, 2021, we had no cash, and a working capital deficit of approximately $518,142. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. 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 (i) $25,000 paid by our sponsor to cover certain of our offering costs in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares to our sponsor and (ii) the receipt of loans to us of up to $300,000 by our sponsor under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $99,920 under the unsecured promissory note. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting estimated offering expenses of $750,000, underwriting commissions of $4,000,000, or $4,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000, or $8,312,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $12,750,000 (or $14,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be $258,000,000 (or $296,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $256,250,000 (or $294,687,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. 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. The remaining $1,750,000 will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (less taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions), to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest income (if any) to pay our taxes, if any. 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 interest income earned on the amount in the trust account (if any) will be sufficient to pay our taxes. To the extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the $1,750,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, as well as certain funds from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team. We will use these funds to primarily identify and evaluate target
businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
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 prior to our initial business combination, other than funds available from loans from our sponsor, its affiliates or members of our management team. 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. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we may 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 of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or our management team 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 expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $300,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $160,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations; $750,000 for office space, administrative and support services; $165,000 for NYSE continued listing fees; and $35,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to 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.
Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. If we have not consummated our initial business combination within the required time period because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain 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 qualify as an emerging growth
company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on internal control over financial reporting. 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 our 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
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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 registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm 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 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. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of April 20, 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. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
JOBS Act
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, (i) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, (ii) 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, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of our independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis) and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the principal officer’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 new blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. We have not identified any potential business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date, and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
We will have 15 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, but are not obligated to, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination once by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete an initial business combination), subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below.
While we may pursue a business combination opportunity in any business industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our sponsor group and management team to identify, acquire and accelerate a business in the global sports industry or an adjacent sector including data and analytics, media and technology. In doing so, we intend to focus our search on iconic businesses, including sports franchises, which will complement our differentiated expertise, benefit from our strategic and hands-on operational leadership and where we believe there are opportunities for attractive risk-adjusted returns and to build a platform for future investments.
With decades of combined global experience across the sports, media and financial investment landscapes, and with significant transactional expertise, access to capital and a track record of value creation, both in the United States and in Europe, we believe our combined sponsor group and management team will make us a unique partner to potential target businesses and will enhance our ability to effect an attractive and successful business combination.
Our Sponsor Group
Our sponsor group is a partnership between Mr. James G. Dinan, Mr. Alexander Knaster, Mr. Edward Eisler and Tifosy SponsorCo LLC, an affiliate of Tifosy Capital & Advisory, a leading boutique sports advisory firm.
The history of the working relationship between the members of the sponsor group goes back several years, bringing together a powerful combination of experience and industry relationships. This cohesive group combines global expertise across sports, finance and management, and we believe the highly complementary attributes of each member create a differentiated sponsor that will provide competitive advantages in sourcing and executing an attractive business combination and driving long-term value for our shareholders.
In our view, the hands-on approach that the sponsor group intends to take, combined with its extensive track-record, deal-making capabilities and access to capital will give us a distinct advantage to capitalize on opportunities in sports or in adjacent data & analytics, media and technology sectors.
James G. Dinan
Mr. Dinan founded York Capital Management in September 1991 and is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the firm. From 1985 to 1991, he worked at Kellner, DiLeo & Co., where he became a General Partner and was responsible for investing in risk arbitrage and special situation investments. From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Dinan was a member of the investment banking group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.
In 2014, Mr. Dinan purchased a stake in the Nation Basketball Association’s (“NBA”) Milwaukee Bucks, partnering with Marc Lasry and Wes Edens. Over the course of the following five years, from the 2013/14 season to the 2018/19 season, as owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, Messrs. Dinan, Lasry and Edens have completely reimagined, rebuilt and re-energized the team’s business operations, resulting in substantial increases in attendance (+68%), ticket revenue (+186%), digital and social media audience (+283%), concessions and retail revenue (+600%), partnership sales (+200%) and cable revenue (+65%). They have assembled a top-flight management team and instilled a new corporate culture marked by accountability, collaboration and results and are credited with the turnaround that saw the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA Championship and lift the Larry O’Brien trophy on July 20, 2021, for the first time since 1971.
Mr. Dinan has also been instrumental in driving the vision, financing, planning, design and construction of the Deer District, a 30-acre mixed-use development project that has transformed downtown Milwaukee, featuring a new 714,000 square feet multi-purpose arena, financed by a $524 million public and private investment, and a new state-of-the-art 55,000 square feet training facility for the Milwaukee Bucks, financed by a $30 million private investment. He has worked to ensure that this historic project will be catalytic to the economic development of both the city of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin. Throughout his time in Milwaukee, Mr. Dinan has devoted significant energy and effort to working within the Milwaukee community to accomplish important social and economic goals, which include spearheading the development and launch of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation.
Mr. Dinan is a member of the NBA’s Board of Governors, responsible for the strategy and global direction of the NBA across media, digital, operations, partnerships and many other facets of the league.
Mr. Dinan is currently the Vice-Chair and Chairman Emeritus of the Museum of the City of New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the USA Wrestling Foundation. Additionally, he is a USOPF Trustee and he served as Team Leader for Men’s Freestyle Wrestling for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mr. Dinan sits on the Harvard Business School's Board of Dean's Advisors, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton Board of Advisors at the University of Pennsylvania and the Board of Trustees for The Rockefeller University.
Alexander Knaster
Mr. Knaster is the Chairman of Pamplona Capital Management, a global investment management firm that he founded in 2005. As of 2020, Pamplona Capital Management has managed over $13 billion in private equity, hedge funds and fund of funds assets.
Prior to founding Pamplona Capital Management, Mr. Knaster served as the Chief Executive Officer at Alfa Bank from 1998 to 2004. From 1985 to 1998, he has held senior positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, Bankers Trust Company, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Grenfell and Simmons and Company in New York, London, Moscow and Houston.
Mr. Knaster has a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and Ph.D. in Economics from Russian Academy of Science.
Mr. Knaster is currently concluding a Master of Science program in Molecular Biology at New York University. He is an active philanthropist focusing extensively on funding cancer research and educational activities.
Mr. Knaster is already an investor in the sports sector, having acquired a majority stake in the Italian professional football team A.C. Pisa 1909 in January 2021.
Edward Eisler
Mr. Eisler is the Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Eisler Capital, a global investment management firm established in 2015 with $4 billion of assets under management. Eisler Capital pursues a multi-strategy investment framework on both a discretionary and systematic basis, utilising directional, relative value, mean reversion and volatility trading strategies across all asset classes.
Prior to founding Eisler Capital, Mr. Eisler had a 20-year career at Goldman Sachs. He was a Partner and Co-Head of the Global Markets Division, where he oversaw the firm’s global trading activities. Additionally, he was a member of the Goldman Sach’s Management Committee, the Firmwide Risk Committee and the Finance Committee.
Mr. Eisler holds a B.S. in Economics and Finance and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from New York University. Mr. Eisler serves as an Executive Trustee of the Tate Foundation.
Tifosy SponsorCo LLC
Tifosy SponsorCo LLC is an affiliate of Tifosy Capital & Advisory. Tifosy is a leading boutique sports advisory firm. The firm has an extensive track record of sourcing and executing transactions in sports and providing strategic financial advisory services to clients across the sports sector.
Tifosy was founded by Mr. Zanetton and Mr. Vialli. The firm employs an experienced team comprised of leading individuals from the worlds of finance and sports, including Marco Re (a former Chief Financial Officer of Juventus) and Tim Williams (a former Chief Financial Officer of Inter Milan and Finance Director of Manchester United), as well as other talented and focused individuals from across top-tier investment banking, legal and sports marketing institutions.
Tifosy represents a powerful complement to the sponsor group’s sourcing and execution capabilities, given its unique set of deep sector relationships, industry expertise and a global platform with integrated investment and advisory capabilities. Tifosy has served as an advisor to numerous leading professional football clubs, private equity funds and high net worth individuals (including Mr. Dinan and Mr. Knaster).
We intend to leverage Tifosy’s unique and extensive global network to access direct and proprietary opportunities within the sports ecosystem providing a method to source, screen and select potential target companies in a way that will be highly differentiated from any other party in the sector.
Our Management Team and Board of Directors
Management
Our company is supported by a fully dedicated management team with decades of combined experience operating and completing transactions in the sports, media, and entertainment sectors. Our operations will also be overseen by an experienced board of directors.
Our management team is led by Gianluca Vialli (Co-Chief Executive Officer) and Fausto Zanetton (Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Offer) and is supported by an experienced execution team who bring a combination of strategic, operational, financial and transactional experience paired with a deep-rooted network in the global sports ecosystem.
Gianluca Vialli, Co-Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Vialli is one of the most iconic and successful European professional footballers of the modern era, having played at Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea. He represented Italy in 59 matches and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the only nine players who have won all three major UEFA club competitions: the UEFA Champions League/European Cup, the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Mr. Vialli was also the first Italian to have been appointed manager to a Premier League club, having led the first teams of Chelsea (1998-2000) and Watford (2001-2002). During his tenure at Chelsea, Mr. Vialli led the team to two international (the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup) and three domestic titles (the 2000 FA Cup, the 1998 League Cup and the 2000 Football Association Charity Shield).
After his professional playing and coaching career, Mr. Vialli spent 15 years at Sky Sports Italia as an ambassador, an advisor to the CEO on sporting matters and a highly respected commentator and media personality with deep expertise in Serie A, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cups.
Mr. Vialli is also a Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director of Tifosy Capital & Advisory. He focuses on advising clients on sporting strategy, organisational matters including recruitment and capital allocation decisions. In addition, Mr. Vialli currently serves as Head of the Italian national football team delegation and is a mentor to players and management. In July 2021, as part of the team led by Italian manager Roberto Mancini, Mr. Vialli oversaw Italy’s triumph in the 2020 European Championships. Mr. Vialli has a Masters in Football Business from the Johan Cruyff Institute and a Masters in Marketing and Sponsorship from University Bocconi.
Fausto Zanetton, Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Mr. Zanetton is a much sought-after and trusted advisor in the sports industry and has over 20 years of experience advising global media, sports and technology companies.
Mr. Zanetton is the Chief Executive Officer of Tifosy, which he co-founded with Gianluca Vialli after seeing an unprecedented need for high-quality advisory services and financing solutions in professional sports. Mr. Zanetton directs Tifosy’s strategy and is responsible for managing the firm day-to-day, as well as in the sports sector advising clients on large-scale mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions. Mr. Zanetton has worked with professional sports franchises across Europe and the United States and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, Parma Calcio 1913, Sampdoria, Glasgow Rangers Football Club, Queens Park Rangers Football Club, A.C. Pisa 1909, Norwich City Football Club and others. He has also been a speaker at various industry conferences, including Leaders in Sport, Soccerex Global Convention and Web Summit.
Mr. Zanetton previously held various positions as an experienced sports, media and entertainment banker at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, with additional sector experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brussels and Boston. Mr. Zanetton has a successful track record in leading high-profile transactions.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Zanetton has developed a vast network within the global sports, finance and private equity industries and brings to the management team significant experience as a leader on large-scale mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private financing transactions.
Mr. Zanetton holds an M.B.A. from London Business School, is a qualified chartered accountant and is fluent in several languages.
Marco Re, Executive Vice President
Mr. Re is a Managing Director and the Head of Italy at Tifosy. At Tifosy, Mr. Re is primarily responsible for the Italian market and office, but also leads the firm’s strategic client coverage as an adviser to top-tier clubs and clients across Europe. Mr. Re has an in-depth knowledge of the sports industry and is valued by clients for his holistic view on the sports financing market.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Re served at Juventus FC in various roles, including as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Board, where he held responsibility for all financial and non-sporting operations. During his 20 year career at Juventus, Mr. Re led capital market transactions including the Juventus initial public offering, a €300 million rights issue, stadium construction financing, Juventus Village financing (real estate fund structure) and a €175 million senior unsecured bond issuance. As an experienced Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Re has a detailed understanding of not only industry-specific financing arrangements, such as factoring of broadcasting and player receivables, but also related developments, having assumed senior leadership roles in the J|Medical and J|Hotel projects.
Mr. Re holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Turin and has been enrolled in the Italian Register of Chartered Accountants and in the Register of Auditors since 2003.
Tim Williams, Executive Vice President
Mr. Williams is a Managing Director and the Head of UK at Tifosy. At Tifosy, he is responsible for the strategy and development of the business in the United Kingdom and focuses on strategic and capital solutions for a wide range of clubs across multiple leagues. Mr. Williams is a finance professional with more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years in sport, media, advertising and entertainment.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Williams served as Chief Financial Officer and member of the San Siro stadium management company board at Inter Milan, where he held responsibility for financial, strategic and management reporting and the club’s financing and capital structure since 2015. While at Inter Milan, Mr. Williams led the issue of structured bond and revolving credit facilities totaling €425 million, as well as securing short-term financing arrangements on numerous occasions. Mr. Williams also has extensive experience in the UEFA FFP regulations after leading Inter Milan to the successful release from a four-year FFP Settlement Agreement.
Before joining Inter Milan, he trained with KPMG and held senior finance roles for advertising agency McCann Erickson and Manchester United. Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor’s Degree in finance from Manchester Metropolitan University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Tommy Aylmer, Executive Vice President
Mr. Aylmer is a Managing Director and the Chief Legal Officer at Tifosy. At Tifosy, he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, strategy and sports regulation and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, A.C. Pisa and Norwich City Football Club, among others. Mr. Aylmer also oversees the wider team at the firm and the firm’s regulated investment platform activities.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Aylmer was a corporate lawyer at leading European law firm Arthur Cox, specializing in M&A and corporate finance. While at Arthur Cox, he gained significant experience in complex mergers and acquisitions and financing arrangements, representing and advising a wide variety of investment banking and corporate clients. Mr. Aylmer’s select former experience includes advising: Greencore Group plc on the $747.5 million acquisition of Peacock Foods; Goldman Sachs as part of Activision Blizzard’s $5.9 billion takeover of King Digital; CRH plc on the €6.5 billion multi-jurisdictional acquisition of businesses and assets from Lafarge S.A. and Holcim Ltd; the Eir Group on the acquisition of international sports broadcaster Setanta Sports Ireland; and Emirates National Oil Company on the £4.0 billion takeover and delisting of Dragon Oil plc.
Mr. Aylmer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Law from University College Dublin and is a dual-qualified lawyer with professional solicitor qualifications from the Law Societies of Ireland and England & Wales.
Our management team will capitalize on the collective experiences, networks, and resources of the Tifosy platform as well as our independent director nominees to effectuate an attractive transaction for our shareholders. The past performance of our sponsor group or management team is not a guarantee either of (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 record of our sponsor group’s or management team’s performance as indicative of our future performance. None of our officers or directors have had experience with special purpose acquisition companies in the past.
Board of Directors
In addition to James G. Dinan and Alexander Knaster, whose biographies are set out above, our board of directors will be comprised of the following independent directors:
Renée E. LaBran
Renée E. LaBran currently serves on the boards of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), a diversified financial services provider, serving on the audit and governance committees, and Idealab. In addition to leading strategy initiatives and M&A projects as a consultant to large corporate clients, she is an active investor and advisor to early-stage companies. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UCLA Anderson Business School’s entrepreneurship program, and serves on the Advisory Board of Principia Growth, a late-stage growth fund.
In 2015, Ms. LaBran was appointed by Governor Brown to the California State Bar Board of Trustees (responsible for regulation of California attorneys) and was confirmed to two terms by the State Senate as a
non-attorney public member. Ms. LaBran played a key role in the restructuring of both the board and the organization and completed her tenure in December 2020.
Ms. LaBran has been involved in the venture capital industry since 2000, initially as a founding partner of RCP, a technology focused venture capital fund. RCP also served as the launching pad for RC/Fontis, a growth stage fund targeting underserved markets. Ms. LaBran served as a Board Director for multiple portfolio companies (including audit chair experience) as well as provided oversight of both firms’ finance functions and operations.
Prior to venture capital, Ms. LaBran held a variety of executive management positions at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing $300 million in revenue and launching their digital initiatives, including co-founding two media industry joint ventures, serving as Chief Executive Officer of one joint venture. Prior to the Los Angeles Times, Ms. LaBran was a management consultant with Monitor, working on corporate strategy projects for Fortune 500 companies.
Ms. LaBran is a graduate of Harvard Business School and received her B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. LaBran is the mother of two sons. She is active in her community, including past Board Chair for Hathaway—Sycamores Child and Family Services, and co-founder of Women Founders Network, supporting female entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Investment Committee for Alliance for Southern California Innovation.
Alex Liu
Alex Liu is the managing partner and chairman of the board of directors at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. A trusted advisor to chief executive officers and boards, he was elected as the firm’s ninth managing partner in 2018 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. He was named on the 2020 Global Diversity CEO List and has appeared on platforms such as the WEF, The Economist and CNBC to discuss equity and inclusion matters for business and society.
Mr. Liu has worked extensively in the communications, media, and technology sectors in more than 50 countries and was named a Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine.
Mr. Liu has served as both speaker and co-chair at WEF events, including the Annual Summit in Davos and the WEF on Africa Summit, sharing his perspectives on global trends around the fourth industrial revolution and future-workforce topics. He is also a member of the WEF IBC, an advisory body made up of 120 chief executives and chairs representing cross-industry global organizations, and a participant in G20 Economist events.
Mr. Liu publishes frequently in business periodicals and newspapers such as Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times and speaks often on culture and joy at work, hosting a popular podcast, Joy@Work.
Prior to joining Kearney, Mr. Liu was Chief Executive Officer of a technology start-up and a partner with Boston Consulting Group, helping establish the firm’s Asian operations outside of Japan in the 1990s. He also served as a board adviser to Etisalat, one of the largest-cap public companies in the Middle East. He began his career in brand management at a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.
Mr. Liu has an M.B.A. from Harvard and a Bachelor’s degree from Yale and remains an avid rugby player.
Fahd Beg
Fahd Beg is the Chief Operating Officer of Prosus Food and Edtech and a member of the Prosus Investment Committee. Prosus N.V. Prosus is a global consumer internet group listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Mr. Beg joined Naspers, the controlling shareholder of Prosus, in 2016 and went on to become the Group Chief Investment Officer of Naspers in 2018 and of Prosus in 2019 following its incorporation, where he presided over a period of significant acceleration in the deployment of capital.
In 2021 Mr. Beg became Chief Operating Officer of two of the Prosus’s key segments, where he is responsible for strategy and investments as well as a number of growth and operational functions that provide support to scale portfolio companies.
Before joining Prosus, Mr. Beg held the position of Managing Director and Head of EMEA Internet Investment Banking at Citi.
Mr. Beg has an M.B.A. from Insead and a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University.
Market Opportunity
We believe that sports and adjacent technology and services markets are among the most attractive segments in the broader media entertainment ecosystem, supported by macro tailwinds, large addressable markets and the ability for organic growth and consolidation. We believe that our sponsor group and management team is uniquely positioned to identify and execute an attractive transaction that will leverage the macro trends outlined below and create significant shareholder value as a result of our investment and operating expertise.
Unparalleled value and growth of global sports ecosystem. The total addressable market of the professional sports and adjacent technology and services sectors is estimated at approximately $172 billion and growing at approximately 8% per year, underpinned by continued high global demand for live viewership and other forms of sports media consumption. The value of this unique, exciting, unscripted and live form of entertainment is best exemplified by the continued inflation in sports media rights. A recent example is the new 11-year National Football League’s rights deal, which is estimated to be worth over $110 billion and which constitutes an increase of approximately 75% comparing to the prior deal, based on annual contract value. The deal has attracted significant investment from Amazon.com, Inc., marking further validation of the value of premium must-have sports content for both traditional broadcasters and new entrants, such as over-the-top delivery platforms. Jointly with the continued proliferation of online and mobile connectivity and the growth of social media, this has continued to drive value for major sports franchises and businesses serving the wider sports industry across the globe.
Market dislocation from COVID-19. The impact of the global pandemic on sports franchises and sports-related adjacencies has been profound. As a result, sports franchises and vendors are facing a significant strain on cash flows, leaving many ownership groups without the appetite, nor liquidity to continue franchise funding for an undetermined period. Organizations with inefficient operating models are experiencing significant stress during these times, leading many groups to revaluate their funding strategies. While the length and severity of the impact on live events and other core activities is still uncertain, the market has historically proven resilient to cyclicality—especially for businesses with strong fundamentals and long-term intellectual property value—and is poised to benefit from strong demand in a post-COVID environment.
Decisive shift towards professional ownership and management. Global sports franchises, leagues and businesses active within the wider sports ecosystem are attracting unprecedented interest from institutional and more sophisticated investors. As these businesses reach scale at a global level and need to continue to grow shareholder value in a competitive market, there will be an increased need for professional ownership and management. Access to capital and financial expertise will be fundamental for businesses that require significant funding in coming years for projects, such as infrastructure and stadium developments, squad investments and others.
Continued technological and data-driven value creation. Technology has significantly transformed consumer behavioural and engagement patterns; and digital adoption and innovation is changing the way that businesses around the globe are conducting their operations. The need for innovative and dynamic operating models is increasingly evident, accelerated by the global pandemic. In order to drive shareholder value, the sports industry can benefit significantly from increased adoption of technology informing data-driven team management and capital allocation decisions, player and performance analytics and Enterprise Resource Planning/Customer Relationship Management improvements. Our management team and sponsor group have significant experience and track-record in pursuing value creation opportunities via adopting innovative and data-driven techniques, which will be leveraged to identify and pursue assets with unique potential.
Global sports platform. Significant synergies can be achieved by building a global sports platform, where best-in-class management practices, capital allocation and innovation can be shared and optimised across various assets. As more sports franchises and sports and media related businesses understand the necessity of building global brands in order to compete for revenue and brand recognition across wider consumer audiences, experienced management teams with operational and financial expertise will be required to create value and enhance visibility and profitability.
Sourcing
We intend to leverage both the sponsor group’s and management team’s unique and extensive global networks to access direct and proprietary business combination opportunities. Our competitive advantage is driven by the deep industry experience and extensive deal sourcing capabilities of our sponsor group and management team. We believe our process of screening and selecting potential target companies for our initial business combination will be highly differentiated and that through our combined networks and expertise we can generate a wide range of business combination opportunities with potential target companies.
We plan to utilize the collective and distinctive capabilities of our sponsor group and management team and, in particular, leverage the:
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deep and broad network of relationships in the sports and entertainment industry to create a significant pipeline of opportunities including opportunities with multiple professional sports franchises and adjacent businesses (both in the United States and Europe);
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extensive experience of sourcing, structuring, acquiring, operating, developing, growing, financing and selling businesses;
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use of advanced analytics to evaluate opportunities and provide businesses with competitive advantages;
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track record of driving value in existing businesses, including operating leading sport franchises; and
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significant M&A experience, including in consummating transactions across a wide range of sectors.
In addition to our sponsor group’s and management team’s sourcing and evaluation capabilities, our board of directors will be comprised of senior executives with complementary business profiles and experience in a variety of relevant industries. We believe our directors will add depth to our expertise, broaden our network of relationships, and provide exceptional governance to our company. We expect our broad network to provide our management team with a robust flow of business combination opportunities.
We also anticipate that we will have opportunities to leverage our relationships with several investment banks, private equity groups and law firms, which will present us with certain advantages in identifying prospective target companies in the areas that we determine are appropriate and attractive for our initial business combination.
Our Business Strategy
Our strategy is to source, identify, acquire and, upon completion of our initial business combination, accelerate a business to create long-term value for our shareholders. While we will not be limited to a particular industry or geographic region, we believe the experience of our sponsor group and management team will be highly complementary to a business in sports or in adjacent data and analytics, media and technology sectors, particularly a business that can benefit from our strategic, operational and financial expertise.
Our global network of investors and connections provides us with wide access to source attractive opportunities and our team will consider a broad set of opportunities but will apply a disciplined investment framework based on core acquisition criteria.
We believe our sponsor group and management team will be able to provide a level of support and assistance on key operational and strategic matters that is highly differentiated relative to other potentially competing SPACs. The recent achievements of members of our sponsor group and management team with the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA Championship winners 2021) and the Italian national football team (European
Championship winners 2020) only serves to further underline our ability to add significant value. We are therefore focused on opportunities where we will have a unique advantage in driving value creation once a business combination is completed. We have an extensive track record as investors and operators, which in our view will differentiate us as potential partners in an initial business combination and will be a valuable factor in distinguishing ourselves to potential target businesses.
Our Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have developed the following general, non-exclusive investment criteria and guidelines that we believe are important and plan to use when screening for and evaluating target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target business that does not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines. We will seek to acquire a business that:
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operates in sports or an adjacent industry and is well-positioned to benefit from the broad network and strategic expertise of our sponsor group and management team;
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is a leading business with strong business fundamentals, intrinsic brand value and a seasoned executive leadership;
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is operating at scale and is prepared to make the transition to the public markets, but can benefit from guidance and advice in developing a clear message describing the business model and investment opportunity to public investors;
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has the potential to develop fundamentally sound financial performance, with visibility into revenue and cash flow growth and relatively predictable future financial performance;
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operates in a large addressable market and has a sustainable competitive advantage;
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would benefit from an acquisition strategy and more efficient capital allocation and could leverage our access to capital, operational expertise and financial insights; and
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would serve as a platform for both organic and acquisitive growth.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based 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 that does not meet the above criteria, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder 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.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review, which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with members of the target’s management and other employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also benefit from our sponsor group’s and management team’s network of relationships with senior executives, board members and members of executive management teams to provide specialized insights into their areas of expertise and leverage their operational and capital planning experience.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination or any subsequent transaction with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy or Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with Tifosy or Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion, from either an independent investment banking firm or an independent accounting, valuation or appraisal firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of the management team will, directly or indirectly, own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officer and director was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then he or she may be required to honour such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. If those other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any business combination opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We will waive any claim or cause of action we may have in respect thereof. While Tifosy Capital & Advisory will not have any duty to present business combination opportunities to us, Tifosy may become aware of a potential transaction that may be an attractive opportunity for us, which it may or may not decide to share with us. Tifosy is a boutique advisory firm focused exclusively on the professional sports sector. As such, Tifosy provides a diversified range of financial advisory services in a broad spectrum of activities including merger and acquisition advisory services. Additionally, we may, but are not required to, engage Tifosy for services as a financial advisor in connection with identifying and investigating potential targets for our initial business combination. Conflicts may arise from Tifosy’s part sponsorship of our company, its provision of services both to us (including as a financial advisor) and to third-party clients. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for its own account, Tifosy may take commercial steps that may have an adverse effect on us.
While Tifosy Capital & Advisory will not have any duty to present business combination opportunities to us, Tifosy Capital & Advisory may become aware of a potential transaction that may be an attractive opportunity for us, which it may or may not decide to share with us. Tifosy is a boutique advisory firm focused exclusively on the professional sports sector. As such, Tifosy provides a diversified range of financial advisory services in a broad spectrum of activities including merger and acquisition advisory services. Additionally, we may, but are not required to, engage Tifosy for services as a financial advisor in connection with identifying and investigating potential targets for our initial business combination. Conflicts may arise from Tifosy’s part sponsorship of our company, its provision of services both to us (including as a financial advisor) and to third-party clients. In performing services for other clients and also when acting for its own account, Tifosy may take commercial steps that may have an adverse effect on us.
In addition, our officers and directors, are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. In particular, our sponsor and our officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination.
Initial Business Combination
So long as our securities are then listed on the NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the interest earned on the trust account) at the time of signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial
business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or an independent valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it unlikely that our board will not be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of a target business or businesses, it may be unable to do so if the board is less familiar or experienced with the target company’s business, there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the company’s assets or prospects, including if such company is at an early stage of development, operations or growth, or if the anticipated transaction involves a complex financial analysis or other specialized skills and the board determines that outside expertise would be helpful or necessary in conducting such analysis. Since any opinion, if obtained, would merely state that the fair market value of the target business meets the 80% of net assets threshold, unless such opinion includes material information regarding the valuation of a target business or the consideration to be provided, it is not anticipated that copies of such opinion would be distributed to our shareholders. However, if required under applicable law, any proxy statement that we deliver to shareholders and file with the SEC in connection with a proposed transaction will include such opinion.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-business combination company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-business combination company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-business combination company will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-business combination company will own or acquire 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a business combination in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests 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 pre-combination shareholders could own less than a majority of the shares of the post business-combination company. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-business combination 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 the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor. If our securities are not then listed on NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
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.
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 a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us,
the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, 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 or have negative valuation consequences. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek shareholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved, If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act 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, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $249,250,000, after payment of the estimated expenses of this offering and $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $286,375,000
after payment of the estimated expenses of this offering and $8,312,500 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over-allotment option 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
General
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 private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing or other sources. 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, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-business combination company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have not selected any business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions with any business combination target. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any suitable business target, to conduct any research or take any measures, directly or indirectly, to locate or contact a target business, other than our officers and directors. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.
We may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account, or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. There are no prohibitions on our ability to issue securities or incur debt in connection with our initial business combination. We are not currently a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities, the incurrence of debt or otherwise.
Sources of Target Businesses
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various affiliated and unaffiliated sources, including, investment market participants, private equity groups, investment banking firms, consultants, accounting firms and large business enterprises. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings.
These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since some of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates and other affiliated sources may also bring to our attention target business candidates that they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms, including one or more of the underwriters or one of their respective affiliates, or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In addition, the underwriters may provide these services without additional compensation. We will formally engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of finder’s fees is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or their respective affiliates be paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). We have agreed to pay our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor a total of $50,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative support and to reimburse our sponsor for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating and completing an initial business combination. Some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the post-business combination company following our initial business combination. The presence or absence of any such fees or arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of a business target.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory or our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor or any of our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including and other entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. See “Management—Conflicts of Interest.”
Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct an extensive due diligence review which may encompass, as applicable and among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities and a review of financial and other information about the target and its industry. We will also utilize our management team’s operational and capital planning experience. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed
will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination. In addition, we have agreed not to enter into a definitive agreement regarding an initial business combination without the prior consent of our sponsor.
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 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 a 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.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under NYSE’s listing rules, shareholder approval would typically be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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We issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then-outstanding;
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Any of our directors, officers or substantial security holder (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise
and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 1% or more (or 5% or more if the related party involved is classified as such solely because such person is a substantial security holder); or
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The issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
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the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder 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 shareholder vote;
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the risk that the shareholders 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 shareholders.
Permitted Purchases and Other Transactions with Respect to Our Securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or 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.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders 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 be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (i) vote in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination, (ii) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (iii) 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. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated transactions by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of tender offer or proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates enter into a private transaction, they would identify and contact only potential selling or redeeming shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will be restricted from purchasing shares if such purchases do not comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
Our sponsor, officers, directors, and/or their affiliates will be restricted from making purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. We expect any such purchases would be reported by such person 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 Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.25 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Further, we will not proceed with redeeming our public shares, even if a public shareholder has properly elected to redeem its shares, if a business combination does not close. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions (so that we do not then become 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 owners,
(ii) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve our initial business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder 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 shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would typically require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or 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 NYSE, we will be required to comply with the NYSE rules.
If we held a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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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.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and the sponsor’s 5,000,000 public shares purchased as part of the 5,000,000 units in the IPO, wewould need 4,375,001, or 17.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotmentoption is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, subject to any higher consentthreshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have it approved. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. In addition, our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us,
pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of a business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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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 our 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 Class A ordinary shares 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 shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
Limitation on Redemption upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as “Excess Shares,” without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders 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 management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder 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, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders 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 shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with a Tender Offer or Redemption Rights
Public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” will be required to either tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, mailed to such holders, 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, in each case up to two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote to approve the business combination. The proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate the applicable delivery requirements, which will include the requirement that a beneficial holder must identify itself in order to validly redeem its shares. Accordingly, a public shareholder 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 initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Given the relatively short period in which to exercise redemption rights, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a fee of approximately $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 shareholders’ vote on an initial 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 shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares 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 shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general 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 shareholder’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 two business days prior to the initially scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination, unless otherwise agreed to by us. 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 shareholders 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 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation If No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) 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 15 months, we may, but are not obligated to, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate an initial business combination once by an additional three months (for a total of 18 months to complete an initial business combination), subject to our sponsor depositing additional funds into the trust account as set out below. If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if a resolution of the company’s shareholders is passed pursuant to the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands to commence the voluntary liquidation of the company, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an 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 they hold if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame).
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, unless we provide our public shareholders 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 and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions (so that we do not then become subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time. This redemption right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, any officer, director or director nominee, or any other person.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the $1,750,000 held outside the trust account plus up to $100,000 of funds from the trust account available to us to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose.
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, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.25. 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 shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be less than $10.25. 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 (except our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including, but not limited, to fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third-party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third-party that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third-party’s engagement would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third-party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third-party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. The representatives of the underwriters will not execute an agreement 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 for services rendered or products sold to us (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), or a prospective target business with which we have discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amounts in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.25 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 $10.25 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the representatives of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third-party, our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.25 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 $10.25 per public share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay our tax obligations, 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 any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.25 per public share.
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 (except 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. We will have access to up to $1,750,000 following this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such shareholder. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $750,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $750,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
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 or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return approximately $10.25 per public share to our public shareholders. 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 shareholders 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 shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of the initial business combination. Public shareholders who redeem their Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote described in clause (ii) in the preceding sentence shall not be entitled to funds from the trust account upon the subsequent completion of an initial business combination or liquidation if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, with respect to such Class A ordinary shares so redeemed. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended by special resolution of our shareholders (subject to higher thresholds on particular matters as further set out herein).
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 have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering:
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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 shareholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.25 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the 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 upon consummation of our
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If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such
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If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will redeem all public shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.25 per public share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares.
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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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initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions.
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purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
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Impact to remaining shareholders
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The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable.
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If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders 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 sponsor, who will be our only remaining shareholder after such 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 over-allotment option. 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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$256,250,000 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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$215,100,000 of the offering proceeds, 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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$256,250,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust 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.
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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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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419
Offering
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Receipt of interest on escrowed funds
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Interest income (if any) on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any income taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of 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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Interest income 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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Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business
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The NYSE rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of signing the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. If our securities are not then listed on NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% of net asset test.
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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 are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units 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, and no later than four business days, after the closing of
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No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and 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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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419
Offering
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this offering. If the over-allotment option 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 over-allotment option. The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
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Exercise of the warrants
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The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
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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 or trust account.
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Election to remain an investor
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We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, 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 listing requirement to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the
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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 shareholder 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 shareholder. 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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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 our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder 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. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any such general meeting.
A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of the outstanding shares of the company representing one-third of the voting power of all outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting.
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Business combination deadline
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If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all
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If a business combination has not been completed within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) after the effective date of the company’s registration
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419
Offering
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operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
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statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.
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Release of funds
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Except for the withdrawal of interest income (if any) to pay our taxes, if any, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of:
(i)
the completion of our initial business combination,
(ii)
the redemption of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, and
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The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.
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Terms of Our Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419
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(iii)
the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
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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, operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 16 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1HT, United Kingdom. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $50,000 per month fee we will pay to our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have three officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs
until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and 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 accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to shareholders. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business target will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, 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 targets, 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 qualify as an emerging growth company, will we not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. 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 business combination.
Prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, 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 a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 30 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year or the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
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.
MANAGEMENT
Officers, Directors and Director Nominees
Our officers, directors and director nominees are as follows:
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Name
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Age
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Position
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James G. Dinan
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62
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Director
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Alexander Knaster
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62
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Director
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Gianluca Vialli
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57
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Co-Chief Executive Officer
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Fausto Zanetton
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45
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Co-Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
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Marco Re
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45
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Executive Vice President
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Tim Williams
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51
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Executive Vice President
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Tommy Aylmer
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35
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Executive Vice President
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Renée E. LaBran
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61
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Director Nominee
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Alex Liu
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63
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Director Nominee
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Fahd Beg
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42
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Director Nominee
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James G. Dinan has served as a Director since September 2021. Mr. Dinan founded York Capital Management in September 1991 and currently serves as its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since September 1991. From 1985 to 1991, he worked at Kellner, DiLeo & Co., where he became a General Partner and was responsible for investing in risk arbitrage and special situation investments. From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Dinan was a member of the investment banking group at Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette, Inc.
In 2014, Mr. Dinan purchased a stake in the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, partnering with Marc Lasry and Wes Edens. Over the course of the following five years, from the 2013/14 season to the 2018/19 season, as owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, Messrs. Dinan, Lasry and Edens have completely reimagined, rebuilt and re-energized the team’s business operations, resulting in substantial increases in attendance (+68%), ticket revenue (+186%), digital and social media audience (+283%), concessionsand retail revenue (+600%), partnership sales (+200%) and cable revenue (+65%). They have assembled a top-flight management team and instilled a new corporate culture marked by accountability, collaboration and results and are credited with the turnaround that saw the Milwaukee Bucks win the 2021 NBA Championship and lift the Larry O’Brien trophy on July 20, 2021, for the first time since 1971.
Mr. Dinan has also been instrumental in driving the vision, financing, planning, design and construction of the Deer District, a 30-acre mixed-use development project that has transformed downtown Milwaukee, featuring a new 714,000 square feet multi-purpose arena, financed by a $524 million public and private investment, and a new state-of-the-art 55,000 square feet training facility for the Milwaukee Bucks, financed by a $30 million private investment. He has worked to ensure that this historic project will be catalytic to the economic development of both the city of Milwaukee and the State of Wisconsin. Throughout his time in Milwaukee, Mr. Dinan has devoted significant energy and effort to working within the Milwaukee community to accomplish important social and economic goals, which include spearheading the development and launch of the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation.
Mr. Dinan is a member of the NBA’s Board of Governors, responsible for the strategy and global direction of the NBA across media, digital, operations, partnerships and many other facets of the league.
Mr. Dinan is currently the Vice-Chair and Chairman Emeritus of the Museum of the City of New York. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Hospital for Special Surgery, and the USA Wrestling Foundation. Additionally, he is a USOPF Trustee and he served as Team Leader for Men’s Freestyle Wrestling for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Mr. Dinan sits on the Harvard Business School's Board of Dean's Advisors, the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton Board of Advisors at the University of Pennsylvania and the Board of Trustees for The Rockefeller University.
Mr. Dinan’s business experience and leadership make him well-qualified to serve as a member of our board of directors.
Alexander Knaster has served as a Director since September 2021. Mr. Knaster has served as the Chairman of Pamplona Capital Management, a global investment management firm, since he founded the firm in 2005. As of 2020, Pamplona Capital Management has managed over $13 billion in private equity, hedge funds and fund of funds assets.
Prior to founding Pamplona Capital Management, Mr. Knaster served as the Chief Executive Officer at Alfa Bank from 1998 to 2004. From 1985 to 1998, he has held senior positions at Credit Suisse First Boston, Bankers Trust Company, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Grenfell and Simmons and Company in New York, London, Moscow and Houston.
Mr. Knaster has a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Mathematics from Carnegie Mellon University, M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and Ph.D. in Economics from Russian Academy of Science. Mr. Knaster is currently concluding a Master of Science program in Molecular Biology at New York University. He is an active philanthropist, focusing extensively on funding cancer research and educational activities, and is already an investor in European football, having acquired a majority stake in A.C. Pisa 1909 in January 2021.
Mr. Knaster’s business experience in executive positions make him well-qualified to serve on our board of directors.
Gianluca Vialli has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer since September 2021. Mr. Vialli is one of the most iconic and successful European professional footballers of the modern era, having played at Sampdoria, Juventus and Chelsea. He represented Italy in 59 matches and was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. He is one of the only nine players who have won all three major UEFA club competitions: the UEFA Champions League/European Cup, the UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.
Mr. Vialli was also the first Italian to have been appointed manager to a Premier League club, having led the first teams of Chelsea (1998-2000) and Watford (2001-2002). During his tenure at Chelsea, Mr. Vialli led the team to two international (the 1998 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the 1998 UEFA Super Cup) and three domestic titles (the 2000 FA Cup, the 1998 League Cup and the 2000 Football Association Charity Shield).
After his professional playing and coaching career, Mr. Vialli spent 15 years at Sky Sports Italia as an ambassador from 2003 to 2018, an advisor to the CEO on sporting matters and a highly respected commentator and media personality, with deep expertise in Serie A, Premier League, UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cups.
Mr. Vialli is also a Co-Founder and has served as Non-Executive Director of Tifosy Capital & Advisory since 2015. He focuses on advising clients on sporting strategy, organisational matters including recruitment and capital allocation decisions. In addition, Mr. Vialli currently serves as Head of the Italian national football team delegation and is a mentor to players and management. In July 2021, as part of the team led by Italian manager Roberto Mancini, Mr. Vialli oversaw Italy’s triumph in the 2020 European Championships. Mr. Vialli has a Masters in Football Business from the Johan Cruyff Institute and a Masters in Marketing and Sponsorship from University Bocconi.
Fausto Zanetton has served as our Co-Chief Executive Officer since September 2021 and Chief Financial Officer since April 2021. Mr. Zanetton is a much sought-after and trusted advisor in the sports industry and has over 20 years of experience advising global media, sports and technology companies.
Mr. Zanetton has served as the Chief Executive Officer of Tifosy since 2015, which he co-founded with Gianluca Vialli after seeing an unprecedented need for high-quality advisory services and financing solutions in professional sports. Mr. Zanetton directs Tifosy’s strategy and is responsible for managing the firm day-to-day, as well as in the sports sector advising clients on large-scale mergers and acquisitions and financing transactions. Mr. Zanetton has worked with professional sports franchises across Europe and the United States and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, Parma Calcio 1913, Sampdoria, Glasgow Rangers Football Club, Queens Park Rangers Football Club, A.C. Pisa 1909, Norwich City Football Club and others. He has also been a speaker at various industry conferences, including Leaders in Sport, Soccerex Global Convention and Web Summit.
Mr. Zanetton previously held various positions as an experienced sports, media and entertainment banker at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, with additional sector experience at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Brussels and Boston. Mr. Zanetton has a successful track record in leading high-profile transactions.
Over the course of his career, Mr. Zanetton has developed a vast network within the global sports, finance and private equity industries and brings to the management team significant experience as a leader on large-scale mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private financing transactions.
Marco Re has served as our Executive Vice President since September 2021. Mr. Re has served as a Managing Director and as the Head of Italy at Tifosy since 2020. At Tifosy, Mr. Re is primarily responsible for the Italian market and office, but also leads the firm’s strategic client coverage as an adviser to top-tier clubs and clients across Europe. Mr. Re has an in-depth knowledge of the sports industry and is valued by clients for his holistic view on the sports financing market.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Re served at Juventus FC from 2000 to 2020 in various roles, including as Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of the Board, where he held responsibility for all financial and non-sporting operations. During his 20 year career at Juventus, Mr. Re led capital market transactions including the Juventus initial public offering, a €300 million rights issue, stadium construction financing, Juventus Village financing (real estate fund structure) and a €175 million senior unsecured bond issuance. As an experienced Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Re has a detailed understanding of not only industry-specific financing arrangements, such as factoring of broadcasting and player receivables, but also related developments, having assumed senior leadership roles in the J|Medical and J|Hotel projects.
Mr. Re holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Turin and has been enrolled in the Italian Register of Chartered Accountants and in the Register of Auditors since 2003.
Tim Williams has served as our Executive Vice President since September 2021. Mr. Williams is a Managing Director and the Head of UK at Tifosy, a position he has held since 2021. At Tifosy, he is responsible for the strategy and development of the business in the United Kingdom and focuses on strategic and capital solutions for a wide range of clubs across multiple leagues. Mr. Williams is a finance professional with more than 25 years of experience, including 15 years in sport, media, advertising and entertainment.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Williams served as Chief Financial Officer and member of the San Siro stadium management company board at Inter Milan from July 2015 to February 2021, where he held responsibility for financial, strategic and management reporting and the club’s financing and capital structure since 2015. While at Inter Milan, Mr. Williams led the issue of structured bond and revolving credit facilities totalling €425 million, as well as securing short-term financing arrangements on numerous occasions. Mr. Williams also has extensive experience in the UEFA FFP regulations after leading Inter Milan to the successful release from a four-year FFP Settlement Agreement.
Before joining Inter Milan, he trained with KPMG and held senior finance roles for advertising agency McCann Erickson from 2005 to 2009 and for Manchester United from 2009 to 2014. Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor’s Degree in finance from Manchester Metropolitan University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Tommy Aylmer has served as our Executive Vice President since September 2021. Mr. Aylmer is a Managing Director and the Chief Legal Officer at Tifosy, a position he has held since 2017. At Tifosy, he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions, strategy and sports regulation and has recently advised on transactions involving Inter Milan, Inter Miami CF, A.C. Pisa and Norwich City Football Club, among others. Mr. Aylmer also oversees the wider team at the firm and the firm’s regulated investment platform activities.
Prior to joining Tifosy, Mr. Aylmer was a corporate lawyer at leading European law firm Arthur Cox from 2010 to 2017, specialising in M&A and corporate finance. While at Arthur Cox, he gained significant experience in complex mergers and acquisitions and financing arrangements, representing and advising a wide variety of investment banking and corporate clients. Mr. Aylmer’s select former experience includes advising: Greencore Group plc on the $747.5 million acquisition of Peacock Foods; Goldman Sachs as part of Activision Blizzard’s $5.9 billion takeover of King Digital; CRH plc on the €6.5 billion multi-jurisdictional acquisition of businesses and assets from Lafarge S.A. and Holcim Ltd; the Eir Group on the
acquisition of international sports broadcaster Setanta Sports Ireland; and Emirates National Oil Company on the £4.0 billion takeover and delisting of Dragon Oil plc.
Mr. Aylmer holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business and Law from University College Dublin and is a dual-qualified lawyer with professional solicitor qualifications from the Law Societies of Ireland and England & Wales.
Renée E. LaBran has agreed to serve as a member of our Board of Directors. Ms. LaBran currently serves on the boards of B. Riley Financial (NASDAQ: RILY), a diversified financial services provider, serving on the audit and governance committees, and Idealab. In addition to leading strategy initiatives and M&A projects as a consultant to large corporate clients, she is an active investor and advisor to early-stage companies. She is also an Adjunct Professor at UCLA Anderson Business School’s entrepreneurship program, and serves on the Advisory Board of Principia Growth, a late-stage growth fund.
In 2015, Ms. LaBran was appointed by Governor Brown to the California State Bar Board of Trustees (responsible for regulation of California attorneys) and was confirmed to two terms by the State Senate as a non-attorney public member. Ms. LaBran played a key role in the restructuring of both the board and the organization and completed her tenure in December 2020.
Ms. LaBran has been involved in the venture capital industry since 2000, initially as a founding partner of RCP, a technology focused venture capital fund. RCP also served as the launching pad for RC/Fontis, a growth stage fund targeting underserved markets. Ms. LaBran served as a Board Director for multiple portfolio companies (including audit chair experience) as well as provided oversight of both firms’ finance functions and operations.
Prior to venture capital, Ms. LaBran held a variety of executive management positions at the Los Angeles Times, overseeing $300 million in revenue and launching their digital initiatives, including co-founding two media industry joint ventures, serving as Chief Executive Officer of one joint venture. Prior to the Los Angeles Times, Ms. LaBran was a management consultant with Monitor, working on corporate strategy projects for Fortune 500 companies.
Ms. LaBran is a graduate of Harvard Business School and received her B.A. in Economics from UC Berkeley, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
Ms. LaBran is the mother of two sons. She is active in her community, including past Board Chair for Hathaway—Sycamores Child and Family Services, and co-founder of Women Founders Network, supporting female entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Investment Committee for Alliance for Southern California Innovation. Ms. LaBran’s extensive experience on corporate boards and investment experience make her well qualified to serve on our board.
Alex Liu has agreed to serve as a member of our board of directors. Mr. Liu is the managing partner and chairman of the board of directors at Kearney, a global management consulting firm. A trusted advisor to chief executive officers and boards, he elected as the firm’s ninth managing partner in 2018 and re-elected for a second term in 2021. He was named on the 2020 Global Diversity CEO List and has appeared on platforms such as the WEF, The Economist and CNBC to discuss equity and inclusion matters for business and society.
Mr. Liu has worked extensively in the communications, media, and technology sectors in more than 50 countries and was named a Top 25 consultant by Consulting magazine.
Mr. Liu has served as both speaker and co-chair at WEF events, including the Annual Summit in Davos and the WEF on Africa Summit, sharing his perspectives on global trends around the fourth industrial revolution and future-workforce topics. He is also a member of the WEF IBC, an advisory body made up of 120 chief executives and chairs representing cross-industry global organizations, and a participant in G20 Economist events.
Mr. Liu publishes frequently in business periodicals and newspapers such as Harvard Business Review and the Financial Times and speaks often on culture and joy at work, hosting a popular podcast, Joy@Work.
Prior to joining Kearney, Mr. Liu was Chief Executive Officer of a technology start-up and a partner with Boston Consulting Group, helping establish the firm’s Asian operations outside of Japan in the 1990s. He also served as a board adviser to Etisalat, one of the largest-cap public companies in the Middle East. He began his career in brand management at a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble.
Mr. Liu has an M.B.A. from Harvard and a Bachelor’s degree from Yale and remains an avid rugby player. Mr. Liu’s industry experience and leadership experience make him well qualified to serve on our board.
Fahd Beg has agreed to serve as a member of our board of directors. Mr. Beg is the Chief Operating Officer of Prosus Food and Edtech and a member of the Prosus Investment Committee. Prosus N.V. Prosus is a global consumer internet group listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and one of the largest technology investors in the world. Mr. Beg joined Naspers, the controlling shareholder of Prosus, in 2016 and went on to become the Group Chief Investment Officer of Naspers in 2018 and of Prosus in 2019 following its incorporation, where he presided over a period of significant acceleration in the deployment of capital.
In 2021 Mr. Beg became Chief Operating Officer of two of the Prosus’s key segments, where he is responsible for strategy and investments as well as a number of growth and operational functions that provide support to scale portfolio companies.
Before joining Prosus, Mr. Beg held the position of Managing Director and Head of EMEA Internet Investment Banking at Citi.
Mr. Beg has an M.B.A. from Insead and a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University. Mr. Beg’s extensive investment experience and experience in executive leadership positions make him well qualified to serve on our board.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NYSE. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of , will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of and , will expire at our second annual general meeting. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of and , will expire at our third annual general meeting.
Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason and appoint a member to the board of directors. Such provision of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended if approved by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into on or prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
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 amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as it deems appropriate. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our officers may consist of one or more chairman of the board, chief executive officer, president, chief financial officer, vice presidents, secretary, treasurer and such other offices as may be determined by the board of directors.
Director Independence
NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. Our board of directors has determined that , and are “independent directors” as defined in the NYSE listing standards. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer and Director Compensation
Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. None of our officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on NYSE through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will reimburse our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $50,000 per month. In addition, our sponsor, officers, directors, or 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 their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, officers and directors, or their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a nominating committee and a compensation committee. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of NYSE and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules and a limited exception, the rules of NYSE require that the compensation committee and the nominating committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors.
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. , and will serve on our audit committee. Our board of directors has determined that , and are independent under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules. will serve as the Chairman of the audit committee.
Under the NYSE listing standards and applicable SEC rules, all the directors on the audit committee must be independent. 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.
The audit committee is responsible for:
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meeting with our independent registered public accounting firm regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our accounting and control systems;
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monitoring the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm;
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verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;
•
inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
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pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent registered public accounting firm, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;
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appointing or replacing the independent registered public accounting firm;
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determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent registered public accounting firm (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent registered public accounting firm regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;
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establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies;
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monitoring compliance on a quarterly basis with the terms of this offering and, if any noncompliance is identified, immediately taking all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise causing compliance with the terms of this offering; and
•
reviewing and approving all payments made to our existing shareholders, officers or directors and their respective affiliates. Any payments made to members of our audit committee will be reviewed and approved by our board of directors, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval.
Nominating Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating committee of our board of directors. The members of our nominating committee will be , and , and will serve as chairman of the nominating committee. Under the NYSE listing standards, we are required to have a nominating committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that , and are independent under the NYSE listing standards.
The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.
Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees
The guidelines for selecting nominees, which will be specified in a charter to be adopted by us, generally will provide that persons to be nominated:
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should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;
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should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and
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should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders.
The nominating committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of our board of directors. The members of our compensation committee will be , and , and will serve as chairman of the compensation committee.
Under the NYSE listing standards, we are required to have a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors. Our board of directors has determined that , and are independent under the NYSE listing standards.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
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reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s and Chief Financial Officer’s, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s and Chief Financial Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer based on such evaluation;
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reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 officers;
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reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
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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;
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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
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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, 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 NYSE and the SEC.
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 compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Ethics
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will have adopted a Code of Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. 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.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
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duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
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duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
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directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
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duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
•
duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Certain of our officers and directors presently have, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary and contractual duties to other entities. As a result, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, then he or she may be required to honor such fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity. If these other entities decide to pursue any such opportunity, we may be precluded from pursuing the same. However, we do not expect these duties to materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a business combination opportunity for both us and our sponsor and another entity (including any entities managed by our sponsor or its affiliates and any companies in which our sponsor or such entities have invested about which any of our officers or directors acquires knowledge).
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties, contractual obligations or other material management relationships:
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Individual
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Entity
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Entity’s Business
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Affiliation
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James G. Dinan
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York Capital Management
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Investment
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Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
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Museum of the City of New York
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Non-Profit
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Vice-Chair and Chairman Emeritus
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The Rockefeller University
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|
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Education
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|
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Board of Trustees
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|
|
|
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U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation
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|
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Non-Profit
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Trustee
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|
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USA Wrestling Foundation
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Non-Profit
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Board of Directors
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|
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Hospital for Special Surgery
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Non-Profit
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Board of Directors
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Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
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Non-Profit
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Board of Directors
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Harvard Business School’s Board of Dean’s Advisors
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Education
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Member
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University of Pennsylvania
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Education
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Board of Trustees
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Wharton Board of Advisors at the University of Pennsylvania
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Education
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Member
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Alexander Knaster
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Pamplona Capital Management
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Investment
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Chairman
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A.C. Pisa 1909
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Professional Sports
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Majority Owner
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The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research
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Non-Profit
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Founder and Advisor
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The London Business School
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Education
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Executive Fellow
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Harvard Business School
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Education
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Member of Board of Dean’s Advisors
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Columbia Preparatory School
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Education
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Member of Board of Trustees
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Gianluca Vialli
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Tifosy Capital & Advisory
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Investment
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Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
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Italian National Football Team
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Professional Sports
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Chief Delegate
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Fausto Zanetton
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Tifosy Capital & Advisory
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|
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Investment
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Founder and Chief Executive Officer
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Marco Re
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|
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Tifosy Capital & Advisory
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|
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Investment
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|
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Managing Director and Head of Italy
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|
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Tim Williams
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Tifosy Capital & Advisory
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|
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Investment
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Managing Director and Head of UK
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|
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Tommy Aylmer
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Tifosy Capital & Advisory
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Investment
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Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer
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|
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Renée E. LaBran
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|
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Idealab
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Technology
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Director
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B. Riley Financial
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Financial Services
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Director
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Alex Liu
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Kearney
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Consulting
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Managing Partner and Chairman of theBoard
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Episcopal High School
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Education
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Board Trustee
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Fahd Beg
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Prosus
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Technology
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Chief Investment Officer
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|
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Naspers Limited
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Technology
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Chief Investment Officer
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Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
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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 businesses, on the other hand. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers and directors is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he is entitled to substantial compensation and has substantial time commitments, and our officers and directors are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
•
Our sponsor subscribed for founder shares prior to the date of this prospectus and will purchase private placement warrants in a transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price.
•
Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares.
Additionally, our sponsor has agreed to waive its rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Except as described herein, the private placement warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our officers and director nominees will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they 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.
Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors may sponsor, form or participate in other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target, particularly in the event there is overlap among investment mandates.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory or our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with Tifosy Capital & Advisory, our sponsor or any of our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions 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.
Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or their respective affiliates, be paid by us any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. Further, commencing
on the date our securities are first listed on NYSE, we will also reimburse our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to us in the amount of $50,000 per month.
We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, actual fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase 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.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers and directors, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers and directors pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.
PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A ordinary shares 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 issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
•
each of our officers, directors and director nominees that beneficially owns ordinary shares; and
•
all our 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 of our ordinary shares 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.
On April 20, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares. On September 29, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to us for no consideration resulting in an aggregate of 7,187,500 outstanding (up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). As a result of such surrender, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Such shares will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option and that there are 31,250,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
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Number of
Shares
Beneficially
Owned(2)
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Approximate Percentage of
Issued and Outstanding
Ordinary Shares
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Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)
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Before
Offering
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After
Offering
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Iconic Sports Management LLC (our sponsor)
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7,187,500(3)(4)
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99%
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19.8%
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James G. Dinan(5)
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Alexander Knaster(5)
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Gianluca Vialli(5)
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Fausto Zanetton(5)
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Marco Re
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Tim Williams
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Tommy Aylmer
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Renée E. LaBran
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30,000
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*
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*
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Alex Liu
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30,000
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*
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*
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Fahd Beg
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30,000
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*
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*
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All officers, directors and director nominees as a group ( individuals)
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*
Less than one percent.
(1)
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our shareholders is 16 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1HT, United Kingdom.
(2)
Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.”
(3)
Iconic Sports Management LLC, our sponsor, is the record holder of such shares. Our sponsor is governed by a board of managers consisting of four managers. Each manager has one vote, and the approval of a majority of the managers is required to approve an action on behalf of our sponsor.
(4)
Includes up to 937,500 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(5)
Does not include any securities indirectly owned by this individual as a result of his ownership interest in our sponsor.
Immediately after this offering, our sponsor will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering) and will have the right to appoint all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to appoint any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our sponsor may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization, surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has agreed (a) to vote any founder shares and public shares held by it in favor of any proposed business combination and (b) not to redeem any founder shares or public shares held by it in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination.
Our sponsor is deemed to be our “promoter” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreement entered into by our sponsor and management team. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. The private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants are not transferable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The foregoing restrictions are not applicable to transfers (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliates or family members of any of our officers or directors, any members or partners of our sponsor or their affiliates, any affiliates of our sponsor, or any employees of such affiliates; (b) in the case of an individual, by gift to a member of one of the individual’s immediate family, any estate planning vehicle or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of the individual’s immediate family, 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 a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the founder shares, private placement warrants or Class A ordinary shares, as applicable, were originally purchased; (f) pro rata distributions from our sponsor to its members, partners, or shareholders pursuant to our sponsor’s operating agreement; (g) by virtue of our sponsor’s organizational documents upon liquidation or dissolution of our sponsor; (h) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination; (i) in the event of our liquidation prior to the completion of our initial business combination; or (j) in the event of our completion of a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction which results in all of our public shareholders having the right
to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (g) 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.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On April 20, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares. On September 29, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to us for no consideration resulting in an aggregate of 7,187,500 outstanding (up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). As a result of such surrender, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.004 per share. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Such shares will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares upon completion of this offering. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization, surrender or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. The founder shares (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering at the public offering price. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on any units purchased in this offering by our sponsor.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 12,750,000 private placement warrants (or 14,437,500 private placement warrants if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) for a purchase price of $1.00 per whole warrant in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. As such, our sponsor’s interest in this transaction is valued at between $12,750,000 and $14,437,500 depending on the number of private placement warrants purchased. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in the section of this prospectus entitled “Management—Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. Our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
We currently maintain our executive offices at 16 Hanover Square, London, W1S 1HT, United Kingdom. The cost for our use of this space is included in the $50,000 per month fee we will pay to our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor for office space, administrative and support services, commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on NYSE. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid to our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made by us to our sponsor, officers, directors, or their affiliates and will determine which expenses and the amount of expenses that will be reimbursed. There is no cap or ceiling on the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by such persons in connection with activities on our behalf.
Prior to the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at
the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the offering proceeds not held in the trust account. As of June 30, 2021, we have borrowed $99,920 under the promissory note with our sponsor.
In addition, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors have the right, but not the obligation, to loan us funds interest free and on substantially the same terms as our existing promissory note. If we complete an initial business combination, we may repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans, which we have agreed to incur and which are due upon the earlier of our liquidation or the consummation of our initial business combination, 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. We do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, its affiliates or our management team 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 may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the tender offer or proxy solicitation materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. 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 general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We will enter into a registration and shareholder rights agreement pursuant to which our sponsor will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the private placement warrants, the warrants issuable upon conversion of working capital loans (if any) and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the foregoing and upon conversion of the founder shares, and, upon consummation of our initial business combination, to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement, which is described under the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Registration and Shareholder Rights.”
We intend to enter into an agreement to indemnify our sponsor and its affiliates, including Tifosy Capital & Advisory, from any claims made by us or a third party in respect of any investment opportunities sourced by them, any liability arising with respect to their activities in connection with our affairs, and for any services that are provided without a separate written agreement between us and any such party. Such indemnity will provide that the indemnified parties cannot access the funds held in our trust account.
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors will adopt a charter, providing for the review, approval and/or ratification of “related party transactions,” which are those transactions required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K as promulgated by the SEC, by the audit committee. At its meetings, the audit committee shall be provided with the details of each new, existing, or proposed related party transaction, including the terms of the transaction, any contractual restrictions that the company has already committed to, the business purpose of the transaction, and the benefits of the transaction to the company and to the relevant related party. Any member of the committee who has an interest in the related party transaction under review by the committee shall abstain from voting on the approval of the related party transaction, but may, if so requested by the chairman of the committee, participate in some or all of the committee’s discussions of the related party transaction. Upon completion of its review of the related party transaction, the committee may determine to permit or to prohibit the related party transaction.
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company and our affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, which will be adopted prior to the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares and 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, as well as 5,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes the material terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. 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 Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the company’s Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder.
The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to 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. Once the Class A ordinary shares 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 Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet promptly after the completion of this offering. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option 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’ over-allotment option.
Additionally, the units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded after completion of our initial business combination.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, all of which were held of record by our sponsor, so that our sponsor will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering and the expiration of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (assuming our sponsor does not purchase any units in this offering). Upon the closing of this offering, 31,250,000 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) including:
•
25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units issued as part of this offering; and
•
6,250,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our sponsor.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization, share surrender or a compulsory redemption or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to
maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Other than in respect of the appointment and removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and the continuation of the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors, by way of ordinary resolution. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors during such time. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association governing the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination may only be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, 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 Class A ordinary shares which we will be authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.
Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with the NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on NYSE. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings to appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, any vacancy on the board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial business combination, holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason.
We will provide our public shareholders 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 calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.25 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. The redemption rights will include the requirement that a beneficial owner must identify itself in order to valid redeem its shares. Our sponsor and each member of our management
team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares and public shares held by them in connection with (i) the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. Unlike many blank check companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction 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 law, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, if a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, 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 memorandum and articles of association will require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements, or we decide to obtain shareholder 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 shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. A quorum for such meeting will consist of the holders present in person or by proxy of shares of the company representing one-third of the voting power of all outstanding shares of the company entitled to vote at such meeting. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, or their 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 shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares, without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
As a result, in addition to our sponsor’s founder shares and the sponsor’s 5,000,000 public shares purchased as part of the 5,000,000 units in the IPO, we would need 4,375,001, or 17.5% (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised) of the 25,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have it approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.
Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, 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 (and 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an 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 they hold if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that, if a resolution of the company’s shareholders is passed pursuant to the Companies Act of the Cayman Islands to commence the voluntary liquidation of the company, we will follow the foregoing procedures with respect to the liquidation of the trust account as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, subject to applicable Cayman Islands law.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders 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 shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that: (a) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of our board of directors for any reason; (b) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below; (c) our sponsor and each member of our management team have entered into an agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection
with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares; and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares they hold if we have not completed an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering (although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we have not completed our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame); (d) the founder shares will automatically convert into our Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof as described herein; (e) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; and (f) in a vote to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution, subject to any higher consent threshold as may be required by Cayman Islands or other applicable law, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination.
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares (which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account if we do not consummate an initial business combination) at the time of our initial business combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of this offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, its affiliates or any member of our management team upon conversion of working capital loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and officers with respect to any founder shares.
Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment and removal of directors, by way of ordinary resolution. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of directors during such time. In addition, a vote to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which requires the approval of at least two-thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares, holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every founder share and holders of our Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for
every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may only be amended by the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voted at a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
•
the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of shares of each member;
•
whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;
•
the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
•
the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e., the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize 5,000,000 preference shares and provide that preference shares 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 shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder 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 preference shares issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as discussed in the immediately succeeding paragraph. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant
holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least three units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The 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 Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share 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. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of its initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than twenty business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if our Class A ordinary shares 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, 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, but we will use our commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of the initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but we will use our commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the lesser of (A) the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” (as defined below) less the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value and (B) 0.361. The “fair market value” as used in this paragraph shall mean the volume weighted average price of the Class A ordinary shares for the ten trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
•
if, and only if, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants as described above unless a registration statement under the Securities Act covering the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is then effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
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 warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) as well as the $11.50 (for whole shares) warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00. Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants:
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of shares determined by reference to the table below, based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined below) except as otherwise described below;
•
if, and only if, the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $10.00 per public share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and
•
if the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”), the private placement warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding public warrants, as described above.
Beginning on the date the notice of redemption is given until the warrants are redeemed or exercised, holders may elect to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The numbers in the table below represent the number of Class A ordinary shares that a warrant holder will receive upon such cashless exercise in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, based on the “fair market value” of
our Class A ordinary shares on the corresponding redemption date (assuming holders elect to exercise their warrants and such warrants are not redeemed for $0.10 per warrant), determined for these purposes based on volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, and the number of months that the corresponding redemption date precedes the expiration date of the warrants, each as set forth in the table below. We will provide our warrant holders with the final fair market value no later than one business day after the 10-trading day period described above ends.
Pursuant to the warrant agreement, references above to Class A ordinary shares shall include a security other than Class A ordinary shares into which the Class A ordinary shares have been converted or exchanged for in the event we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination.
The numbers in the table below will not be adjusted when determining the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon exercise of the warrants if we are not the surviving entity following our initial business combination.
The share prices set forth in the column headings of the table below will be adjusted as of any date on which the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant or the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted as set forth under the heading “—Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below. If the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant is adjusted, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the share prices immediately prior to such adjustment, multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant immediately prior to such adjustment and the denominator of which is the number of shares deliverable upon exercise of a warrant as so adjusted. The number of shares in the table below shall be adjusted in the same manner and at the same time as the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a warrant. If the exercise price of a warrant is adjusted, (a) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the fifth paragraph under the heading “—Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which is the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price as set forth under the heading “—Anti-Dilution Adjustments” and the denominator of which is $10.00 and (b) in the case of an adjustment pursuant to the second paragraph under the heading “—Anti-Dilution Adjustments” below, the adjusted share prices in the column headings will equal the unadjusted share price less the decrease in the exercise price of a warrant pursuant to such exercise price adjustment.
Redemption Date (period to
expiration of warrants)
|
|
|
Fair Market Value of Class A Ordinary Shares
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
≤$
|
10.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
11.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
12.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
13.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
14.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
15.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
16.00
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
17.00
|
|
|
|
|
≥$
|
18.00
|
|
|
|
60 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.261
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.281
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.297
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.311
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.324
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.337
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.348
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.358
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
57 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.257
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.277
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.294
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.310
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.324
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.337
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.348
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.358
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
54 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.252
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.272
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.291
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.307
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.322
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.335
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.347
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.357
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
51 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.246
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.268
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.287
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.304
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.320
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.333
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.346
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.357
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
48 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.241
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.263
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.283
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.301
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.317
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.332
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.344
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.356
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
45 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.235
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.258
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.279
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.298
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.315
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.330
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.343
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.356
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
42 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.228
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.252
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.274
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.294
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.312
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.328
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.342
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.355
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
39 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.221
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.246
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.269
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.290
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.309
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.325
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.340
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.354
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
36 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.213
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.239
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.263
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.285
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.305
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.323
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.339
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.353
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
33 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.205
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.232
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.257
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.280
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.301
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.320
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.337
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.352
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
30 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.196
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.224
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.250
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.274
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.297
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.316
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.335
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.351
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
27 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.185
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.214
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.242
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.268
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.291
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.313
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.332
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.350
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
24 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.173
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.204
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.233
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.260
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.285
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.308
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.329
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.348
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
21 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.161
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.193
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.223
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.252
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.279
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.304
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.326
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.347
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
18 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.146
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.179
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.211
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.242
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.271
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.298
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.322
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.345
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
15 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.130
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.164
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.197
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.230
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.262
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.291
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.317
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.342
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
12 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.111
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.146
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.181
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.216
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.250
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.282
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.312
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.339
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
9 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.090
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.125
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.162
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.199
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.237
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.272
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.305
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.336
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
6 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.065
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.099
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.137
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.178
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.219
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.259
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.296
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.331
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
3 months
|
|
|
|
|
0.034
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.065
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.104
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.150
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.197
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.243
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.286
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.326
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
|
0 months
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.042
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.115
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.179
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.233
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.281
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.323
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.361
|
|
|
The exact fair market value and redemption date may not be set forth in the table above, in which case, if the fair market value is between two values in the table or the redemption date is between two redemption dates in the table, the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued for each warrant exercised will be determined by a straight-line interpolation between the number of shares set forth for the higher and lower fair market values and the earlier and later redemption dates, as applicable, based on a 365 or 366-day year, as applicable. For example, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $11.00 per share, and at such time there are 57 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.277 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. For an example where the exact fair market value and redemption date are not as set forth in the table above, if the volume weighted average price of our Class A ordinary shares during the ten trading days immediately following the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of the warrants is $13.50 per share, and at such time there are 38 months until the expiration of the warrants, holders may choose to, in connection with this redemption feature, exercise their warrants for 0.298 Class A ordinary shares for each whole warrant. In no event will the warrants be exercisable on a cashless basis in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). Finally, as reflected in the table above, if the warrants are out of the money and about to expire, they cannot be exercised on a cashless basis in connection with a redemption by us pursuant to this redemption feature, since they will not be exercisable for any Class A ordinary shares.
This redemption feature differs from the typical warrant redemption features used in many other blank check offerings, which typically only provide for a redemption of warrants for cash (other than the private placement warrants) when the trading price for the Class A ordinary shares exceeds $18.00 per share for a specified period of time. This redemption feature is structured to allow for all of the outstanding warrants to be redeemed when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at or above $10.00 per public share, which may be at a time when the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares is below the exercise price of the warrants. We have established this redemption feature to provide us with the flexibility to redeem the warrants without the warrants having to reach the $18.00 per share threshold set forth above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00.” Holders choosing to exercise their warrants in connection with a redemption pursuant to this feature will, in effect, receive a number of shares for their warrants based on an option pricing model with a fixed volatility input as of the date of this prospectus. This redemption right provides us with an additional mechanism by which to redeem all of the outstanding warrants, and therefore have certainty as to our capital structure as the warrants would no longer be outstanding and would have been exercised or redeemed. We will be required to pay the applicable redemption price to warrant holders if we choose to exercise this redemption right and it will allow us to quickly proceed with a redemption of the warrants if we determine it is in our best interest to do so. As such, we would redeem the warrants in this manner when we believe it is in our best interest to update our capital structure to remove the warrants and pay the redemption price to the warrant holders.
As stated above, we can redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price starting at $10.00, which is below the exercise price of $11.50, because it will provide certainty with respect to our capital structure and cash position while providing warrant holders with the opportunity to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis for the applicable number of shares. If we choose to redeem the warrants when the Class A ordinary shares are trading at a price below the exercise price of the warrants, this could result in the warrant holders receiving fewer Class A ordinary shares than they would have received if they had chosen to wait to exercise their warrants for Class A ordinary shares if and when such Class A ordinary shares were trading at a price higher than the exercise price of $11.50.
No fractional Class A ordinary shares will be issued upon exercise. If, upon exercise, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will round down to the nearest whole number of the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the holder. If, at the time of redemption, the warrants are exercisable for a security other than the Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the warrant agreement (for instance, if we are not the surviving company in our initial business combination), the warrants may be exercised for such security. At such time as the warrants become exercisable for a security other than the
Class A ordinary shares, the Company (or surviving company) will use its commercially reasonable efforts to register under the Securities Act the security issuable upon the exercise of the warrants.
Redemption Procedures. A holder of a 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 Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.
Anti-Dilution Adjustments. If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is increased by a capitalization or share dividend paid in Class A ordinary shares to all or substantially all holders of Class A ordinary shares, or by a sub-division of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such capitalization or share dividend, sub-division or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding Class A ordinary shares. A rights offering made to all or substantially all holders of ordinary shares entitling holders to purchase Class A ordinary shares at a price less than the “historical fair market value” (as defined below) will be deemed a share dividend of a number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the product of (i) the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 ordinary shares) and (ii) one minus the quotient of (x) the price per Class A ordinary share paid in such rights offering and (y) the historical fair market value. For these purposes, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A ordinary shares, in determining the price payable for Class A ordinary shares, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “historical fair market value” means the volume weighted average price of Class A ordinary shares as reported during the ten trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the Class A ordinary shares trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.
In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to all or substantially all of the holders of the Class A ordinary shares on account of such Class A ordinary shares (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Class A ordinary shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 (as adjusted to appropriately reflect any other adjustments and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the exercise price or to the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50 per share, (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a proposed initial business combination, (d) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, (e) as a result of the repurchase of Class A ordinary shares by us if a proposed initial business combination is presented to our shareholders for approval, or (f) in connection with the redemption of our public shares upon our failure to complete our initial business combination, then the warrant exercise price 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 Class A ordinary share in respect of such event.
If the number of outstanding Class A ordinary shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, or reclassification of Class A ordinary shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reclassification or similar event, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
Whenever the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of Class A ordinary shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held thereby 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 ordinary shares 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, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” and “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A ordinary shares (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A ordinary shares), 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 Class A ordinary shares), 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 warrants will 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 Class A ordinary shares immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A ordinary shares 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 their 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 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 has been made to and accepted by such holders (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 memorandum and articles of association or as a result of the redemption of Class A ordinary shares 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) more than 50% of the issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares, the holder of a warrant will be entitled to receive 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 Class A ordinary shares held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustment (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in the warrant agreement. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A ordinary shares in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A ordinary shares 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 warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the warrant agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the warrant agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants.
The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement will provide that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision, (ii) amending the provisions relating to cash dividends on ordinary shares as contemplated by and in accordance with the warrant agreement or (iii) adding or changing any provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the rights of the registered holders of the warrants, provided that the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants is required to make any change that adversely affects the rights of the holders of the public warrants under the warrant agreement. You should review a copy of the warrant agreement, which will be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, for a complete description of the terms and conditions applicable to the warrants.
The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.
No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder.
We have agreed that, subject to applicable law, any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction will be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. See “Risk Factors—Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.” This provision applies to claims under the Securities Act but does not apply to claims under the Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.
Private Placement Warrants
Except as described below, the private placement warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares 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 pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder
Shares and Private Placement Warrants,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the initial purchasers of the private placement warrants) and they will not be redeemable by us (except as described under “—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00”) so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees (except as otherwise set forth herein). Our sponsor, or its permitted transferees, has the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the number of the then outstanding private placement warrants.
Except as described above under “—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00,” if holders of the private placement warrants elect to exercise them on a cashless basis, they would pay the exercise price by surrendering his, her or its warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “Sponsor fair market value” over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the Sponsor fair market value. For these purposes, the “Sponsor fair market value” shall mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the ten trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of warrant exercise is sent to the warrant agent. The reason that we have agreed that these 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 they will be affiliated with us following a business combination. If they 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 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 shareholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A ordinary shares 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 such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.
Our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors have the right, but not the obligation, to loan us funds interest free and on substantially the same terms as our existing promissory note. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans, which we have agreed to incur and which are due upon the earlier of our liquidation or the consummation of our initial business combination, 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. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.
Dividends
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares 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. If we increase the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with a business combination, 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 ordinary shares 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 shareholders, directors, officers and employees against all claims and losses that may arise out of acts performed or omitted for its activities in that capacity, except for any claims and losses due to any gross negligence or intentional misconduct of the indemnified person or entity.
Certain Differences in Corporate Law
Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to United States corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.
Mergers and Similar Arrangements. In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).
Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that holds issued shares that together represent at least 90% of the votes at a general meeting of the subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company, if a copy of the plan of merger is given to every member of each subsidiary company to be merged unless that members agrees otherwise. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.
Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that where the surviving or consolidated company is the Cayman Islands exempted company the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is required to be satisfied in respect of any constituent overseas company that: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; and (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.
Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.
Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value their shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation in certain circumstances if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, where such rights apply, that procedure is as follows: (a) the shareholder must give their written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for their shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of their intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of their shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase their shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.
Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and creditors with whom the arrangement is to be made and who must in addition represent three-fourths in value of each such class of shareholders or creditors, as the case may be, that are present and voting either in person or by proxy at an annual general meeting, or extraordinary general meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:
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the company is not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of its corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to dual majority vote have been complied with;
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the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;
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the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and
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the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”
If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of United States corporations.
Squeeze-out Provisions. When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates within four months, the offeror may, within a two-month period, require the holders of the remaining shares to transfer such shares on the terms of the offer. An objection can be made to the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, but this is unlikely to succeed unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.
Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements of an operating business.
Shareholders’ Suits. Walkers, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:
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a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;
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the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or
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those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”
A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.
Enforcement of Civil Liabilities. The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.
We have been advised by Walkers, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
Special Considerations for Exempted Companies. We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company. The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges listed below:
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annual reporting requirements are minimal and consist mainly of a statement that the company has conducted its operations mainly outside of the Cayman Islands and has complied with the provisions of the Companies Law;
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an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection and can be kept outside of the Cayman Islands;
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an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;
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an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 30 years in the first instance); and
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an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.
“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).
Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (other than amendments relating to the appointment or removal of directors prior to our initial business combination and amendments relating to our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including, but not limited to, the approval of the organizational documents of the company in such other jurisdiction), which require the approval of a majority of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting at a general meeting) cannot be amended without a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders entitled to vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy, and so voting at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Other than as described above, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of our shareholders (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.
Our sponsor and its permitted transferees, if any, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming it does not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:
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If we have not consummated an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up; (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter (and 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes that were paid by us or are payable by us, if any (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation and dissolution expenses) divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law;
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Prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote as a class with our public shares (a) on our initial business combination or on any other proposal
presented to shareholders prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination or (b) to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (x) extend the time we have to consummate a business combination beyond 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (y) amend the foregoing provisions;
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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 enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;
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If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we do not decide to hold a shareholder 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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So long as our securities are then listed on NYSE, our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination;
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If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) that would modify the substance or timing of our obligation to provide holders of our Class A ordinary shares the right to have their shares redeemed in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not completed our initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to the rights of holders of our Class A ordinary shares, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their ordinary shares 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 earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, if any, divided by the number of the then-outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein;
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We will not effectuate our initial business combination solely with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations; and
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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the
selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association 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 upon consummation of our initial business combination and after payment of underwriter fees and commissions.
The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution under Cayman Islands law. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provide otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.
Anti-Money Laundering—Cayman Islands
If any person resident in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects, or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting, that another person is engaged in criminal conduct, is involved with terrorism or terrorist property or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct, money laundering or proliferation financing or is the business combination partner of a financial sanction; or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report will not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise. We reserve the right to refuse to make any payment to a shareholder if our directors or officers suspect or are advised that the payment to such shareholder might result in a breach of applicable anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, prevention of proliferation financing and financial sanctions or other laws or regulations by any person in any relevant jurisdiction, or if such refusal is considered necessary or appropriate to ensure our compliance with any such laws or regulations in any applicable jurisdiction.
Data Protection—Cayman Islands
We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the “Data Protection Act”) based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.
Privacy Notice
Introduction
This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the Company you will provide us with certain personal information which constitutes personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act (“personal data”). In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.
Investor Data
We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.
In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the Data Protection Act or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.
We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.
Who this Affects
If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.
How the Company May Use a Shareholder’s Personal Data
The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:
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where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;
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where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or
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where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.
Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.
Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data
In certain circumstances we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.
We anticipate disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the United States, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.
Certain Anti-takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. Prior to our initial business combination, only the holders of our Class B shares will be entitled to vote on the appointment and removal of our directors.
Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preference shares will be available for future issuances without shareholder 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 Class A ordinary shares and preference shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
Securities Eligible for Future Sale
Immediately after this offering, we will have 31,250,000 ordinary shares (or 35,937,500 ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) issued and outstanding on an as-converted basis. Of these shares, the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering (25,000,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 28,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any Class A ordinary shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act (which includes the 5,000,000 units that will be purchased by our sponsor). All of the outstanding founder shares (6,250,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 7,187,500 founder shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and all of the outstanding private placement warrants (12,750,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised and 14,437,500 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering.
Rule 144
Pursuant to Rule 144, a person who has beneficially owned restricted shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) 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 (ii) 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 twelve months (or such shorter period as we were required to file reports) preceding the sale.
Persons who have beneficially owned restricted shares 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 ordinary shares then-outstanding, which will equal 312,500 shares immediately after this offering (or 359,375 shares if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full); or
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the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares 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 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 twelve months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and
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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 sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares and private placement warrants, as applicable, pursuant to Rule 144 without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination.
Registration and Shareholder Rights
The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and any warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration and shareholder rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. However, the registration and shareholder rights agreement will provide that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period, which occurs (i) in the case of the founder shares, as described in the following paragraph, and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
Except as described herein, our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell their founder shares until the earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Any permitted transferees will 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.
In addition, pursuant to the registration and shareholder rights agreement, our sponsor, upon and following consummation of an initial business combination, will be entitled to nominate three individuals for election to our board of directors, as long as the sponsor holds any securities covered by the registration and shareholder rights agreement.
Listing of Securities
We intend to apply to have our units listed on NYSE under the symbol “ICNC.U” Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on NYSE under the symbols “ICNC” and “ICNC WS,” respectively. The units will automatically separate into their component parts and will not be traded following the completion of our initial business combination.
TAXATION
The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one- third of one redeemable warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not address all possible tax considerations relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.
Prospective investors are urged to consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.
Cayman Islands Tax Considerations
The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in the securities of the Company. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.
Under Existing Cayman Islands Laws
Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands.
No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.
The Company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands in the following form:
The Tax Concessions Act
(as amended)
Undertaking as to Tax Concessions
In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of The Tax Concessions Act (as amended), the Financial Secretary undertakes with Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”):
1.
That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to the Company or its operations; and
2.
In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:
2.1
On or in respect of the shares, debentures or other obligations of the Company; or
2.2
by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Act (as amended).
These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the date hereof.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations
General
The following discussion summarizes the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units (each consisting of one Class A
ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant) that are purchased in this offering by U.S. Holders (as defined below) and Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below). Because the components of a unit are generally separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and warrant components of the unit. As a result, the discussion below with respect to holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants also should apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that constitute the units).
This discussion is limited to certain U.S. federal income tax considerations to beneficial owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of a unit pursuant to this offering and hold the unit and each component of the unit as a capital asset (generally, property held for investment) within the meaning of Section 1221 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). This discussion assumes that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are treated as separate instruments for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that any distributions made (or deemed made) by us on our Class A ordinary shares and any consideration received (or deemed received) by a holder in consideration for the sale or other disposition of our securities will be in U.S. dollars. This discussion is a summary only and does not consider all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be relevant to the acquisition, ownership and disposition of a unit by a prospective investor in light of its particular circumstances, including considerations that may apply to investors subject to special rules, such as:
•
our founders, sponsor, initial shareholders, officers or directors or holders of our Class B ordinary shares or private placement warrants;
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banks, financial institutions or financial services entities;
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broker-dealers;
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taxpayers that are subject to the mark-to-market accounting rules;
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tax-exempt entities;
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S-corporations;
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governments or agencies or instrumentalities thereof;
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insurance companies;
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regulated investment companies;
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real estate investment trusts;
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persons liable for alternative minimum tax;
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controlled foreign corporations;
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PFICs (as defined below);
•
expatriates or former long-term residents of the United States;
•
persons that actually or constructively own five percent or more of our shares, by vote or value;
•
persons that acquired our securities pursuant to an exercise of employee share options, in connection with employee share incentive plans or otherwise as compensation or in connection with services;
•
persons required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to Class A ordinary shares or warrants as a result of such income being recognized or an applicable financial statement;
•
a person holding our securities in connection with a trade or business outside the United States;
•
persons that hold our securities as part of a straddle, constructive sale, hedging, conversion or other integrated or similar transaction; or
•
U.S. Holders (as defined below) whose functional currency is not the U.S. dollar.
Moreover, the discussion below is based upon the provisions of the Code, the Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as of the date hereof,
and those authorities may be repealed, revoked, modified or subject to differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, so as to result in U.S. federal income tax consequences different from those discussed below. Furthermore, this discussion does not address any aspect of U.S. federal non-income tax laws, alternative minimum, gift, estate or Medicare contribution tax laws, or state, local or non-U.S. tax laws and does not address, except as discussed herein, any tax reporting obligations of a holder of Class A ordinary shares or warrants.
We have not sought, and will not seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.
This discussion does not consider the tax treatment of partnerships (or any other pass-through entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) or persons who hold our securities through such entities. If a partnership (or other pass-through entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) is the beneficial owner of our securities, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner, member, or other beneficial owner in the partnership or other pass-through entity generally will depend on the status of the partner, member, or other beneficial owner, and the activities the partnership or other pass-through entity 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 (or other pass-through entity or arrangement classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) holding our securities, we urge you to consult your tax advisor.
This discussion does not address the tax consequences of our initial business combination or owning the target company’s securities after the business combination.
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, IS ONLY A SUMMARY OF MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES. THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF THE PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES MAY BE AFFECTED BY MATTERS NOT DISCUSSED HEREIN AND DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING. EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IN OUR SECURITIES IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE PARTICULAR TAX CONSEQUENCES TO SUCH INVESTOR OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR SECURITIES, INCLUDING THE APPLICABILITY AND EFFECT OF ANY U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. TAX LAWS, AS WELL AS UNDER ANY APPLICABLE TAX TREATY.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit
No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and therefore, that 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 Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant sold in this offering is exercisable to acquire one Class A ordinary share. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in the foregoing manner. By purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income and other applicable tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit should allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one redeemable warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Under U.S. federal income tax law, each investor must make its own determination of such value based on all the relevant facts and circumstances. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant should constitute the shareholder’s initial tax basis in such share or one-half of one redeemable warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated
between the Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition (as determined by each such unit holder based on all the relevant facts and circumstances). Neither the separation of the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one redeemable warrant comprising a unit nor the combination of half of a warrant into one whole warrant should be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
The foregoing treatment of the units, the Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address 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. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “U.S. Holder.” A U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants who or that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
•
an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;
•
a corporation (or other entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is created or organized (or treated as created or organized) in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia;
•
an estate whose income is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or
•
a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury Regulations to be treated as a U.S. person.
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the passive foreign investment company (“PFIC”) rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will be required to include in gross income as dividends the amount of any distribution of cash or other property (other than certain distributions of our shares or rights to acquire our shares) paid on our Class A ordinary shares to the extent the distribution is paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Any cash distribution on such shares generally will be treated as foreign source dividend income for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Such dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. Holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. Distributions in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be applied against and reduce the U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares (but not below zero) and, to the extent in excess of such basis, will be treated as gain from the sale or exchange of such Class A ordinary shares (the treatment of which is described under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below). However, it is possible that financial intermediaries may report the entire amount of any distributions we make as dividends if they cannot determine the amount of our earnings and profits for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
With respect to non-corporate U.S. Holders, under tax laws currently in effect and subject to certain exceptions (including, but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), dividends generally will be taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rate that applies to qualified dividend income (see “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants” below) only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States (which they will be if our shares are traded on the NYSE), the Company is not treated as a PFIC at the time the dividend was paid or in the preceding taxable year and certain other requirements are met (including with respect to the required holding period). It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may
suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability of any lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares.
Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (including on our dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required time period). Any such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for such Class A ordinary shares or warrants exceeds one year. Under current law, long-term capital gains of non-corporate holders are subject to preferential rates. It is unclear, however, whether certain redemption rights described in this prospectus may suspend the running of the applicable holding period for this purpose. If the running of the holding period for the Class A ordinary shares is suspended, then non-corporate U.S. Holders may not be able to satisfy the one-year holding period requirement for long-term capital gain treatment, in which case any gain on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares would be subject to short-term capital gain treatment and would be taxed at regular ordinary income tax rates.
The amount of gain or loss recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition generally will be equal to the difference between (i) the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants (as the case may be) based upon the then relative fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants comprising such units) and (ii) the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares and warrants so disposed of. A U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. Holder’s acquisition cost (that is, discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or one-half of one warrant or, as discussed below, its initial basis for Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of warrants), increased as described below in “—Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares”) in respect of certain redemptions of Class A ordinary shares that are treated as corporate distributions and by prior deemed distributions under Section 305 of the Code that are treated as dividends as described below in “—Possible Constructive Distributions,” and reduced, in the case of a Class A ordinary share, by any prior distributions (including deemed distributions) treated as a return of capital. Any such gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. See “—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant” below for a discussion regarding a U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary share acquired pursuant to the exercise of a warrant. Long-term capital gain realized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder is currently eligible to be taxed at reduced rates of taxation. The deduction of capital losses is subject to certain limitations.
Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in the event that a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares are redeemed pursuant to the redemption provisions described in this prospectus under “Description of Securities—Ordinary Shares” or if we purchase a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction, the treatment of such transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether such redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale or exchange of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption or purchase by us qualifies as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants”. If the redemption or purchase by us does not qualify as a sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “—Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption or purchase by us qualifies for sale or exchange treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. Holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. Holder as described in the following paragraph, including as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after such redemption or purchase by us. A redemption or purchase by us of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if such redemption or purchase by us (i) is
“substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in us or (iii) 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 our Class A ordinary shares actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by such holder. In addition to shares owned directly, a U.S. Holder may be treated as constructively owning shares 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 shares the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired by such U.S. Holder pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately following the redemption or purchase by us of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our issued and outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the redemption or purchase by us. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the Class A ordinary shares may not be treated as voting shares 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 (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares 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 shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. Holder does not constructively own any of our other shares and otherwise complies with specific conditions. Whether the redemption or purchase by us of the Class A ordinary shares is essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. Holder generally will depend on the particular facts and circumstances applicable to the U.S. Holder, but generally the redemption will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend with respect to a U.S. Holder if such redemption results in a “meaningful reduction” of such 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. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” U.S. Holders are urged to consult with their tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption or purchase by us of any Class A ordinary shares.
If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption or purchase by us will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “—Taxation of Distributions” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. Holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it. A U.S. Holder should consult its own tax advisors as to the allocation of any remaining basis.
Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant
Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below and except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, a U.S. Holder generally will not recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of a Class A ordinary share on the exercise of a warrant for cash. A U.S. Holder’s initial tax basis in a Class A ordinary share received upon exercise of the warrant generally will equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the exercised warrant (that is, the portion of the U.S. Holder’s purchase price for the units that is allocated to the exercised warrant, as described above under “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary share received will commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant; in either case, the holding period of such Class A ordinary share will not include the period during which the U.S. Holder held the warrant. 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 tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may not be taxable, 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 ordinary shares received generally should equal the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised therefor. If the cashless exercise was not treated as a realization event, it is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares received would be treated as commencing on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares received would include the holding period of the warrants.
It is also possible that a cashless exercise may be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In such event, a portion of the warrants to be exercised on a cashless basis could, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be deemed to have been surrendered in consideration for the exercise price of the remaining warrants, which would be deemed to be exercised. For this purpose, a U.S. Holder may be deemed to have surrendered a number of warrants having an aggregate value equal to the exercise price paid for the total number of warrants to be exercised. In this case, subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, the U.S. Holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the warrants deemed surrendered and the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in such warrants. A U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the U.S. Holder’s initial investment in the warrants deemed 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 “—Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit”) and the exercise price of such warrants. It is unclear whether a U.S. Holder’s holding period for each Class A ordinary share would commence on the date of exercise of the warrant or the day following the date of exercise of the warrant.
We expect a U.S. Holder’s cashless exercise of our warrants (including after we provide notice of our intent to redeem warrants for cash) to be treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, 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, U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.
Subject to the PFIC rules described below, if we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” or the section of this prospectus entitled “—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase by us generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. Holder, taxed as described above under “—Gain or Loss on Sale, Taxable Exchange or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants.” The U.S. federal income tax consequences of an exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.01 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00” or after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant for $0.10 as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” are unclear under current law. In the case of a cashless exercise, the exercise may be treated either as if we redeemed such warrant for Class A ordinary shares or as an exercise of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant for Class A ordinary shares is treated as a redemption, then, such redemption generally should be treated as a tax-deferred recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in which case a U.S. Holder should not recognize any gain or loss on such redemption, and accordingly, a U.S. Holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received should equal the U.S. Holder’s basis in the warrants redeemed and the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares received should include the U.S. Holder’s holding period of the warrant. If the cashless exercise of a warrant is treated as the exercise of a warrant, the U.S. federal income tax consequences generally should be similar to as described above in the second and third paragraphs under the heading “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” In the case of an exercise of a warrant for cash, the U.S. federal income tax treatment generally should be as described above in the first paragraph under the heading “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant.” Due to the lack of clarity under current law regarding the treatment of an exercise of a warrant after our giving notice of an intention to
redeem the warrant, there can be no assurance as to which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly, U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of the exercise of a warrant occurring after our giving notice of an intention to redeem the warrant as described above.
Possible Constructive Distributions
The terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of Class A ordinary shares 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 Shareholders’ Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. Holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of Class A ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or, depending on the circumstances, through a decrease to the exercise price, including, for example, the decrease to the exercise price of the warrants where additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, as described under “Description of Securities—Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) as a result of a distribution of cash or other property to the holders of our Class A ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. Holders of such Class A ordinary shares as described under “—Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. Holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value of such increased interest and would increase the US Holders’ adjusted tax basis in its warrants to the extent that such distributions. For certain information reporting purposes, we are required to determine the date and amount of any such constructive distributions. Proposed Treasury regulations, which we may rely on prior to the issuance of final regulations, specify how the date and amount of constructive distributions are determined.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income. Cash is generally a passive asset for these purposes.
Because we are a blank check company, with no current active operating business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income (the “start-up year”), if (1) no predecessor of the corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years.
The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year (and perhaps until after the end of our first two taxable years following our start-up year, as described under the start-up exception). After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC (or we do not complete a business acquisition by the end of the first taxable year after the taxable year of our formation), then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year (and, in the case of the start-up exception to our current taxable
year, perhaps not until after the end of our two taxable years following our start-up year). Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any future taxable year and prospective U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules, the potential unavailability of the start-up exception, and the making of a QEF election (as discussed further below).
Although our PFIC status is determined annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC for any taxable year will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. Holder who held (or is deemed to have held) Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder did not make either a timely and valid mark-to-market election or a qualified electing fund (“QEF”) election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares or a QEF election along with a purging election, each as described below, such U.S. Holder generally will be subject to special and adverse rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. Holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants (which may include gain realized by reason of transfers of Class A ordinary shares or warrants that would otherwise qualify as nonrecognition transfers for U.S. federal income tax purposes) and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. Holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. Holder during a taxable year of the U.S. Holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. Holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. Holder or, if shorter, such U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares).
Under these rules:
•
the U.S. Holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants;
•
the amount allocated to the U.S. Holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. Holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. Holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;
•
the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. Holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. Holder (without regard to other items of income and loss for such year); and
•
an additional tax equal to the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the U.S. Holder with respect to the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. Holder.
If we are a PFIC during any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder owns our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, we will generally continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless (a) we cease to be a PFIC, and (b) such U.S. Holder makes a purging election, in which case such U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold the shares or warrants at their fair market value and any gain recognized on the deemed sale will be taxed under the general PFIC rules described above.
In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. Holder may be able to avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect of our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making and maintaining a timely and valid QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. Holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. Holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge.
It is not entirely clear how various aspects of the PFIC rules apply to the warrants. However, a U.S. Holder may not make a QEF election with respect to its warrants to acquire our Class A ordinary shares. As a result, if a U.S. Holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such
warrants) and we were a PFIC at any time during the U.S. Holder’s holding period of such warrants, any gain recognized generally will be treated as an excess distribution, taxed as described above. If a U.S. Holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding any such QEF election, the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. Holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. Holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. Under one type of purging election, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold such shares at their fair market value and any gain recognized on such deemed sale will be treated as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of such purging election, the U.S. Holder will generally have a new basis and holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances (including a potential separate “deemed dividend” purging election that may be available if we are a controlled foreign corporation).
The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A U.S. Holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC Annual Information Statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.
In order to comply with the requirements of a QEF election, a U.S. Holder must receive a PFIC Annual Information Statement from us. If we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the IRS may require, including a PFIC Annual Information Statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a QEF election, but there is no assurance that we will timely provide such required information. There is also no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of our status as a PFIC in the future or that we will timely have the required information that a U.S. Holder would need to be provided in order to make a valid election.
If a U.S. Holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the excess distribution rules discussed above do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. Holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares or a purge of the PFIC taint pursuant to a purging election, as described above), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no additional tax or interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, if we are a PFIC for any taxable year, a U.S. Holder of our Class A ordinary shares that has made a QEF election will be currently taxed on its pro rata share of our earnings and profits, whether or not distributed for such year. A subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable when distributed to such U.S. Holder. The tax basis of a U.S. Holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules. Similar basis adjustments apply to property if, by reason of holding such property, the U.S. Holder is treated under the applicable attribution rules as owning shares in a QEF. In addition, if we are not a PFIC for any taxable year, such U.S. Holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to our Class A ordinary shares for such taxable year.
Alternatively, if we are a PFIC and our Class A ordinary shares constitute “marketable stock” the U.S. Holder may avoid the adverse PFIC tax consequences discussed above if such U.S. Holder, at the close of the first taxable year in which it holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, makes a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. Such U.S. Holder will include for each of its taxable years as ordinary income the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of such year over its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary
income would not be eligible for the favorable tax rates currently applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. Holder also will recognize an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of its adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. Holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of its Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to warrants.
The mark-to-market election is available only for “marketable stock,” which is generally, stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including NYSE (on which we intend to list the Class A ordinary shares), or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as “marketable stock” for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.
If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. Holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. Holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. The mark-to-market election discussed above will not apply to any lower-tier PFIC. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to tax under the rules described above with respect to excess distributions with respect to any lower-tier PFIC, notwithstanding a mark-to-market election for the Class A ordinary shares. Upon written request, we will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. Holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. There can be no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide such required information. U.S. Holders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.
A U.S. Holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. Holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621 (whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department. Failure to do so, if required, may give rise to substantial penalties and will extend the statute of limitations on the assessment and collection of all U.S. federal income taxes of such person for the related tax year, which may not close before the date which is three years after the date on which such form is filed.
The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. Holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants are urged to consult their tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our securities under their particular circumstances.
Tax Reporting
Certain U.S. Holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Furthermore, certain U.S. Holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. Holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. Specified foreign financial assets generally include any financial account maintained with a non-U.S. financial institution and should also include the Class A ordinary shares and warrants if they are not held
in an account maintained with a U.S. financial institution. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties and the period of limitations on assessment and collection of U.S. federal income taxes will generally be extended in the event of a failure to comply. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.
Non-U.S. Holders
This section applies to you if you are a “Non-U.S. Holder.” As used herein, the term “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants (other than a partnership or other entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) who or that is for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
•
a non-resident alien individual (other than certain former citizens and residents of the United States subject to U.S. tax as expatriates);
•
a foreign corporation; or
•
an estate or trust that is not a U.S. Holder;
but generally does not include an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition. If you are such an individual, you are urged to consult your tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the sale or other disposition of our securities.
Dividends (including constructive dividends) paid or deemed paid to a Non-U.S. Holder in respect of our Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States). In addition, a Non-U.S. Holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).
Dividends (including constructive dividends) and gains that are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. Holder and, in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of the redemption of a Non-U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares will generally correspond to the U.S. federal income tax characterization of such a redemption of a U.S. Holder’s Class A ordinary shares, as described under “U.S. Holders—Redemption of Class A Ordinary Shares” above, and the consequences of the redemption or purchase by us to the Non-U.S. Holder will be as described in the paragraphs above under the heading “Non-U.S. Holders” based on such characterization.
The characterization for U.S. federal income tax purposes of a Non-U.S. Holder’s exercise of a warrant, or the lapse or redemption of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. Holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. characterization described under “—U.S. Holders—Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of a Warrant,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise or redemption results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a Non-U.S. Holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our securities.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible
United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. Holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A Non-U.S. Holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information.
THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX DISCUSSION SET FORTH ABOVE IS INCLUDED FOR GENERAL INFORMATION ONLY AND MAY NOT BE APPLICABLE DEPENDING UPON A HOLDER’S PARTICULAR SITUATION. HOLDERS ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO THEM OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES AND WARRANTS, INCLUDING THE TAX CONSEQUENCES UNDER U.S. FEDERAL STATE, AND LOCAL, ESTATE, NON-U.S. AND OTHER TAX LAWS AND TAX TREATIES AND THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN U.S. OR OTHER TAX LAWS.
UNDERWRITING
Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in an underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below the following respective numbers of units:
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Underwriters
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Number of Units
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Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC
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|
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|
|
|
|
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Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC
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|
|
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|
|
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Total
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25,000,000
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The underwriting agreement will provide that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all the units in this offering if any are purchased, other than those units covered by the over-allotment option described below.
We have granted to the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase on a pro rata basis up to 3,750,000 additional units at the initial public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions. The option may be exercised only to cover any over-allotments of units.
The underwriters propose to offer the units initially at the public offering price on the cover page of this prospectus and to selling group members at that price less a selling concession of $ per unit.
The following table summarizes the compensation and estimated expenses we will pay:
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Per Unit(1)
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Total(1)
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|
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|
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Without Over-
allotment
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|
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With Over-
allotment
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|
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Without Over-
allotment
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|
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With Over-
allotment
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|
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Underwriting Discounts and Commissions paid by us(1)
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$
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0.55
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|
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|
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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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$
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13,062,500
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(1)
Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,312,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein and released to the underwriters only upon the consummation of an initial business combination. 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 Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus. The underwriters will not receive any underwriting commissions on the 5,000,000 units purchased in this offering by our sponsor.
We estimate that our out-of-pocket expenses for this offering will be approximately $750,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to exceed $25,000.
The underwriters have informed us that the underwriters do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.
We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that we will not offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, without the prior written consent of representatives of the underwriters for a period of 180 days after the date of this prospectus, any units, warrants, ordinary shares or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, ordinary shares; provided, however, that we may (1) issue and sell the private placement warrants; (2) issue and sell the additional units to cover our underwriters’ over-allotment option (if any); (3) register with the SEC pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, the resale of the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and the founder shares; and (4) issue securities in connection with our initial business combination. However, the foregoing shall 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 the letter agreement, filed herewith, or executes an agreement substantially identical to the letter agreement, as applicable to directors and officers, at the time of such transfer; and as long as, to the extent any Section 16 reporting obligation is triggered as a result of such
transfer, any related Section 16 filing includes a practical explanation as to the nature of the transfer). The representatives of the underwriters in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice.
Our sponsor and our directors and officers have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earliest 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 our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and other similar transactions) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, or (y) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange, reorganization or other similar transaction that results in all of our public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property (except pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”). Any permitted transferees would be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our sponsor and our directors and officers with respect to any founder shares.
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares 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 pursuant to limited exceptions as described under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants”).
We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribute to payments that the underwriters may be required to make in that respect.
We intend to apply to have our units listed on NYSE under the symbol “ICNC.U” and, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading, to have our Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on NYSE under the symbols “ICNC” and “ICNC WS,” respectively.
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 underwriters.
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 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 ordinary shares or 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 ordinary shares or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of this offering 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.
In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, over-allotment transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.
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Over-allotment involves sales by the underwriters of units in excess of the number of units the underwriters are obligated to purchase, which creates a syndicate short position. The short position may be either a covered short position or a naked short position. In a covered short position, the number of units over-allotted by the underwriters is not greater than the number of units that they may purchase in the over-allotment option. In a naked short position, the number of units involved is
greater than the number of units in the over-allotment option. The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their over-allotment option and/or purchasing units in the open market.
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Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of the units in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. In determining the source of units to close out the 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. If the underwriters sell more units than could be covered by the over-allotment option, a naked short position, the position can only be closed out by buying units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there could be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering.
•
Penalty bids permit the representatives of the underwriters to reclaim a selling concession from a syndicate member when the units originally sold by the syndicate member are purchased in a stabilizing or syndicate covering transaction to cover syndicate short positions.
These stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions and penalty bids may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. As a result, the price of our units may be higher than the price that might otherwise exist in the open market. These transactions may be effected on NYSE or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.
We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriters or one of their respective affiliates may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay the underwriters 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 the underwriters and no fees for such services will be paid to the underwriters prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter 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 and may include non-cash compensation.
The underwriters and their affiliates have engaged in, or may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with our affiliates. They have received, or may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for these transactions.
If we do not complete our initial business combination within the allotted time frame, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that: (1) they will forfeit any rights or claims to their deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account; and (2) the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, together with any accrued interest thereon (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) to the public shareholders.
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.
A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by the underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in this offering and the underwriters participating in this offering may distribute prospectuses electronically. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of units to selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be
allocated by the underwriters and selling group members that will make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
The units are offered for sale in the United States, Europe, Asia and other jurisdictions where it is lawful to make such offers.
The underwriters have represented and agreed that they have not offered, sold or delivered and will not offer, sell or deliver any of the units directly or indirectly, or distribute this prospectus or any other offering material relating to the units, in or from any jurisdiction except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws and regulations thereof and that will not impose any obligations on us except as set forth in the underwriting agreement.
Financial Advisor
At the closing of the initial business combination, a customary financial advisory fee will be paid to Tifosy Capital & Advisory, an affiliate of a member of our sponsor group, in an amount that constitutes a market standard financial advisory fee. Tifosy is engaged to represent our interests only, is independent of the underwriters and is not a party to any securities purchase agreement with us, the underwriters or investors in relation to this offering.
Tifosy is not acting as an underwriter and will not sell or offer to sell any securities in this offering, nor will it identify or solicit potential investors in this offering. Tifosy is not a U.S.-registered broker-dealer and therefore is providing its financial advisory services in accordance with the applicable U.S. securities laws and regulations, including Exchange Act Rule 15a-6.
Notice to Residents of European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each, a “Relevant Member State”), an offer to the public of any units may not be made in that Relevant Member State, except that an offer to the public in that Relevant Member State of any units may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
(a)
it is a “qualified investor” as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;
(b)
to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than “qualified investors” as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(c)
in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of units shall result in a requirement for the Company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or a supplemental prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any units or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and the company that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.
The company, the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties and agreements. Notwithstanding the above, a person who is not a “qualified investor” and who has notified the underwriters of such fact in writing may, with the prior consent of the underwriters, be permitted to acquire units in this offering.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units 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 any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Notice to Residents of United Kingdom
An offer to the public of any units may not be made in the United Kingdom, except that an offer to the public in the United Kingdom of any units may be made at any time under the following exemptions under the UK Prospectus Regulation:
(a)
it is a “qualified investor” as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation;
(b)
to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than “qualified investors” as defined under the UK Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or
(c)
in any other circumstances falling within section 86 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended, “FSMA”),
provided that no such offer of units shall result in a requirement for the company or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to section 85 of the FSMA or a supplemental prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the UK Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any units or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and the company that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2 of the UK Prospectus Regulation.
The company, the underwriters and their affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the foregoing representations, warranties and agreements. Notwithstanding the above, a person who is not a “qualified investor” and who has notified the underwriters of such fact in writing may, with the prior consent of the underwriters, be permitted to acquire units in this offering.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in relation to any units in the United Kingdom means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and any units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any units, and the expression “UK Prospectus Regulation” means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018.
In the United Kingdom, this prospectus and any other material in relation to the units described herein are being distributed only to, and are directed only at, persons who are “qualified investors” (as defined in the UK Prospectus Regulation) who are (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the “Order”); (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (iii) persons to whom it would otherwise be lawful to distribute them, all such persons together being referred to as “Relevant Persons”. In the United Kingdom, the units are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, 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 any recipients to any other person in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this prospectus or its contents.
Notice to Residents of Japan
The underwriters will not offer or sell any of our units directly or indirectly in Japan or to, or for the benefit of any Japanese person or to others, for re-offering or re-sale directly or indirectly in Japan or to any Japanese person, except in each case pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Securities and Exchange Law of Japan and any other applicable laws and regulations of Japan. For purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese person” means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.
Notice to Residents of Hong Kong
The underwriters and each of their affiliates have not (1) offered or sold, and will not offer or sell, in Hong Kong, by means of any document, our units other than (A) to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap.571) of Hong Kong and any rules made under that Ordinance or
(B) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” as defined in the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32 of Hong Kong) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of that Ordinance or (2) issued or had in its possession for the purposes of issue, and will not issue or have in its possession for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere any advertisement, invitation or document relating to our units 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 securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to our securities which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance and any rules made under that Ordinance. The contents of this document have not been reviewed by any regulatory authority in Hong Kong. You are advised to exercise caution in relation to the offer. If you are in any doubt about any of the contents of this document, you should obtain independent professional advice.
Notice to Residents of Singapore
This prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units has not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and the units will be offered in Singapore pursuant to exemptions under Section 274 and Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “Securities and Futures Act”). Accordingly our units may not be offered or sold, or be the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, nor may this prospectus or any other offering material relating to our units be circulated or distributed, whether directly or indirectly, to the public or any member of the public in Singapore other than (a) to an institutional investor or other person specified in Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, (b) to a sophisticated investor, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the Securities and Futures Act or (c) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the Securities and Futures Act.
Notice to Residents of Dubai and Abu Dhabi
The units have not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) other than in compliance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates (and the Dubai International Financial Centre) governing the issue, offering and sale of securities. Further, this prospectus does not constitute a public offer of securities in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) and is not intended to be a public offer. This prospectus has not been approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Securities and Commodities Authority or the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Cayman Islands
No offer or invitation, whether directly or indirectly, may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for our securities.
Notice to Canadian Residents
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.
LEGAL MATTERS
Kirkland & Ellis LLP, New York, New York will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to units and warrants. Walkers will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus with respect to the ordinary shares and matters of Cayman Islands law. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP advised the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.
EXPERTS
The financial statements of Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. as of April 20, 2021, and for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through April 20, 2021, appearing in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. to continue as a going concern, as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
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
Audited Financial Statements for Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.:
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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 Shareholder and Board of Directors of
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of April 20, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through April 20, 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 April 20, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through April 20, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Explanatory Paragraph—Going Concern
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of April 20, 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 with 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.
Melville, NY
May 10, 2021, except for the second paragraph of Note 9 as to which the date is October 6, 2021
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEETS
|
|
|
|
June 30,
2021
(Unaudited)
|
|
|
April 20,
2021
|
|
|
Assets
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred offering costs associated with the proposed public offering
|
|
|
|
$
|
531,261
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
49,716
|
|
|
|
Total Assets
|
|
|
|
$
|
531,261
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
49,716
|
|
|
|
Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
7,911
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
11,881
|
|
|
|
Accrued offering costs
|
|
|
|
|
410,311
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,716
|
|
|
|
Promissory Note–related party
|
|
|
|
|
99,920
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Total Liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
518,142
|
|
|
|
|
|
36,597
|
|
|
|
Commitments and Contingencies
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Shareholder’s Equity:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preference shares, 0.0001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and
outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Class A ordinary share, 0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Class B ordinary shares, 0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized; 7,187,500 shares issued and outstanding(1)
|
|
|
|
|
719
|
|
|
|
|
|
719
|
|
|
|
Additional paid-in capital
|
|
|
|
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
Accumulated deficit
|
|
|
|
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
Total Shareholder’s Equity
|
|
|
|
|
13,119
|
|
|
|
|
|
13,119
|
|
|
|
Total Liabilities and Shareholder’s Equity
|
|
|
|
$
|
531,261
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
49,716
|
|
|
(1)
On September 29, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to the Company for cancellation for no consideration, resulting in 7,817,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding. All share amounts and related information have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 9). Includes up to 937,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 6).
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
INCOME STATEMENTS
|
|
|
|
For the Period
April 15, 2021
(inception)
Through
June 30,
2021
(unaudited)
|
|
|
For the Period
April 15, 2021
(inception)
Through April 20,
2021
|
|
|
Formation, general and administrative expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
11,881
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
11,881
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
Basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding(1)
|
|
|
|
|
6,250,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
6,250,000
|
|
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary share
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.00)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(0.00)
|
|
|
(1)
On September 29, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to the Company for cancellation for no consideration, resulting in 7,817,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding. All share amounts and related information have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 9). Excludes up to 937,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 6).
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
|
|
|
Ordinary shares
|
|
|
Additional
Paid-In
|
|
|
Accumulated
|
|
|
Total
shareholder’s
|
|
|
|
|
|
No. of shares
|
|
|
Amount
|
|
|
Capital
|
|
|
deficit
|
|
|
equity
|
|
|
Balance–April 15, 2021 (inception)
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1)
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
|
|
|
719
|
|
|
|
|
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
Balance–April 20, 2021 (audited)
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
719
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
13,119
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Balance–June 30, 2021 (unaudited)
|
|
|
|
|
7,187,500
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
719
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
24,281
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
13,119
|
|
|
(1)
On September 29, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to the Company for cancellation for no consideration, resulting in 7,187,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding. All share amounts and related information have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 9). Excludes up to 937,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriter (see Note 6).
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
|
|
|
For the Period from
April 15, 2021
(Inception) through
|
|
|
|
|
|
June 30,
2021
|
|
|
April 20,
2021
|
|
|
Cash flow from operating activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
(11,881)
|
|
|
|
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued expenses
|
|
|
|
|
7,911
|
|
|
|
|
|
11,881
|
|
|
|
Adjustments for non-cash transactions
|
|
|
|
|
Formation costs paid by Sponsor
|
|
|
|
|
3,970
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Net cash used in operating activities
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Net Change in Cash
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Cash–Beginning of the period
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
|
—
|
|
|
|
Cash–End of the period
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for income taxes
|
|
|
|
|
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs
|
|
|
|
$
|
410,311
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
24,716
|
|
|
|
Deferred offering costs paid by Sponsor in exchange for issuance of Class B ordinary shares
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
Issuance of Promissory Note by the Sponsor to pay offering and formation costs
|
|
|
|
$
|
99,920
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
|
Offering costs paid by the Sponsor
|
|
|
|
$
|
(95,950)
|
|
|
|
|
$
|
—
|
|
|
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION, BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND GOING CONCERN
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company on April 15, 2021. The Company was incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization, recapitalization or similar business combination with one or more businesses that the Company has not yet identified (“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 yet commenced operations. All activity for the period from April 15, 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 a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the 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 initial public offering of 25,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 28,750,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (“Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) which is discussed in Note 3 (the “Proposed Public Offering”) and the sale of 12,750,000 warrants (or 14,437,500 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per warrant (“Private Placement Warrants”) in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to Iconic Sports Management 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 the 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 a Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target business or assets 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 $10.25 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale 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 its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) 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 shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company. The public shareholder 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 $10.25 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at 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 only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder 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 shareholder 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 shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.
Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the 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% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.
The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment
The Company will have until 15 months (or 18 months, as applicable) from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (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 shareholders’ rights as shareholders (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 shareholders and the Company’s board of
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.
The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. 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 underwriters have agreed to waive their right to the deferred underwriting commission (see Note 8) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).
In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.25 per Public Share or (2) such lesser amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest which may be withdrawn to pay franchise and income taxes. This liability will not apply with respect to 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 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 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.
Going Concern Consideration
As of June 30, 2021, the Company had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $518,142. 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 and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, 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.
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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 (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.
Emerging Growth Company
The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act 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 shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company, which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company that has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.
Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
Income Taxes
The Company accounts for income taxes in accordance with the provisions of ASC Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (“ASC 740”). Under the asset and liability method, as required by this accounting standard, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted income tax rates expected to apply to the period when assets are realized or liability is settled. Any effect on deferred tax assets and
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in the operation of statement in the period that includes the enactment date. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Current income taxes are provided for in accordance with the laws of the relevant taxing authorities.
ASC 740 prescribes a comprehensive model for how companies should recognize, measure, present, and disclose in their financial statements uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return. Under ASC 740, tax positions must initially be recognized in the financial statements when it is more likely than not the position will be sustained upon examination by the tax authorities. Such tax positions must initially and subsequently be measured as the largest amount of tax benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the tax authority assuming full knowledge of the position and relevant facts. The Company’s management determined that the Cayman Islands is the Company’s only major tax jurisdiction. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of June 30, 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.
There is currently no taxation imposed on income by the Government of the Cayman Islands. In accordance with Cayman income tax regulations, income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statements. The Company’s management does not expect that the total amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the next twelve months.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash and cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021.
Deferred Offering Costs
Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering. Offering costs will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Proposed Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities will be expensed as incurred in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares will be charged to shareholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.
Net Loss Per Ordinary Share
Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 937,500 Class B ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters (see Note 6). At June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares 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 Federally insured limits. Exposure to
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
cash and cash equivalents credit risk is reduced by placing such deposits with major financial institutions and monitoring their credit ratings. At June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, 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 the FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheet, primarily due to their short-term nature.
The Company applies ASC 820 which establishes a framework for measuring fair value and clarifies the definition of fair value within that framework. ASC 820 defines fair value as an exit price, which is the price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability in the Company’s principal or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy established in ASC 820 generally requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when measuring fair value. Observable inputs reflect the entity’s own assumptions based on market data and the entity’s judgments about the assumptions that the market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability and are to be developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.
•
Level 1—Assets and liabilities with unadjusted, quoted prices listed on active market exchanges. Inputs to the fair value measurement are observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
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Level 2—Inputs to the fair value measurement are determined using prices for recently traded assets and liabilities with similar underlying terms, as well as direct or indirect observable inputs, such as interest rates and yield curves that are observable at commonly quoted intervals.
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Level 3—Inputs to the fair value measurements are unobservable inputs, such as estimates, assumptions, and valuation techniques when little or no market data exists for the asset or liabilities.
The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. For derivative financial instruments that are accounted for as liabilities, the derivative instrument is initially recorded at its fair value on the grant date and is then re-valued at each reporting date, with changed in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. The classification of derivative instruments, including whether such instruments should be recorded as liabilities or as equity, is evaluated at the end of each reporting period. Derivative liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In August 2020, the FASB issued ASU No. 2020-06, “Debt—Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging—Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40): Accounting for Convertible Instruments and Contracts in an Entity’s Own Equity” (“ASU 2020-06”), which simplifies accounting for convertible instruments by removing major separation models required under current GAAP. ASU 2020-06 removes certain settlement conditions that are required for equity contracts to qualify for the derivative scope exception and it also simplifies the diluted earnings per share calculation in certain areas. ASU 2020-06 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2023, including interim periods within those fiscal years, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
The Company has considered all new accounting pronouncements and has concluded that there are no new pronouncements that may have a material impact on the results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows, based on the current information.
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NOTE 3. PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING
Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 25,000,000 Units (or 28,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each whole Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6).
NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
The Company anticipates entering into an agreement with the Sponsor pursuant to which the Sponsor will purchase an aggregate of 12,750,000 Private Placement Warrants (or 14,437,500 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant (approximately $12,750,000 in the aggregate or $14,437,500 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Placement Warrant is anticipated to be exercisable to purchase one whole share of Class A ordinary shares at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 6). A portion of the proceeds from the Private Placement Warrants will be added to the proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering to be 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 PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
On April 20, 2021, the Sponsor paid an aggregate of $25,000 to cover for certain expenses on behalf of the Company in exchange for issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”). The Sponsor subsequently forfeited 4,312,500 shares for no additional consideration resulting in a decrease in the total number of founder shares outstanding to 7,187,500. The holders of the Founder Shares have agreed to forfeit up to an aggregate of 937,500 Founder Shares, on a pro rata basis, to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the underwriters so that the Founder Shares will represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering. If the Company increases or decreases the size of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to the Class B ordinary shares prior to the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering in such amount as to maintain the number of Founder Shares at 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.
The Initial Shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of (A) one year after the completion of the initial Business Combination and (B) subsequent to the initial Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Public Shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.
Promissory Note—Related Party
In April 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 $300,000.
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021 or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering. As of June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, there was $99,920 and $0 outstanding under the Promissory Note, respectively.
Administrative Support Agreement
Commencing on the date that the Company’s securities are first listed on the NYSE, the Company will agree to pay the Sponsor a total of $50,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services provided to the Company. Upon completion of the initial Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.
Working Capital Loans
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, certain of the Company’s officers and directors or any of their affiliates 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. 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, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.
Sponsor Commitment
Our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 5,000,000 units in this offering, at a price of $10.00 per unit. The underwriter will not receive any underwriter commissions on any units purchased in this offering by our sponsor.
NOTE 6. SHAREHOLDER’S EQUITY
Preference Shares—The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preference shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.
Class A Ordinary Shares—The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued or outstanding.
Class B Ordinary Shares—The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. On June 30, 2021 and April 20, 2021, there were 7,187,500 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 1,500,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that such shares will collectively represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding ordinary shares after the Proposed Public Offering.
On September 29, 2021, the Sponsor subsequently forfeited 4,312,500 founder shares for no additional consideration resulting in a decrease in the total number of founder shares outstanding to 7,187,500, of which 937,500 are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that such shares will collectively represent 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
ordinary shares after the Proposed Offering. All share amounts and related information have been retroactively restated in the financial statements to reflect the share surrender.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders and holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the shareholders except as required by law; provided that only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to or in connection with the completion of the initial Business Combination.
The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares, which such Class A ordinary shares delivered upon conversion will not have any redemption rights or be entitled to liquidating distributions if the Company does not consummate an initial Business Combination, at the time of the initial Business Combination or earlier at the option of the holders thereof at a ratio such that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Founder Shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of (i) the total number of ordinary shares issued and outstanding upon completion of the Proposed Public Offering, plus (ii) the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities (as defined herein) or rights issued or deemed issued, by the company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, deemed issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial Business Combination and any Private Placement Warrants issued to the Sponsor, its affiliates or any member of the management team upon conversion of Working Capital Loans. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one-to-one.
NOTE 7. WARRANT LIABILITIES
The Company will account for the 25,250,000 warrants to be issued in connection with the Proposed Public Offering (the 12,500,000 Public Warrants and the 12,750,000 Private Placement Warrants assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability. Accordingly, the Company will classify each warrant as a liability at its fair value. This liability is subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations.
Warrants—Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless a unit holder purchases at least three units, they will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.
The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares 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 with respect to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying its obligations with respect to registration, or a valid exemption from registration is available. No Public Warrant will be exercisable, and the Company will not be obligated to issue any Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a Public Warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such Public 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 Public Warrants.
The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, it will use its commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants, and the Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days after the closing of a Business Combination, and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the Public Warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement; provided that if the Class A ordinary shares is at the time of any exercise of a Public Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, but it will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary share issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective by the 60th day after the closing of a Business Combination, Public Warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption, but the Company will use its commercially reasonably efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00: Once the Public Warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder;
•
if, and only if, the last reported sale price (the “closing price”) of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders; and
•
if the closing price of the Class A ordinary share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrant holders is less than $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), the Private Placement Warrants must also be concurrently called for redemption on the same terms as the outstanding Public Warrants, as described above.
If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, it may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00: Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at $0.10 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that holders will be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis prior to redemption and receive that number of Class A ordinary shares to be determined by reference to an agreed table based on the redemption date and the “fair market value” of Class A ordinary shares; and
•
if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted per stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, reclassifications, recapitalizations
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
and the like) for any 20 trading days within the 30-trading day period ending three trading days before the Company send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of a Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of a Business Combination on the date of the consummation of a Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates a Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price and the “Redemption of Warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $10.00 per share redemption trigger price described above under “Redemption of Warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $10.00” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to the higher of the Market Value 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 ordinary shares 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 exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees (except for a number of Class A ordinary shares as described above under Redemption of warrants for Class A ordinary shares). If the Private Placement Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company in all redemption scenarios and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.
NOTE 8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration and Shareholder 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 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be 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 and shareholder 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 to Class A ordinary shares). The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. However, the registration and shareholder rights agreement provides that the Company will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
Underwriting Agreement
The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit (calculated based on 20,000,000 units which excludes the 5,000,000 units that the Sponsor has committed to purchase in this offering), or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,750,000 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 (calculated based on 20,000,000 units which excludes the 5,000,000 units that the Sponsor has committed to purchase in this offering), or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,312,500 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 9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date, up to May 10, 2021, the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, other than as noted below, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
On September 29, 2021, the Sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to the Company for cancellation for no consideration resulting in the Sponsor holding 7,187,500 founder shares in the aggregate. Of the 7,187,500 shares of Class B ordinary shares outstanding, an aggregate of 937,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. All share amounts and related information have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.
25,000,000 Units
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2021
|
|
Credit Suisse
|
|
|
Morgan Stanley
|
|
Until (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our ordinary shares, 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 its 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:
|
|
SEC expenses
|
|
|
|
$
|
41,977
|
|
|
|
|
FINRA expenses
|
|
|
|
|
95,950
|
|
|
|
|
Accounting fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
50,000
|
|
|
|
|
Printing and engraving expenses
|
|
|
|
|
40,000
|
|
|
|
|
Travel and road show expenses
|
|
|
|
|
20,000
|
|
|
|
|
Legal fees and expenses
|
|
|
|
|
350,000
|
|
|
|
|
NYSE listing and filing fees
|
|
|
|
|
85,000
|
|
|
|
|
Miscellaneous
|
|
|
|
|
67,073
|
|
|
|
|
Total
|
|
|
|
$
|
750,000
|
|
|
(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.
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers and directors, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, willful neglect, actual fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase 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.
Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever (except to the extent they are entitled to funds from the trust account due to their ownership of public shares). Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
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.
Item 15.
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
On April 20, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.002 per share, to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001. On September 29, 2021, our sponsor surrendered 4,312,500 founder shares to us for no consideration resulting in an aggregate of 7,187,500 outstanding (up to 937,500 founder shares are subject to forfeiture by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised). As a result of such surrender, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.004 per share. 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. The total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding after this offering and the expiration of the underwriters’ over-allotment option will equal 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding at such time. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, or earlier at the option of the holder thereof, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in this prospectus. Prior to the completion of this offering, our sponsor will transfer 30,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares outstanding at such time (assuming the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full).
Our sponsor is an accredited investor for purposes of Rule 501 of Regulation D. Each of the equity holders in our sponsor is an accredited investor under Rule 501 of Regulation D. The sole business of our sponsor is to act as the company’s sponsor in connection with this offering.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 12,750,000 private placement warrants (or 14,437,500 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one ordinary share at $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($12,750,000 in the aggregate or $14,437,500 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. This issuance 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) The Exhibit Index is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 17.
Undertakings.
(i) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriters at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriters to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.
(ii) 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 Securities 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.
(iii) 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.
EXHIBIT INDEX
|
Exhibit No.
|
|
|
Description
|
|
|
1.1
|
|
|
Form of Underwriting Agreement.*
|
|
|
3.1
|
|
|
Memorandum and Articles of Association.**
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|
|
3.2
|
|
|
Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.*
|
|
|
4.1
|
|
|
Specimen Unit Certificate.*
|
|
|
4.2
|
|
|
Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate.*
|
|
|
4.3
|
|
|
Specimen Warrant Certificate.*
|
|
|
4.4
|
|
|
Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*
|
|
|
5.1
|
|
|
Opinion of Kirkland & Ellis LLP.*
|
|
|
5.2
|
|
|
Opinion of Walkers, Cayman Islands legal counsel to the Registrant.*
|
|
|
10.1
|
|
|
Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*
|
|
|
10.2
|
|
|
Form of Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement among the Registrant, the Sponsor and the Holders signatory thereto.*
|
|
|
10.3
|
|
|
Form of Private Placement Warrants Purchase Agreement between the Registrant and the Sponsor.*
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|
|
10.4
|
|
|
Form of Indemnity Agreement.*
|
|
|
10.5
|
|
|
Form of Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and the Sponsor.*
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|
|
10.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.7
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.8
|
|
|
Form of Letter Agreement between the Registrant, the Sponsor and each director and officer of the Registrant.*
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|
|
10.9
|
|
|
Investment Agreement, dated , 2021, between the Registrant and the Sponsor.*
|
|
|
23.1
|
|
|
Consent of Marcum LLP.**
|
|
|
23.2
|
|
|
Consent of Kirkland & Ellis LLP (included on Exhibit 5.1).*
|
|
|
23.3
|
|
|
Consent of Walkers (included on Exhibit 5.2).*
|
|
|
24
|
|
|
Power of Attorney (included on signature page to the initial filing of this Registration Statement).**
|
|
|
99.1
|
|
|
Consent ofRenée E. LaBran.**
|
|
|
99.2
|
|
|
Consent ofAlex Liu.**
|
|
|
99.3
|
|
|
Consent ofFahd Beg.**
|
|
*
To be filed by amendment.
**
Filed herewith.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of London, United Kingdom, on the 6th day of October, 2021.
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
By:
/s/ Tommy Aylmer
Name: Tommy Aylmer
Title: Executive Vice President
POWER OF ATTORNEY
KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints Fausto Zanetton, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for such person and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign this Registration Statement on Form S-1 (including all pre-effective and post-effective amendments and registration statements filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933), and to file the same, with all exhibits there to, and other documents in connection there with, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming that any such attorney-in-fact and agent, or his substitute or substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
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Name
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|
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Position
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|
|
Date
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|
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|
/s/ James G. Dinan
James G. Dinan
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|
|
Director
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|
October 6, 2021
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|
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|
/s/ Alexander Knaster
Alexander Knaster
|
|
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Director
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|
|
October 6, 2021
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|
|
/s/ Gianluca Vialli
Gianluca Vialli
|
|
|
Co-Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Executive Officer)
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|
|
October 6, 2021
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|
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|
/s/ Fausto Zanetton
Fausto Zanetton
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer and Co-Chief Executive Officer
(Principal Accounting Officer and Principal
Financial Officer)
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|
|
October 6, 2021
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|
AUTHORIZED U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned, the duly authorized representative in the United States of ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP. has signed this registration statement in the City of Newark, State of Delaware, on October 6, 2021.
Authorized Representative
By: /s/ Donald J. Puglisi
Name: Donald J. Puglisi
Exhibit 3.1
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
REF: ML/LS/170824
Auth Code: J40080956013
www.verify.gov.ky
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|
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED)
|
|
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
1.
|
The name of the company is Iconic
Sports Acquisition Corp. (the "Company").
|
|
|
2.
|
The registered
office of the Company will be situated at the offices of Walkers Corporate Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9008,
Cayman Islands or at such other location as the Directors may from time to time determine.
|
|
|
3.
|
The objects
for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not
prohibited by any law as provided by Section 7(4) of the Companies Act (as amended) of the Cayman Islands (the "Companies Act").
|
|
|
4.
|
The Company
shall have and be capable of exercising all the functions of a natural person of full capacity irrespective of any question of corporate
benefit as provided by Section 27(2) of the Companies Act.
|
|
|
5.
|
The Company
will not trade in the Cayman Islands with any person, firm or corporation except in furtherance of the business of the Company carried
on outside the Cayman Islands; provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as to prevent the Company effecting and concluding
contracts in the Cayman Islands, and exercising in the Cayman Islands all of its powers necessary for the carrying on of its business
outside the Cayman Islands.
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|
|
6.
|
The liability
of the shareholders of the Company is limited to the amount, if any, unpaid on the shares respectively held by them.
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|
|
7.
|
The authorised
share capital of the Company is US$55,500 divided into 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a nominal or par value of
US$0.0001; 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 and 5,000,000 preference
shares with a nominal or par value of US$0.0001 provided always that subject to the Companies Act and the Articles of Association
the Company shall have power to redeem or purchase any of its shares and to sub-divide or consolidate the said shares or any of them and
to issue all or any part of its capital whether original, redeemed, increased or reduced with or without any preference, priority, special
privilege or other rights or subject to any postponement of rights or to any conditions or restrictions whatsoever and so that unless
the conditions of issue shall otherwise expressly provide every issue of shares whether stated to be ordinary, preference or otherwise
shall be subject to the powers on the part of the Company hereinbefore provided.
|
Auth Code: J40080956013
www.verify.gov.ky
|
|
8.
|
The
Company may exercise the power contained in Section 206 of the Companies deregister in the Cayman Islands and be registered by
way of continuation in some other jurisdiction.
|
The undersigned, whose name, address and
description are set out below, wishes the Company to be incorporated as a company in the Cayman Islands in accordance with this Memorandum
of Association, and agrees to take the number of shares in the capital of the Company as set out opposite the undersigned's name.
|
NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION
|
NUMBER OF SHARES TAKEN BY
|
|
OF SUBSCRIBER
|
SUBSCRIBER
|
|
WNL Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George
|
ONE CLASS B ORDINARY SHARE
|
|
Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9001, Cayman
|
|
|
Islands
|
|
|
|
/s/ Aoife Murphy
|
|
|
Aoife Murphy
|
|
|
as Authorised Signatory of WNL Limited
|
|
/s/ Laura Bodden
|
|
|
Signature of Witness
|
|
|
Address:
|
190 Elgin Avenue, George Town,
|
Auth Code: J40080956013
www.verify.gov.ky
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION
CORP.
REF:
ML/LS/170824
Auth
Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
|
TABLE OF CONTENTS
|
|
|
|
|
CLAUSE
|
|
PAGE
|
|
|
TABLE A
|
|
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1
|
|
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|
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|
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|
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INTERPRETATION
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PRELIMINARY
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHARES
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FOUNDER SHARES CONVERSION AND ANTI-DILUTION RIGHTS
|
|
|
6
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CERTIFICATES
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FRACTIONAL SHARES
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIEN
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CALLS ON SHARES
|
|
|
8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FORFEITURE OF SHARES
|
|
|
9
|
|
|
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TRANSFER OF SHARES
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10
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TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
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10
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ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
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11
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REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES
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11
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TREASURY SHARES
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12
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GENERAL MEETINGS
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13
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NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
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13
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PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
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14
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VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS
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15
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
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CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS
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16
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DIRECTORS
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16
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ALTERNATE DIRECTOR
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17
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POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
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17
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BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS
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19
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THE SEAL
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19
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DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
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20
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PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
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20
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DIVIDENDS
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22
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ACCOUNTS, AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION
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23
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CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES
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24
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SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT
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25
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NOTICES
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25
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INDEMNITY
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26
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NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
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27
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WINDING UP
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27
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AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
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28
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CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE
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28
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REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
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28
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MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION
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29
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DISCLOSURE
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29
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
THE COMPANIES ACT (AS AMENDED)
COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
OF
ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.
TABLE A
The Regulations contained or incorporated
in Table 'A' in the First Schedule of the Companies Act shall not apply to Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the "Company")
and the following Articles shall comprise the Articles of Association of the Company.
INTERPRETATION
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1.
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In these
Articles the following defined terms will have the meanings ascribed to them, if not inconsistent with the subject or context:
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"Articles" means
these articles of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time.
"Branch Register"
means any branch Register of such category or categories of Members as the Company may from time to time determine.
“Business Combination”
means a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganisation or similar business combination involving the Company,
with one or more businesses or entities (the “target business”), which Business Combination: (a) must occur with one or more
target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Fund (excluding the
deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Fund) at the time of the agreement to enter into
a Business Combination; and (b) must not be effectuated with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations.
"Class" or "Classes"
means any class or classes of Shares as may from time to time be issued by the Company.
“Class A Shares”
means the Class A ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company of $0.0001 nominal or par value designated as Class A Shares, and having
the rights provided for in these Articles.
Auth Code: A33099332752
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“Class B Shares”
means the Class B ordinary Shares in the capital of the Company of $0.0001 nominal or par value designated as Class B Shares, and having
the rights provided for in these Articles.
"Companies Act" means the Companies Act (as
amended) of the Cayman Islands.
"Directors" means
the directors of the Company for the time being, or as the case may be, the directors assembled as a board or as a committee thereof.
“IPO” means the Company’s initial
public offering of securities.
"Memorandum of Association"
means the memorandum of association of the Company, as amended or substituted from time to time.
"Office" means the registered office of the
Company as required by the Companies Act.
"Officers" means the officers for the time
being and from time to time of the Company.
"Ordinary Resolution" means a resolution:
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(a)
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passed by
a simple majority of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general
meeting of the Company and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder
is entitled; or
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(b)
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approved
in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one
or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument, or the last
of such instruments, if more than one, is executed.
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"paid up" means paid
up as to the par value in respect of the issue of any Shares and includes credited as paid up.
"Person" means any
natural person, firm, company, joint venture, partnership, corporation, association or other entity (whether or not having a separate
legal personality) or any of them as the context so requires, other than in respect of a Director or Officer in which circumstances Person
shall mean any person or entity permitted to act as such in accordance with the laws of the Cayman Islands.
“Preference Shares”
means the Preference Shares in the capital of the Company of $0.0001 nominal or par value designated as Preference Shares, and having
the rights provided for in these Articles.
"Principal Register",
where the Company has established one or more Branch Registers pursuant to the Companies Act and these Articles, means the Register maintained
by the
Auth Code: A33099332752
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Company pursuant to the Companies Act
and these Articles that is not designated by the Directors as a Branch Register.
"Register" means the
register of Members of the Company required to be kept pursuant to the Companies Act and includes any Branch Register(s) established by
the Company in accordance with the Companies Act.
"Seal" means the common seal of the Company
(if adopted) including any facsimile thereof.
"Secretary" means
any Person appointed by the Directors to perform any of the duties of the secretary of the Company.
"Series" means a series of a Class as may
from time to time be issued by the Company.
"Share" means a share
in the capital of the Company. All references to "Shares" herein shall be deemed to be Shares of any or all Classes as the context
may require. For the avoidance of doubt in these Articles the expression "Share" shall include a fraction of a Share.
"Shareholder" or "Member"
means a Person who is registered as the holder of Shares in the Register and includes each subscriber to the Memorandum of Association
pending entry in the Register of such subscriber.
"Share Premium Account"
means the share premium account established in accordance with these Articles and the Companies Act.
"signed" means bearing
a signature or representation of a signature affixed by mechanical means.
"Special Resolution"
means a special resolution of the Company passed in accordance with the Companies Act, being a resolution:
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(a)
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passed by
a majority of not less than two-thirds of such Shareholders as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed,
by proxy at a general meeting of the Company of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution
has been duly given and where a poll is taken regard shall be had in computing a majority to the number of votes to which each Shareholder
is entitled; or
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(b)
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approved
in writing by all of the Shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the Company in one or more instruments each signed by one
or more of the Shareholders and the effective date of the special resolution so adopted shall be the date on which the instrument or the
last of such instruments, if more than one, is executed.
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"Sponsor" means Iconic Sports Management LLC,
a Cayman Islands limited liability company.
Auth Code: A33099332752
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"Treasury Shares"
means Shares that were previously issued but were purchased, redeemed, surrendered or otherwise acquired by the Company and not cancelled.
“Trust Fund” means
the trust account established by the Company upon the consummation of its IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the
IPO, together with certain of the proceeds of any private placement of warrant issued simultaneously with the closing date of the IPO,
will be deposited.
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2.
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In these Articles, save where
the context requires otherwise:
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(a)
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words importing the singular
number shall include the plural number and vice versa;
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(b)
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words importing
the masculine gender only shall include the feminine gender and any Person as the context may require;
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(c)
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the word
"may" shall be construed as permissive and the word "shall" shall be construed as imperative;
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(d)
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reference
to a dollar or dollars or USD (or $) and to a cent or cents is reference to dollars and cents of the United States of America;
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(e)
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reference
to a statutory enactment shall include reference to any amendment or re-enactment thereof for the time being in force;
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(f)
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reference
to any determination by the Directors shall be construed as a determination by the Directors in their sole and absolute discretion and
shall be applicable either generally or in any particular case; and
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(g)
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reference
to "in writing" shall be construed as written or represented by any means reproducible in writing, including any form of print,
lithograph, email, facsimile, photograph or telex or represented by any other substitute or format for storage or transmission for writing
or partly one and partly another.
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3.
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Subject
to the preceding Articles, any words defined in the Companies Act shall, if not inconsistent with the subject or context, bear the same
meaning in these Articles.
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PRELIMINARY
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4.
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The business of the Company may
be commenced at any time after incorporation.
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5.
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The Office
shall be at such address in the Cayman Islands as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Company may in addition establish
and maintain such other offices and places of business and agencies in such places as the Directors may from time to time determine.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
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6.
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The expenses
incurred in the formation of the Company and in connection with the offer for subscription and issue of Shares shall be paid by the Company.
Such expenses may be amortised over such period as the Directors may determine and the amount so paid shall be charged against income
and/or capital in the accounts of the Company as the Directors shall determine.
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7.
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The Directors
shall keep, or cause to be kept, the Register at such place or (subject to compliance with the Companies Act and these Articles) places
as the Directors may from time to time determine. In the absence of any such determination, the Register shall be kept at the Office.
The Directors may keep, or cause to be kept, one or more Branch Registers as well as the Principal Register in accordance with the Companies
Act, provided always that a duplicate of such Branch Register(s) shall be maintained with the Principal Register in accordance with the
Companies Act.
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SHARES
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8.
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Subject
to these Articles, all Shares for the time being unissued shall be under the control of the Directors who may:
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(a)
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issue, allot
and dispose of the same to such Persons, in such manner, on such terms and having such rights and being subject to such restrictions as
they may from time to time determine; and
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(b)
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grant options
with respect to such Shares and issue warrants or similar instruments with respect thereto;
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and, for such purposes, the Directors may reserve an appropriate
number of Shares for the time being unissued.
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9.
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The Directors,
or the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution, may authorise the division of Shares into any number of Classes and sub-classes and Series
and sub-series and the different Classes and sub-classes and Series and sub-series shall be authorised, established and designated (or
re-designated as the case may be) and the variations in the relative rights (including, without limitation, voting, dividend and redemption
rights), restrictions, preferences, privileges and payment obligations as between the different Classes and Series (if any) may be fixed
and determined by the Directors or the Shareholders by Ordinary Resolution.
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10.
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The Company
may insofar as may be permitted by law, pay a commission to any Person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe whether
absolutely or conditionally for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash or the lodgement of fully or partly
paid-up Shares or partly in one way and partly in the other. The Company may also pay such brokerage as may be lawful on any issue of
Shares.
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11.
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The Directors
may refuse to accept any application for Shares, and may accept any application in whole or in part, for any reason or for no reason.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
FOUNDER SHARES CONVERSION AND ANTI-DILUTION RIGHTS
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12.
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At the time
of the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the issued and outstanding Class B Shares shall automatically
be converted into such number of Class A Shares as is equal to, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of:
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(a)
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the total
number of Class A Shares and Class B Shares in issue at the time of the IPO (including pursuant to an over-allotment option granted to
an underwriter of the IPO), plus
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(b)
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the total
number of Class A Shares issued or deemed issued, or issuable upon the conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities issued or
deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial Business Combination, excluding (x)
any Class A Shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A Shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller
in the initial Business Combination and (y) any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor.
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13.
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Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained herein in no event shall the Class B Shares convert into Class A Shares at a ratio that is less than
one-for-one.
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14.
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References
in Articles 12 to Article 16 to “converted”, “conversion” or “exchange” shall mean the compulsory
redemption without notice of Class B Shares of any Member and, on behalf of such Members, automatic application of such redemption proceeds
in paying for such new Class A Shares into which the Class B Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Share necessary
to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange
will be issued at par. The Class A Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Member or
in such name as the Member may direct.
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15.
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Each Class
B Share shall convert into its pro rata number of Class A Shares as set forth in this Article 15. The pro rata share for each holder of
Class B Shares will be determined as follows: Each Class B Ordinary Share shall convert into such number of Class A Shares as is equal
to the product of 1 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Class A Shares into which all of the
issued and outstanding Class B Shares shall be converted pursuant to this Article 15 and the denominator of which shall be the total number
of issued and outstanding Class B Shares at the time of conversion.
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16.
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The Directors
may effect such conversion in any manner available under applicable law, including redeeming or repurchasing the relevant Class B Shares
and applying the proceeds thereof towards payment for the new Class A Shares. For purposes of the repurchase or redemption, the Directors
may, subject to the Company being able to pay its debts in the ordinary course of business, make payments out of amounts standing to the
credit of the Company’s share premium account or out of its capital.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
MODIFICATION OF RIGHTS
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17.
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Whenever
the capital of the Company is divided into different Classes (and as otherwise determined by the Directors) the rights attached to any
such Class may, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class only be materially adversely varied or
abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two- thirds of the issued Shares of the relevant Class, or with
the sanction of a resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of such Class by a majority of two-thirds of the
votes cast at such a meeting. To every such separate meeting all the provisions of these Articles relating to general meetings of the
Company or to the proceedings thereat shall, mutatis mutandis, apply, except that the necessary quorum shall be one or more Persons
at least holding or representing by proxy one-third in nominal or par value amount of the issued Shares of the relevant Class (but so
that if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum as above defined is not present, those Shareholders who are present shall form
a quorum) and that, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, every Shareholder of
the Class shall on a poll have one vote for each Share of the Class held by him. For the purposes of this Article the Directors may treat
all the Classes or any two or more Classes as forming one Class if they consider that all such Classes would be affected in the same way
by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate Classes. The Directors may vary the rights
attaching to any Class without the consent or approval of Shareholders provided that the rights will not, in the determination of the
Directors, be materially adversely varied or abrogated by such action.
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18.
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The rights
conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any Class issued with preferred or other rights shall not, subject to any rights or restrictions
for the time being attached to the Shares of that Class, be deemed to be materially adversely varied or abrogated by, inter alia,
the creation, allotment or issue of further Shares ranking pari passu with or subsequent to them or the redemption or purchase
of any Shares of any Class by the Company.
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CERTIFICATES
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19.
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No Person
shall be entitled to a certificate for any or all of his Shares, unless the Directors shall determine otherwise.
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FRACTIONAL SHARES
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20.
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The Directors
may issue fractions of a Share and, if so issued, a fraction of a Share shall be subject to and carry the corresponding fraction of liabilities
(whether with respect to nominal or par value, premium, contributions, calls or otherwise), limitations, preferences, privileges, qualifications,
restrictions, rights (including, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, voting and participation rights) and other attributes
of a whole Share. If more than one fraction of a Share of the same Class is issued to or acquired by the same Shareholder such fractions
shall be accumulated.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
LIEN
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21.
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The Company
has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully paid) for all amounts (whether presently payable or not) payable at
a fixed time or called in respect of that Share. The Company also has a first and paramount lien on every Share (whether or not fully
paid) registered in the name of a Person indebted or under liability to the Company (whether he is the sole registered holder of a Share
or one of two or more joint holders) for all amounts owing by him or his estate to the Company (whether or not presently payable). The
Directors may at any time declare a Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The Company's lien on a
Share extends to any amount payable in respect of it.
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22.
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The Company
may sell, in such manner as the Directors may determine, any Share on which the Company has a lien, but no sale shall be made unless an
amount in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable nor until the expiration of fourteen days after a notice in writing, demanding
payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, has been given to the registered holder
for the time being of the Share, or the Persons entitled thereto by reason of his death or bankruptcy.
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23.
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For giving
effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise some Person to transfer the Shares sold to the purchaser thereof. The purchaser shall
be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase
money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the sale.
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24.
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The proceeds
of the sale after deduction of expenses, fees and commission incurred by the Company shall be received by the Company and applied in payment
of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable, and the residue shall (subject to a like lien
for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares prior to the sale) be paid to the Person entitled to the Shares immediately
prior to the sale.
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CALLS ON SHARES
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25.
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The Directors
may from time to time make calls upon the Shareholders in respect of any moneys unpaid on their Shares, and each Shareholder shall (subject
to receiving at least fourteen days' notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified
the amount called on such Shares.
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26.
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The joint holders of a Share
shall be jointly and severally liable to pay calls in respect thereof.
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27.
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If a sum
called in respect of a Share is not paid before or on the day appointed for payment thereof, the Person from whom the sum is due shall
pay interest upon the sum at the rate of eight percent per annum from the day appointed for the payment thereof to the time of the actual
payment, but the Directors shall be at liberty to waive payment of that interest wholly or in part.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
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28.
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The provisions
of these Articles as to the liability of joint holders and as to payment of interest shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum
which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of
premium, as if the same had become payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.
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29.
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The Directors
may make arrangements on the issue of partly paid Shares for a difference between the Shareholders, or the particular Shares, in the amount
of calls to be paid and in the times of payment.
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30.
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The Directors
may, if they think fit, receive from any Shareholder willing to advance the same all or any part of the moneys uncalled and unpaid upon
any partly paid Shares held by him, and upon all or any of the moneys so advanced may (until the same would, but for such advance, become
presently payable) pay interest at such rate (not exceeding without the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution, eight percent per annum) as
may be agreed upon between the Shareholder paying the sum in advance and the Directors.
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FORFEITURE OF SHARES
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31.
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If a Shareholder
fails to pay any call or instalment of a call in respect of any Shares on the day appointed for payment, the Directors may, at any time
thereafter during such time as any part of such call or instalment remains unpaid, serve a notice on him requiring payment of so much
of the call or instalment as is unpaid, together with any interest which may have accrued.
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32.
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The notice
shall name a further day (not earlier than the expiration of fourteen days from the date of the notice) on or before which the payment
required by the notice is to be made, and shall state that in the event of non-payment at or before the time appointed the Shares in respect
of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.
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33.
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If the requirements
of any such notice as aforesaid are not complied with, any Share in respect of which the notice has been given may at any time thereafter,
before the payment required by notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors to that effect.
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34.
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A forfeited
Share may be sold or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit, and at any time before a sale
or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit.
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35.
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A Person
whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Shareholder in respect of the forfeited Shares, but shall, notwithstanding, remain
liable to pay to the Company all moneys which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of the Shares forfeited,
but his liability shall cease if and when the Company receives payment in full of the amount unpaid on the Shares forfeited.
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36.
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A statutory
declaration in writing that the declarant is a Director, and that a Share has been duly forfeited on a date stated in the declaration,
shall be conclusive evidence of the facts in the declaration as against all Persons claiming to be entitled to the Share.
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Auth Code: A33099332752
www.verify.gov.ky
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37.
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The Company
may receive the consideration, if any, given for a Share on any sale or disposition thereof pursuant to the provisions of these Articles
as to forfeiture and may execute a transfer of the Share in favour of the Person to whom the Share is sold or disposed of and that Person
shall be registered as the holder of the Share, and shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall
his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the disposition or sale.
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38.
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The provisions
of these Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non-payment of any sum which by the terms of issue of a Share becomes due
and payable, whether on account of the amount of the Share, or by way of premium, as if the same had been payable by virtue of a call
duly made and notified.
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TRANSFER OF SHARES
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39.
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The instrument
of transfer of any Share shall be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may determine and be executed by or
on behalf of the transferor and if in respect of a nil or partly paid up Share, or if so required by the Directors, shall also be executed
on behalf of the transferee and shall be accompanied by the certificate (if any) of the Shares to which it relates and such other evidence
as the Directors may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer. The transferor shall be deemed to remain
a Shareholder until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register in respect of the relevant Shares.
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40.
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Subject
to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any Class, no Shares may be transferred, assigned or disposed of without
the prior consent in writing of the Directors or their agents, which may be withheld on their determination.
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41.
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The registration
of transfers may be suspended at such times and for such periods as the Directors may from time to time determine.
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42.
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All instruments
of transfer that are registered shall be retained by the Company, but any instrument of transfer that the Directors decline to register
shall (except in any case of fraud) be returned to the Person depositing the same.
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TRANSMISSION OF SHARES
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43.
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The legal
personal representative of a deceased sole holder of a Share shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to
the Share. In the case of a Share registered in the name of two or more holders, the survivors or survivor, or the legal personal representatives
of the deceased holder of the Share, shall be the only Person recognised by the Company as having any title to the Share.
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44.
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Any Person
becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall upon such evidence being produced as may
from time to time be required by the Directors, have the right either to be registered as a Shareholder in respect of the Share or, instead
of being registered himself, to make such transfer of the Share as the deceased or
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bankrupt Person could have made; but
the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer
of the Share by the deceased or bankrupt Person before the death or bankruptcy.
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45.
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A Person
becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder shall be entitled to the same dividends and other advantages
to which he would be entitled if he were the registered Shareholder, except that he shall not, before being registered as a Shareholder
in respect of the Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to meetings of the Company.
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ALTERATION OF SHARE CAPITAL
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46.
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The Company
may from time to time by Ordinary Resolution increase the share capital by such sum, to be divided into Shares of such Classes and amount,
as the resolution shall prescribe.
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47.
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The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:
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(a)
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consolidate
and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of a larger amount than its existing Shares;
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(b)
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convert
all or any of its paid up Shares into stock and reconvert that stock into paid up Shares of any denomination;
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(c)
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subdivide
its existing Shares, or any of them into Shares of a smaller amount provided that in the subdivision the proportion between the amount
paid and the amount, if any, unpaid on each reduced Share shall be the same as it was in case of the Share from which the reduced Share
is derived; and
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(d)
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cancel any
Shares that, at the date of the passing of the resolution, have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any Person and diminish the amount
of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.
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48.
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The Company
may by Special Resolution reduce its share capital and any capital redemption reserve in any manner authorised by law.
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REDEMPTION, PURCHASE AND SURRENDER OF SHARES
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49.
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Subject to the Companies Act,
the Company may:
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(a)
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issue Shares
on terms that they are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Company or the Shareholder on such terms and in
such manner as the Directors may determine;
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(b)
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purchase
its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors may determine and agree with the Shareholder;
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(c)
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make a payment
in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner authorised by the Companies Act, including out of its capital;
and
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(d)
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accept the
surrender for no consideration of any paid up Share (including any redeemable Share) on such terms and in such manner as the Directors
may determine.
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50.
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Any Share
in respect of which notice of redemption has been given shall not be entitled to participate in the profits of the Company in respect
of the period after the date specified as the date of redemption in the notice of redemption.
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51.
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The redemption,
purchase or surrender of any Share shall not be deemed to give rise to the redemption, purchase or surrender of any other Share.
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52.
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The Directors
may when making payments in respect of redemption or purchase of Shares, if authorised by the terms of issue of the Shares being redeemed
or purchased or with the agreement of the holder of such Shares, make such payment either in cash or in specie including, without limitation,
interests in a special purpose vehicle holding assets of the Company or holding entitlement to the proceeds of assets held by the Company
or in a liquidating structure.
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TREASURY SHARES
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53.
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Shares that
the Company purchases, redeems or acquires (by way of surrender or otherwise) may, at the option of the Company, be cancelled immediately
or held as Treasury Shares in accordance with the Companies Act. In the event that the Directors do not specify that the relevant Shares
are to be held as Treasury Shares, such Shares shall be cancelled.
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54.
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No dividend
may be declared or paid, and no other distribution (whether in cash or otherwise) of the Company's assets (including any distribution
of assets to members on a winding up) may be declared or paid in respect of a Treasury Share.
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55.
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The Company
shall be entered in the Register as the holder of the Treasury Shares provided that:
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(a)
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the Company
shall not be treated as a member for any purpose and shall not exercise any right in respect of the Treasury Shares, and any purported
exercise of such a right shall be void;
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(b)
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a Treasury
Share shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting of the Company and shall not be counted in determining the total number
of issued shares at any given time, whether for the purposes of these Articles or the Companies Act, save that an allotment of Shares
as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a Treasury Share is permitted and Shares allotted as fully paid bonus shares in respect of a
treasury share shall be treated as Treasury Shares.
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56.
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Treasury
Shares may be disposed of by the Company on such terms and conditions as determined by the Directors.
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GENERAL MEETINGS
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57.
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The Directors may, whenever they
think fit, convene a general meeting of the Company.
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58.
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The Directors
may cancel or postpone any duly convened general meeting at any time prior to such meeting, except for general meetings requisitioned
by the Shareholders in accordance with these Articles, for any reason or for no reason at any time prior to the time for holding such
meeting or, if the meeting is adjourned, the time for holding such adjourned meeting. The Directors shall give Shareholders notice in
writing of any cancellation or postponement. A postponement may be for a stated period of any length or indefinitely as the Directors
may determine.
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59.
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General
meetings shall also be convened on the requisition in writing of any Shareholder or Shareholders entitled to attend and vote at general
meetings of the Company holding at least ten percent of the paid up voting share capital of the Company deposited at the Office specifying
the objects of the meeting by notice given no later than 21 days from the date of deposit of the requisition signed by the requisitionists,
and if the Directors do not convene such meeting for a date not later than 45 days after the date of such deposit, the requisitionists
themselves may convene the general meeting in the same manner, as nearly as possible, as that in which general meetings may be convened
by the Directors, and all reasonable expenses incurred by the requisitionists as a result of the failure of the Directors to convene the
general meeting shall be reimbursed to them by the Company.
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60.
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If at any
time there are no Directors, any two Shareholders (or if there is only one Shareholder then that Shareholder) entitled to vote at general
meetings of the Company may convene a general meeting in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings may be
convened by the Directors.
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NOTICE OF GENERAL MEETINGS
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61.
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At least
seven clear days' notice in writing counting from the date service is deemed to take place as provided in these Articles specifying the
place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business, shall be given in the manner hereinafter provided or
in such other manner (if any) as may be prescribed by the Company by Ordinary Resolution to such Persons as are, under these Articles,
entitled to receive such notices from the Company, but with the consent of all the Shareholders entitled to receive notice of some particular
meeting and attend and vote thereat, that meeting may be convened by such shorter notice or without notice and in such manner as those
Shareholders may think fit.
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62.
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The accidental
omission to give notice of a meeting to or the non-receipt of a notice of a meeting by any Shareholder shall not invalidate the proceedings
at any meeting.
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PROCEEDINGS AT GENERAL MEETINGS
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63.
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All business
carried out at a general meeting shall be deemed special with the exception of sanctioning a dividend, the consideration of the accounts,
balance sheets, any report of the Directors or of the Company's auditors, and the fixing of the remuneration of the Company's auditors.
No special business shall be transacted at any general meeting without the consent of all Shareholders entitled to receive notice of that
meeting unless notice of such special business has been given in the notice convening that meeting.
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64.
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No business
shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum of Shareholders is present at the time when the meeting proceeds to business.
Save as otherwise provided by these Articles, one or more Shareholders holding at least a majority of the paid up voting share capital
of the Company present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at that meeting shall form a quorum.
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65.
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If within
half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting a quorum is not present, the meeting, if convened upon the requisition of Shareholders,
shall be dissolved. In any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week, at the same time and place, and if at
the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting the Shareholder or Shareholders
present and entitled to vote shall form a quorum.
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66.
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If the Directors
wish to make this facility available for a specific general meeting or all general meetings of the Company, participation in any general
meeting of the Company may be by means of a telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in
such meeting can communicate with each other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.
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67.
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The chairman,
if any, of the Directors shall preside as chairman at every general meeting of the Company.
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68.
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If there
is no such chairman, or if at any general meeting he is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting
or is unwilling to act as chairman, any Director or Person nominated by the Directors shall preside as chairman, failing which the Shareholders
present in person or by proxy shall choose any Person present to be chairman of that meeting.
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69.
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The chairman may adjourn a meeting
from time to time and from place to place either:
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(a)
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with the
consent of any general meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting); or
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(b)
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without
the consent of such meeting if, in his sole opinion, he considers it necessary to do so to:
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(i)
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secure the orderly conduct or
proceedings of the meeting; or
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(ii)
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give all
persons present in person or by proxy and having the right to speak and / or vote at such meeting, the ability to do so,
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but no business shall be transacted
at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place. When a meeting,
or adjourned meeting, is adjourned for fourteen days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given in the manner provided for
the original meeting. Save as aforesaid, it shall not be necessary to give any notice of an adjournment or of the business to be transacted
at an adjourned meeting.
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70.
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At any general
meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands, unless a poll is (before or on the declaration
of the result of the show of hands) demanded by the chairman or one or more Shareholders present in person or by proxy entitled to vote,
and unless a poll is so demanded, a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has, on a show of hands, been carried, or carried unanimously,
or by a particular majority, or lost, and an entry to that effect in the book of the proceedings of the Company, shall be conclusive evidence
of the fact, without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of, or against, that resolution.
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71.
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If a poll
is duly demanded it shall be taken in such manner as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution
of the meeting at which the poll was demanded.
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72.
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In the case
of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman of the meeting at which the show of hands takes place or
at which the poll is demanded, shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.
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73.
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A poll demanded
on the election of a chairman of the meeting or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question
shall be taken at such time as the chairman of the meeting directs.
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VOTES OF SHAREHOLDERS
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74.
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Subject
to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Share, on a show of hands every Shareholder present in person and every
Person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall, at a general meeting of the Company, each have one vote and on a poll every Shareholder
and every Person representing a Shareholder by proxy shall have one vote for each Share of which he or the Person represented by proxy
is the holder.
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75.
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In the case
of joint holders the vote of the senior who tenders a vote whether in person or by proxy shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes
of the other joint holders and for this purpose seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names stand in the Register.
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76.
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A Shareholder
of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote in respect of Shares
carrying the right to vote held by him, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, or other Person in the nature of a
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committee appointed by that court, and any such committee
or other Person, may vote in respect of such Shares by proxy.
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77.
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No Shareholder
shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting of the Company unless all calls, if any, or other sums presently payable by him in respect
of Shares carrying the right to vote held by him have been paid.
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78.
|
On a poll votes may be given
either personally or by proxy.
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79.
|
The instrument
appointing a proxy shall be in writing under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing or, if the appointor
is a corporation, either under Seal or under the hand of an Officer or attorney duly authorised. A proxy need not be a Shareholder.
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80.
|
An instrument
appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form or such other form as the Directors may approve.
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81.
|
The instrument
appointing a proxy shall be deposited at the Office or at such other place as is specified for that purpose in the notice convening the
meeting no later than the time for holding the meeting or, if the meeting is adjourned, the time for holding such adjourned meeting.
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82.
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The instrument
appointing a proxy shall be deemed to confer authority to demand or join in demanding a poll.
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83.
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A resolution
in writing signed by all the Shareholders for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings
of the Company (or being corporations by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the same had been
passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.
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CORPORATIONS ACTING BY REPRESENTATIVES AT MEETINGS
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84.
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Any corporation
which is a Shareholder or a Director may by resolution of its directors or other governing body authorise such Person as it thinks fit
to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any meeting of holders of a Class or of the Directors or of a committee
of Directors, and the Person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents
as that corporation could exercise if it were an individual Shareholder or Director.
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DIRECTORS
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85.
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The name(s)
of the first Director(s) shall either be determined in writing by a majority (or in the case of a sole subscriber that subscriber) of,
or elected at a meeting of, the subscribers of the Memorandum of Association.
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86.
|
The Company may by Ordinary Resolution
appoint any Person to be a Director.
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87.
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Subject
to these Articles, a Director shall hold office until such time as he is removed from office by Ordinary Resolution.
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88.
|
The Company
may by Ordinary Resolution from time to time fix the maximum and minimum number of Directors to be appointed but unless such numbers are
fixed as aforesaid the minimum number of Directors shall be one and the maximum number of Directors shall be unlimited.
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89.
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The remuneration of the Directors
may be determined by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.
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90.
|
There shall
be no shareholding qualification for Directors unless determined otherwise by Ordinary Resolution.
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91.
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The Directors
shall have power at any time and from time to time to appoint any Person to be a Director, either as a result of a casual vacancy or as
an additional Director, subject to the maximum number (if any) imposed by Ordinary Resolution.
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ALTERNATE DIRECTOR
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92.
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Any Director
may in writing appoint another Person to be his alternate and, save to the extent provided otherwise in the form of appointment, such
alternate shall have authority to sign written resolutions on behalf of the appointing Director, but shall not be authorised to sign such
written resolutions where they have been signed by the appointing Director, and to act in such Director's place at any meeting of the
Directors. Every such alternate shall be entitled to attend and vote at meetings of the Directors as the alternate of the Director appointing
him and where he is a Director to have a separate vote in addition to his own vote. A Director may at any time in writing revoke the appointment
of an alternate appointed by him. Such alternate shall not be an Officer solely as a result of his appointment as an alternate other than
in respect of such times as the alternate acts as a Director. The remuneration of such alternate shall be payable out of the remuneration
of the Director appointing him and the proportion thereof shall be agreed between them.
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POWERS AND DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
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93.
|
Subject
to the Companies Act, these Articles and to any resolutions passed in a general meeting, the business of the Company shall be managed
by the Directors, who may pay all expenses incurred in setting up and registering the Company and may exercise all powers of the Company.
No resolution passed by the Company in general meeting shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors that would have been valid if that
resolution had not been passed.
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94.
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The Directors
may from time to time appoint any Person, whether or not a Director to hold such office in the Company as the Directors may think necessary
for the administration of the Company, including but not limited to, the office of president, one or more vice-presidents, treasurer,
assistant treasurer, manager or controller, and for such term and at such remuneration (whether by way of salary or commission or participation
in profits or partly in one way and partly in another), and with such powers and duties as the Directors may think fit. Any Person so
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appointed
by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution. The Directors may also appoint
one or more of their number to the office of managing director upon like terms, but any such appointment shall ipso facto
terminate if any managing director ceases from any cause to be a Director, or if the Company by Ordinary Resolution resolves
that his tenure of office be terminated.
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95.
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The Directors
may appoint any Person to be a Secretary (and if need be an assistant Secretary or assistant Secretaries) who shall hold office for such
term, at such remuneration and upon such conditions and with such powers as they think fit. Any Secretary or assistant Secretary so appointed
by the Directors may be removed by the Directors or by the Company by Ordinary Resolution.
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96.
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The Directors
may delegate any of their powers to committees consisting of such member or members of their body as they think fit; any committee so
formed shall in the exercise of the powers so delegated conform to any regulations that may be imposed on it by the Directors.
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97.
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The Directors
may from time to time and at any time by power of attorney (whether under Seal or under hand) or otherwise appoint any company, firm or
Person or body of Persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or attorneys or authorised signatory
(any such person being an "Attorney" or "Authorised Signatory", respectively) of the Company for such
purposes and with such powers, authorities and discretion (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under these Articles)
and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such power of attorney or other appointment may contain
such provisions for the protection and convenience of Persons dealing with any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory as the Directors
may think fit, and may also authorise any such Attorney or Authorised Signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and
discretion vested in him.
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98.
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The Directors
may from time to time provide for the management of the affairs of the Company in such manner as they shall think fit and the provisions
contained in the three next following Articles shall not limit the general powers conferred by this Article.
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99.
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The Directors
from time to time and at any time may establish any committees, local boards or agencies for managing any of the affairs of the Company
and may appoint any Person to be a member of such committees or local boards and may appoint any managers or agents of the Company and
may fix the remuneration of any such Person.
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100.
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The Directors
from time to time and at any time may delegate to any such committee, local board, manager or agent any of the powers, authorities and
discretions for the time being vested in the Directors and may authorise the members for the time being of any such local board, or any
of them to fill any vacancies therein and to act notwithstanding vacancies and any such appointment or delegation may be made on such
terms and subject to such conditions as the Directors may think fit and the Directors may at any time remove any Person so appointed and
may annul or vary any such delegation, but no Person dealing in good faith and without notice of any such annulment or variation shall
be affected thereby.
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101.
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Any such
delegates as aforesaid may be authorised by the Directors to sub-delegate all or any of the powers, authorities, and discretion for the
time being vested in them.
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102.
|
The Directors
may agree with a Shareholder to waive or modify the terms applicable to such Shareholder's subscription for Shares without obtaining the
consent of any other Shareholder; provided that such waiver or modification does not amount to a variation or abrogation of the rights
attaching to the Shares of such other Shareholders.
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103.
|
The Directors
shall have the authority to present a winding up petition on behalf of the Company without the sanction of a resolution passed by the
Company in general meeting.
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BORROWING POWERS OF DIRECTORS
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|
104.
|
The Directors
may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and uncalled capital or
any part thereof, or to otherwise provide for a security interest to be taken in such undertaking, property or uncalled capital, and to
issue debentures, debenture stock and other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any debt, liability or obligation
of the Company or of any third party.
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THE SEAL
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105.
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The Seal
shall not be affixed to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may
be given prior to or after the affixing of the Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of the
Seal. The Seal shall be affixed in the presence of a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one
or more Persons as the Directors may appoint for the purpose and every Person as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the Seal
is so affixed in their presence.
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106.
|
The Company
may maintain a facsimile of the Seal in such countries or places as the Directors may appoint and such facsimile Seal shall not be affixed
to any instrument except by the authority of a resolution of the Directors provided always that such authority may be given prior to or
after the affixing of such facsimile Seal and if given after may be in general form confirming a number of affixings of such facsimile
Seal. The facsimile Seal shall be affixed in the presence of such Person or Persons as the Directors shall for this purpose appoint and
such Person or Persons as aforesaid shall sign every instrument to which the facsimile Seal is so affixed in their presence and such affixing
of the facsimile Seal and signing as aforesaid shall have the same meaning and effect as if the Seal had been affixed in the presence
of and the instrument signed by a Director or a Secretary (or an assistant Secretary) or in the presence of any one or more Persons as
the Directors may appoint for the purpose.
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107.
|
Notwithstanding
the foregoing, a Secretary or any assistant Secretary shall have the authority to affix the Seal, or the facsimile Seal, to any instrument
for the purposes of attesting authenticity of the matter contained therein but which does not create any obligation binding on the Company.
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DISQUALIFICATION OF DIRECTORS
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|
108.
|
The office of Director shall
be vacated, if the Director:
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|
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(a)
|
becomes bankrupt or makes any
arrangement or composition with his creditors;
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(b)
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dies or is found to be or becomes
of unsound mind;
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(c)
|
resigns his office by notice
in writing to the Company;
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(d)
|
is removed from office by Ordinary
Resolution;
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(e)
|
is removed
from office by notice addressed to him at his last known address and signed by all of his co-Directors (not being less than two in number);
or
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(f)
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is removed from office pursuant
to any other provision of these Articles.
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PROCEEDINGS OF DIRECTORS
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|
109.
|
The Directors
may meet together (either within or outside the Cayman Islands) for the despatch of business, adjourn, and otherwise regulate their meetings
and proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In case of an equality of
votes the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director may, and a Secretary or assistant Secretary on the requisition of a
Director shall, at any time summon a meeting of the Directors.
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110.
|
A Director
may participate in any meeting of the Directors, or of any committee appointed by the Directors of which such Director is a member, by
means of telephone or similar communication equipment by way of which all Persons participating in such meeting can communicate with each
other and such participation shall be deemed to constitute presence in person at the meeting.
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111.
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The quorum
necessary for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed, if there be two or
more Directors the quorum shall be two, and if there be one Director the quorum shall be one. A Director represented by an alternate Director
at any meeting shall be deemed to be present for the purposes of determining whether or not a quorum is present.
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112.
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A Director
who is in any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a contract or proposed contract with the Company shall declare the nature
of his interest at a meeting of the Directors. A general notice given to the Directors by any Director to the effect that he is to be
regarded as interested in any contract or other arrangement which may thereafter be made with that company or firm shall be deemed a sufficient
declaration of interest in regard to any contract so made. A Director may vote in respect of any contract or proposed contract or arrangement
notwithstanding that he may be interested therein and if he does so his vote shall be counted and he may be
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counted
in the quorum at any meeting of the Directors at which any such contract or proposed contract or arrangement shall come
before the meeting for consideration.
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113.
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A Director
may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director
for such period and on such terms (as to remuneration and otherwise) as the Directors may determine and no Director or intending Director
shall be disqualified by his office from contracting with the Company either with regard to his tenure of any such other office or place
of profit or as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or arrangement entered into by or on behalf of the Company
in which any Director is in any way interested, be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested
be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by any such contract or arrangement by reason of such Director holding that
office or of the fiduciary relation thereby established. A Director, notwithstanding his interest, may be counted in the quorum present
at any meeting of the Directors whereat he or any other Director is appointed to hold any such office or place of profit under the Company
or whereat the terms of any such appointment are arranged and he may vote on any such appointment or arrangement.
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114.
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Any Director
may act by himself or his firm in a professional capacity for the Company, and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional
services as if he were not a Director; provided that nothing herein contained shall authorise a Director or his firm to act as auditor
to the Company.
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115.
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The Directors
shall cause minutes to be made in books or loose-leaf folders provided for the purpose of recording:
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(a)
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all appointments of Officers
made by the Directors;
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(b)
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the names
of the Directors present at each meeting of the Directors and of any committee of the Directors; and
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(c)
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all resolutions
and proceedings at all meetings of the Company, and of the Directors and of committees of Directors.
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116.
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When the
chairman of a meeting of the Directors signs the minutes of such meeting the same shall be deemed to have been duly held notwithstanding
that all the Directors have not actually come together or that there may have been a technical defect in the proceedings.
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117.
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A resolution
in writing signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of Directors entitled to receive notice of a meeting of Directors
or committee of Directors, as the case may be (an alternate Director, subject as provided otherwise in the terms of appointment of the
alternate Director, being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointer), shall be as valid and effectual as if it had
been passed at a duly called and constituted meeting of Directors or committee of Directors, as the case may be. When signed a resolution
may consist of several documents each signed by one or more of the Directors or his duly appointed alternate.
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118.
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The continuing
Directors may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body but if and for so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by
or pursuant to these Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors, the continuing Directors may act for the purpose of increasing the
number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.
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119.
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The Directors
may elect a chairman of their meetings and determine the period for which he is to hold office but if no such chairman is elected, or
if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding the meeting, the Directors present
may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.
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120.
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Subject
to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, a committee appointed by the Directors may elect a chairman of its meetings. If no
such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for holding
the meeting, the committee members present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.
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121.
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A committee
appointed by the Directors may meet and adjourn as it thinks proper. Subject to any regulations imposed on it by the Directors, questions
arising at any meeting shall be determined by a majority of votes of the committee members present and in case of an equality of votes
the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.
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122.
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All acts
done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of Directors, or by any Person acting as a Director, shall notwithstanding that
it be afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any such Director or Person acting as aforesaid, or that
they or any of them were disqualified, be as valid as if every such Person had been duly appointed and was qualified to be a Director.
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DIVIDENDS
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123.
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Subject
to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, or as otherwise provided for in the Companies Act and these
Articles, the Directors may from time to time declare dividends (including interim dividends) and other distributions on Shares in issue
and authorise payment of the same out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor.
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124.
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Subject
to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, the Company by Ordinary Resolution may declare dividends, but
no dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the Directors.
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125.
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The Directors
may determine, before recommending or declaring any dividend, to set aside out of the funds legally available for distribution such sums
as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall be applicable for meeting contingencies, or for equalising dividends or for
any other purpose to which those funds may be properly applied and pending such application may, at the determination of the Directors,
either be employed in the business of the Company or be invested in such investments as the Directors may from time to time think fit.
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126.
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Any dividend
may be paid in any manner as the Directors may determine. If paid by cheque it will be sent through the post to the registered address
of the Shareholder or Person entitled thereto, or in the case of joint holders, to any one of such joint holders at his registered address
or to such Person and such address as the Shareholder or Person entitled, or such joint holders as the case may be, may direct. Every
such cheque shall be made payable to the order of the Person to whom it is sent or to the order of such other Person as the Shareholder
or Person entitled, or such joint holders as the case may be, may direct.
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127.
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The Directors
when paying dividends to the Shareholders in accordance with the foregoing provisions of these Articles may make such payment either in
cash or in specie and may determine the extent to which amounts may be withheld therefrom (including, without limitation, any taxes, fees,
expenses or other liabilities for which a Shareholder (or the Company, as a result of any action or inaction of the Shareholder) is liable).
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128.
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Subject
to any rights and restrictions for the time being attached to any Shares, all dividends shall be declared and paid according to the amounts
paid up on the Shares, but if and for so long as nothing is paid up on any of the Shares dividends may be declared and paid according
to the par value of the Shares.
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129.
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If several
Persons are registered as joint holders of any Share, any of them may give effectual receipts for any dividend or other moneys payable
on or in respect of the Share.
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130.
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No dividend shall bear interest
against the Company.
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ACCOUNTS,
AUDIT AND ANNUAL RETURN AND DECLARATION
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131.
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The books
of account relating to the Company's affairs shall be kept in such manner as may be determined from time to time by the Directors.
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132.
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The books
of account shall be kept at the Office, or at such other place or places as the Directors think fit, and shall always be open to the inspection
of the Directors.
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133.
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The Directors
may from time to time determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts
and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Shareholders not being Directors, and no Shareholder (not being
a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by law or authorised
by the Directors or by Ordinary Resolution.
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134.
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The accounts
relating to the Company's affairs shall only be audited if the Directors so determine, in which case the accounting principles will be
determined by the Directors. The financial year of the Company shall end on 31 December of each year or such other date as the Directors
may determine.
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135.
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The Directors
in each year shall prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual return and declaration setting forth the particulars required by the Companies
Act and deliver a copy thereof to the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands.
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CAPITALISATION OF RESERVES
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136.
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Subject to the Companies Act
and these Articles, the Directors may:
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(a)
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resolve
to capitalise an amount standing to the credit of reserves (including a Share Premium Account, capital redemption reserve and profit and
loss account), whether or not available for distribution;
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(b)
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appropriate
the sum resolved to be capitalised to the Shareholders in proportion to the nominal amount of Shares (whether or not fully paid) held
by them respectively and apply that sum on their behalf in or towards:
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(i)
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paying up
the amounts (if any) for the time being unpaid on Shares held by them respectively, or
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(ii)
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paying up
in full unissued Shares or debentures of a nominal amount equal to that sum,
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and allot the Shares or debentures,
credited as fully paid, to the Shareholders (or as they may direct) in those proportions, or partly in one way and partly in the other,
but the Share Premium Account, the capital redemption reserve and profits which are not available for distribution may, for the purposes
of this Article, only be applied in paying up unissued Shares to be allotted to Shareholders credited as fully paid;
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(c)
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make any
arrangements they think fit to resolve a difficulty arising in the distribution of a capitalised reserve and in particular, without limitation,
where Shares or debentures become distributable in fractions the Directors may deal with the fractions as they think fit;
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(d)
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authorise
a Person to enter (on behalf of all the Shareholders concerned) into an agreement with the Company providing for either:
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(i)
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the allotment
to the Shareholders respectively, credited as fully paid, of Shares or debentures to which they may be entitled on the capitalisation,
or
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(ii)
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the payment
by the Company on behalf of the Shareholders (by the application of their respective proportions of the reserves resolved to be capitalised)
of the amounts or part of the amounts remaining unpaid on their existing Shares,
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and any such agreement made under this authority being effective
and binding on all those Shareholders; and
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(e)
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generally
do all acts and things required to give effect to any of the actions contemplated by this Article.
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SHARE PREMIUM ACCOUNT
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137.
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The Directors
shall in accordance with the Companies Act establish a Share Premium Account and shall carry to the credit of such account from time to
time a sum equal to the amount or value of the premium paid on the issue of any Share.
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138.
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There shall
be debited to any Share Premium Account on the redemption or purchase of a Share the difference between the nominal value of such Share
and the redemption or purchase price provided always that at the determination of the Directors such sum may be paid out of the profits
of the Company or, if permitted by the Companies Act, out of capital.
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NOTICES
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139.
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Any notice
or document may be served by the Company or by the Person entitled to give notice to any Shareholder either personally, or by posting
it airmail or air courier service in a prepaid letter addressed to such Shareholder at his address as appearing in the Register, or by
electronic mail to any electronic mail address such Shareholder may have specified in writing for the purpose of such service of notices,
or by facsimile should the Directors deem it appropriate. In the case of joint holders of a Share, all notices shall be given to that
one of the joint holders whose name stands first in the Register in respect of the joint holding, and notice so given shall be sufficient
notice to all the joint holders.
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140.
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Any Shareholder
present, either personally or by proxy, at any meeting of the Company shall for all purposes be deemed to have received due notice of
such meeting and, where requisite, of the purposes for which such meeting was convened.
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141.
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Any notice or other document,
if served by:
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(a)
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post, shall
be deemed to have been served five clear days after the time when the letter containing the same is posted;
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(b)
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facsimile,
shall be deemed to have been served upon production by the transmitting facsimile machine of a report confirming transmission of the facsimile
in full to the facsimile number of the recipient;
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(c)
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recognised
courier service, shall be deemed to have been served 48 hours after the time when the letter containing the same is delivered to the courier
service; or
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(d)
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electronic
mail, shall be deemed to have been served immediately upon the time of the transmission by electronic mail.
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In proving service by post or courier
service it shall be sufficient to prove that the letter containing the notice or documents was properly addressed and duly posted or delivered
to the courier service.
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142.
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Any notice
or document delivered or sent in accordance with the terms of these Articles shall notwithstanding that such Shareholder be then dead
or bankrupt, and whether or not the Company has notice of his death or bankruptcy, be deemed to have been duly served in respect of any
Share registered in the name of such Shareholder as sole or joint holder, unless his name shall at the time of the service of the notice
or document, have been removed from the Register as the holder of the Share, and such service shall for all purposes be deemed a sufficient
service of such notice or document on all Persons interested (whether jointly with or as claiming through or under him) in the Share.
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143.
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Notice of every general meeting
of the Company shall be given to:
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(a)
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all Shareholders
holding Shares with the right to receive notice and who have supplied to the Company an address for the giving of notices to them; and
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(b)
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every Person
entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Shareholder, who but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled
to receive notice of the meeting.
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No other Person shall be entitled to receive notices of general
meetings.
INDEMNITY
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144.
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Every Director
(including for the purposes of this Article any alternate Director appointed pursuant to the provisions of these Articles), Secretary,
assistant Secretary, or other Officer (but not including the Company's auditors) and the personal representatives of the same (each an
"Indemnified Person") shall be indemnified and secured harmless out of the assets and funds of the Company against all
actions, proceedings, costs, charges, expenses, losses, damages or liabilities incurred or sustained by such Indemnified Person, other
than by reason of such Indemnified Person's own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction,
in or about the conduct of the Company's business or affairs (including as a result of any mistake of judgment) or in the execution or
discharge of his duties, powers, authorities or discretions, including without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, any costs,
expenses, losses or liabilities incurred by such Indemnified Person in defending (whether successfully or otherwise) any civil proceedings
concerning the Company or its affairs in any court whether in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere.
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145.
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No Indemnified Person shall be
liable:
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(a)
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for the
acts, receipts, neglects, defaults or omissions of any other Director or Officer or agent of the Company; or
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(b)
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for any loss on account of defect
of title to any property of the Company; or
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(c)
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on account
of the insufficiency of any security in or upon which any money of the Company shall be invested; or
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(d)
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for any loss incurred through
any bank, broker or other similar Person; or
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(e)
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for any
loss occasioned by any negligence, default, breach of duty, breach of trust, error of judgement or oversight on such Indemnified Person's
part; or
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(f)
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for any
loss, damage or misfortune whatsoever which may happen in or arise from the execution or discharge of the duties, powers, authorities,
or discretions of such Indemnified Person's office or in relation thereto;
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unless the same shall happen through such Indemnified Person's
own dishonesty, wilful default or fraud as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.
NON-RECOGNITION OF TRUSTS
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146.
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Subject
to the proviso hereto, no Person shall be recognised by the Company as holding any Share upon any trust and the Company shall not, unless
required by law, be bound by or be compelled in any way to recognise (even when having notice thereof) any equitable, contingent, future
or partial interest in any Share or (except only as otherwise provided by these Articles or as the Companies Act requires) any other right
in respect of any Share except an absolute right to the entirety thereof in each Shareholder registered in the Register, provided that,
notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall be entitled to recognise any such interests as shall be determined by the Directors.
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WINDING UP
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147.
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If the Company
shall be wound up the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in such manner and order as he thinks fit in satisfaction of creditors'
claims.
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148.
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If the Company
shall be wound up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of an Ordinary Resolution divide amongst the Shareholders in specie or kind the
whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether they shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may, for such purpose
set such value as he deems fair upon any property to be divided as aforesaid and may determine how such division shall be carried out
as between the Shareholders or different Classes. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of such assets
in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Shareholders as the liquidator, with the like sanction shall think fit, but so that
no Shareholder shall be compelled to accept any assets whereon there is any liability.
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AMENDMENT OF ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
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149.
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Subject
to the Companies Act and the rights attaching to the various Classes, the Company may at any time and from time to time by Special Resolution
alter or amend these Articles in whole or in part.
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CLOSING OF REGISTER OR FIXING RECORD DATE
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150.
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For the
purpose of determining those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at any meeting of Shareholders or any
adjournment thereof, or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination as
to who is a Shareholder for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register shall be closed for transfers for a stated
period which shall not exceed in any case 40 days. If the Register shall be so closed for the purpose of determining those Shareholders
that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders the Register shall be so closed for at least ten days
immediately preceding such meeting and the record date for such determination shall be the date of the closure of the Register.
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151.
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In lieu
of or apart from closing the Register, the Directors may fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of those
Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote at a meeting of the Shareholders and for the purpose of determining
those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of any dividend the Directors may, at or within 90 days prior to the date of declaration
of such dividend, fix a subsequent date as the record date for such determination.
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152.
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If the Register
is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of those Shareholders entitled to receive notice of, attend or vote
at a meeting of Shareholders or those Shareholders that are entitled to receive payment of a dividend, the date on which notice of the
meeting is posted or the date on which the resolution of the Directors declaring such dividend is adopted, as the case may be, shall be
the record date for such determination of Shareholders. When a determination of those Shareholders that are entitled to receive notice
of, attend or vote at a meeting of Shareholders has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment
thereof.
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REGISTRATION BY WAY OF CONTINUATION
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153.
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The Company
may by Special Resolution resolve to be registered by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands or such other jurisdiction
in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing. In furtherance of a resolution adopted pursuant to this Article,
the Directors may cause an application to be made to the Registrar of Companies to deregister the Company in the Cayman Islands or such
other jurisdiction in which it is for the time being incorporated, registered or existing and may cause all such further steps as they
consider appropriate to be taken to effect the transfer by way of continuation of the Company.
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MERGERS AND CONSOLIDATION
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154.
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The Company may merge or consolidate
in accordance with the Companies Act.
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155.
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To the extent
required by the Companies Act, the Company may by Special Resolution resolve to merge or consolidate the Company.
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DISCLOSURE
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156.
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The Directors,
or any authorised service providers (including the Officers, the Secretary and the registered office agent of the Company), shall be entitled
to disclose to any regulatory or judicial authority, or to any stock exchange on which the Shares may from time to time be listed, any
information regarding the affairs of the Company including, without limitation, information contained in the Register and books of the
Company.
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NAME, ADDRESS AND DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIBER
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WNL Limited, 190 Elgin Avenue, George
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Town, Grand Cayman KY1-9001, Cayman
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Islands
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/s/ Aoife Murphy
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Aoife Murphy
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as Authorised Signatory for and on behalf of WNL Limited
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Dated:15 April 2021
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/s/
Laura Bodden
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Signature of Witness
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Name:
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Laura Bodden
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Address
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190 Elgin Avenue, George
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Town, Grand Cayman KY1-
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9001, Cayman Islands
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Occupation:
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Secretary
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Exhibit 10.6
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“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: up to $300,000
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Dated as of April 20, 2021
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|
(as set forth on the Schedule of Borrowings attached
hereto)
Iconic Sports Acquisition
Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company and blank check company (the “Maker”), promises to pay to the order of Iconic
Sports Management LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company, or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”),
or order, the principal sum of up to three hundred thousand U.S. dollars ($300,000) (as set forth on the Schedule of Borrowings attached
hereto) 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.
1. Principal.
The principal balance of this Note shall be payable by the Maker on the earlier of: (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the date on which Maker
consummates an initial public offering of its securities (the “IPO”). 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.
Interest. No interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this Note.
3.
Drawdown Requests. Maker and Payee agree that Maker may request up to Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) for costs
reasonably related to Maker’s initial public offering of its securities. The principal of this Note may be drawn down from time
to time prior to the earlier of: (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering of its securities,
upon written request from Maker to Payee (each, a “Drawdown Request”). Each Drawdown Request must state the amount
to be drawn down, and must not be an amount less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000) unless agreed upon by Maker and Payee. Payee shall
fund each Drawdown Request no later than one (1) business day after receipt of a Drawdown Request; provided, however, that the maximum
amount of drawdowns collectively under this Note is Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000). No fees, payments or other amounts shall
be due to Payee in connection with, or as a result of, any Drawdown Request by Maker.
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 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 due pursuant to this Note within five (5)
business days of the date specified above.
(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 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) and 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: (i) in
writing and delivered 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.
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 certain of the proceeds
of the sale of the warrants issued in a private placement to occur in connection with 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 the 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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ICONIC SPORTS ACQUISITION CORP.,
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a Cayman Islands exempted company
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By:
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/s/ Tommy Aylmer
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Name: Tommy Aylmer
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Title: Director
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[Signature Page to Promissory Note]
SCHEDULE OF BORROWINGS
The following increases or
decreases in this Promissory Note have been made:
Date of Increase or
Decrease
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Amount of decrease in
Principal Amount of this Promissory Note
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Amount of increase in
Principal Amount of this Promissory Note
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Principal Amount of this Promissory Note following such decrease or increase
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Exhibit 10.7
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
16 Hanover Square
London, W1S 1HT
United Kingdom
April 20, 2021
Iconic Sports Management LLC
16 Hanover Square
London, W1S 1HT
United Kingdom
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RE:
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Securities Subscription Agreement
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Gentlemen:
This agreement (this “Agreement”)
is entered into on April 20, 2021 by and between Iconic Sports Management LLC, a Cayman Islands limited liability company (the “Subscriber”
or “you”), and Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”). Pursuant to
the terms hereof, the Company hereby accepts the offer the Subscriber has made to purchase 11,500,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001
par value per share (the “Shares”), up to 1,500,000 of which are subject to surrender and cancellation by you if the underwriters
of the initial public offering (“IPO”) of units (“Units”) of the Company do not fully exercise their over-allotment
option (the “Over-allotment Option”). The Company and the Subscriber’s agreements regarding such Shares are as follows:
1.
Purchase of Securities.
1.1
Purchase of Shares. For the sum of $25,000 (the “Purchase Price”), which the Company acknowledges receiving
in cash, the Company hereby issues the Shares to the Subscriber, and the Subscriber hereby subscribes for and purchases the Shares from
the Company, 1,500,000 of which are subject to surrender and cancellation, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this
Agreement. All references in this Agreement to shares of the Company being surrendered and canceled shall take effect as surrenders and
cancellations for no consideration of such shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
1.2
Repurchase of Subscriber Share. On the issuance of the Shares, the Company shall repurchase the one Class B ordinary share,
par value $0.0001, in the Company held by WNL Limited in its capacity as initial subscriber.
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 or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or any agreement,
order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is subject.
2.1.3
Registration and Authority. The Subscriber is a Cayman Islands limited liability company, validly existing and in good standing
under the laws of the Cayman Islands 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 sold 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: (i) an effective registration statement under the Securities
Act or (ii) 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 and/or its prospects.
2.1.6
Regulation D Offering. 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 to “accredited investors” within the meaning
of Section 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act or similar exemptions 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.
The Subscriber did not decide to 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. 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”
within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, and Subscriber understands that the certificates 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 pursuant to: (i) registration under the Securities
Act, or (ii) an available exemption from registration. 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 resell 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 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 or necessary
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
Incorporation and Corporate Power. The Company is a Cayman Islands exempted company 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. Upon execution and delivery by the Company, this Agreement will be a legal, valid and binding
agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company 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).
2.2.2
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 memorandum and articles of association of the
Company, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company is a party or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to
which the Company is subject, or 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, and registration in the
Company’s register of members, the Shares will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Upon issuance in accordance
with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, and registration in the Company’s register of members, 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, (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 seeks to recover damages or to obtain other relief in connection
with any transactions.
3.
Surrender and Cancellation of Shares.
3.1
Partial or No Exercise of the Over-allotment Option. In the event the Over-allotment Option granted to the representative(s)
of the underwriters of the Company’s IPO is not exercised in full, the Subscriber acknowledges and agrees that it shall surrender
for cancellation any and all rights to such number of Shares (up to an aggregate of 1,500,000 Shares and pro rata based upon the percentage
of the Over-allotment Option exercised) such that immediately following such surrender, the Subscriber (and all other initial shareholders
prior to the IPO, if any) will own an aggregate number of Shares (not including ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants
or any ordinary shares purchased by Subscriber in the Company’s IPO or in the aftermarket) equal to 20% of the issued and outstanding
ordinary shares of the Company immediately following the IPO.
3.2
Termination of Rights as Shareholder. If any of the Shares are surrendered and cancelled 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.
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 shareholders 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 ordinary shares
in the IPO or in the aftermarket, any additional Shares 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 ordinary 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
Restrictive Legends. Any certificates representing the Shares shall have endorsed thereon legends substantially as follows:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE
NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES 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.”
5.3
Additional Shares or Substituted Securities. In the event of the declaration of a share capitalization, the declaration
of an extraordinary dividend payable in a form other than Shares, a spin-off, a share sub-division, an adjustment in conversion ratio,
a recapitalization or a similar transaction affecting the Company’s outstanding Shares 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 and/or class of Shares
subject to this Section 5 and Section 3.
5.4
Registration Rights. 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 and Shareholder Rights Agreement to be entered into with the Company prior to the closing of the IPO.
6.
Other Agreements.
6.1
Further Assurances. 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: (i) in
writing and delivered 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 on Form S-1 associated with the Company’s
IPO, 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 a 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.
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 save 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 subdivisions 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 parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. If an ambiguity
or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto and no presumption
or burden of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party hereto because of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. 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 subdivision 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. 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 shareholders and shall not seek redemption or repurchase with respect
to such Shares. Additionally, the Subscriber agrees not to tender any Shares in connection with a tender offer presented to the Company’s
shareholders in connection with an initial business combination negotiated by the Company.
[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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Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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/s/ Tommy Aylmer
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Name:
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Tommy Aylmer
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Title:
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Director
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Accepted and agreed as
of the date first written above.
Iconic Sports Management LLC
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By:
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/s/ Fausto Zanetton
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Name:
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Fausto Zanetton
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Title:
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Director
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Exhibit 23.1
Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent
We consent to the inclusion in this Registration
Statement of Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp (the ”Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated May 10, 2021, except
for the second paragraph of Note 9 as to which the date is October 6, 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 Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp as of
April 20, 2021 and for the period from April 15, 2021 (inception) through April 20, 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
Melville, NY
October 6, 2021
Exhibit 99.1
Consent of Renée E. LaBran
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) intends
to file a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”)
registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.
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October 6, 2021
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By:
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/s/ Renée E. LaBran
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Name:
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Renée E. LaBran
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Exhibit 99.2
Consent of Alex Liu
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) intends
to file a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”)
registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.
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October 6, 2021
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By:
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/s/ Alex Liu
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Name:
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Alex Liu
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Exhibit 99.3
Consent of Fahd Beg
Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) intends
to file a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (together with any amendments or supplements thereto, the “Registration Statement”)
registering securities for issuance in its initial public offering. As required by Rule 438 under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, the undersigned hereby consents to being named in the Registration Statement as a Director Nominee.
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October 6, 2021
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By:
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/s/ Fahd Beg
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Name:
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Fahd Beg
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