Table of Contents

As Filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 11, 2019

Registration No. 333-229027

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware

 

6770

 

61-1898603

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial

Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

(212) 818-8800

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

Jonathan J. Ledecky, Chief Executive Officer

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

(212) 818-8800

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copies to:

 

David Alan Miller, Esq.   Douglas S. Ellenoff, Esq.
Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq.  

Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.

Graubard Miller  

Jeffrey W. Rubin, Esq.

The Chrysler Building  

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

405 Lexington Avenue  

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10174  

New York, New York 10105

Telephone: (212) 818-8800   Telephone: (212) 370-1300

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box.  

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.  

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

 

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

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

                                 

Title of each class of security being registered

 

Amount being

registered

   

Proposed

maximum

offering price

per security(1)

   

Proposed

maximum

aggregate

offering price(1)

   

Amount of

registration fee

 

Units, each consisting of one share of common stock, $.0001 par value, and one Warrant(2)

    23,000,000 Units     $ 10.00     $ 230,000,000     $ 27,876  

Shares of common stock included as part of the Units(3)

    23,000,000 Shares                   (4) 

Redeemable Warrants included as part of the Units(3)

    23,000,000 Warrants                   (4) 

Total

                  $ 230,000,000     $ 27,876 (5) 
                                 

 

(1)   Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

 

(2)   Includes 3,000,000 Units, 3,000,000 shares of common stock and 3,000,000 Redeemable Warrants underlying such Units which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters.

 

(3)   Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

 

(4)   No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).
(5)   Previously paid.

 

 

This registration statement shall hereafter become effective in accordance with the provisions of section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

The information in this 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 prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any effective. This 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 January 11, 2019

Preliminary prospectus

$200,000,000

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

20,000,000 Units

Pivotal Acquisition Corp. is a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation 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 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 potential target regarding entering into a business combination with us.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. The underwriters have a 45-day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units.

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their shares of Class A common stock upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (net of our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding shares of Class A common stock that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein. Additionally, the Class A common stock sold in this offering will have limited voting rights in certain situations, as further described herein.

Our sponsor, Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC, whose members are Jonathan J. Ledecky, our chief executive officer and chairman of our board of directors, and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC (which is a newly formed entity that is an affiliate of Kevin Griffin, one of our directors who is also Chief Executive Officer of MGG Investment Group, LP), has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 5,750,000 warrants (or 6,350,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,750,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.

Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. However, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC may not agree to purchase any securities.

There is presently no public market for our units, Class A common stock or warrants. We have applied to have our units listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE, under the symbol “PVT.U” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described in more detail in this prospectus, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “PVT” and “PVT WS,” respectively.

We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “ Risk Factors ” beginning on page 22 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.

 

         Per unit        Total  

Public offering price

     $ 10.00        $ 200,000,000  

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

     $ 0.55        $ 11,000,000  

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

     $ 9.45        $ 189,000,000  

 

(1)   Includes $0.35 per unit, or an aggregate of $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares is exercised in full), of deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account in the United States as described in this prospectus in more detail. See the section titled “ Underwriting ” for a description of compensation and other items of value payable to the underwriters.

Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200,000,000, or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.

The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about [ · ] , 2019.

Sole Book-Running Manager

Cantor

Lead Manager

BTIG

[ · ], 2019


Table of Contents

Table of contents

 

     Page  

Prospectus summary

     1  

Summary financial data

     21  

Risk factors

     22  

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

     58  

Use of proceeds

     59  

Dividend policy

     62  

Dilution

     63  

Capitalization

     65  

Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

     66  

Proposed business

     71  

Management

     92  

Principal stockholders

     103  

Certain relationships and related party transactions

     106  

Description of securities

     108  

Securities eligible for future sale

     120  

Taxation

     122  

Underwriting

     129  

Legal matters

     136  

Experts

     136  

Where you can find additional information

     136  

Index to financial statements

     F-1  

We are responsible for the information contained in this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no 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.

 

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Prospectus summary

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. 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:

 

 

“we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation;

 

 

“amended and restated certificate of incorporation” are to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation;

 

 

“common stock” are to our Class A common stock and our Class B common stock;

 

 

“DGCL” are to the Delaware General Corporation Law as the same may be amended from time to time;

 

 

“founder shares” are to our shares of Class B common stock initially issued to our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the shares of Class A common stock that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B common stock at the time of our initial business combination (for the avoidance of doubt, such shares of Class A common stock which are converted from Class B common stock will not be “public shares”);

 

 

“initial stockholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;

 

 

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

 

 

“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;

 

 

“public shares” are to our shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);

 

 

“public stockholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial stockholders and management team to the extent our initial stockholders and/or members of our management team purchase public shares, provided that each initial stockholder’s and member of our management team’s status as a “public stockholder” will exist only with respect to such public shares; and

 

 

“sponsor” are to Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC, whose members are Jonathan J. Ledecky, our chief executive officer and chairman of our board of directors, and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC. Kevin Griffin, one of our directors, is an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC.

Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their option to purchase additional units.

General

We are a newly organized blank check company incorporated as a Delaware corporation 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 or entities, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not selected 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 target regarding entering into a business combination with us.

 

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Business Strategy and Target Industries

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location, we intend to focus our search on companies in North America in industries ripe for disruption from continuously evolving digital technology and the resulting shift in distribution patterns and consumer purchase behavior. Most of these middle market and emerging growth companies will ultimately need to consolidate to achieve the scale necessary to attain high revenue growth and attractive profitability. We believe that acquiring a leading, high-growth participant will provide a public currency to fund consolidation and fuel growth. Segments we might explore include, but are not limited to, logistics technology and “last mile” delivery services, business technology services, on-line cyber security and off-line physical security services, media and entertainment services and franchise businesses.

Competitive Strengths

We believe that we possess several competitive strengths to successfully source, evaluate and execute an initial business combination. We believe that the background, operating history and experience of our management team and special advisors have equipped us not only to provide access to a broad spectrum of investment opportunities, but also to significantly improve upon the operational and financial performance of a target business.

Experienced management

We are led by Jonathan J. Ledecky, our Chief Executive Officer and the chairman of our board of directors. He is also a managing member of our sponsor. Mr. Ledecky has an extensive track record of involvement in public companies and acquisition vehicles. Mr. Ledecky has been a co-owner of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders franchise since October 2014. Previously, Mr. Ledecky served as president, secretary and a director of Endeavor Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised gross proceeds of approximately $129 million in its initial public offering and completed its initial business combination with American Apparel, Inc. Mr. Ledecky also founded U.S. Office Products. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mr. Ledecky has been involved with other blank check companies that were unable to complete initial business combinations or completed initial business combinations only after changes were made to the structure of such companies. See the section titled “Management – Prior involvement of principals in blank check companies” for further information.

Additionally, Kevin Griffin, one of our directors, is the Chief Executive Officer of MGG Investment Group, LP, an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC. During Mr. Griffin’s 20-year career, Mr. Griffin has originated and invested over $4 billion across the capital structure of middle market businesses and has also served on numerous boards of directors. In May 2015, the M&A Advisor named Mr. Griffin a winner of its 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award. In December 2016, the Hedge Fund Journal, in association with Ernst & Young, named Mr. Griffin one of 50 “Tomorrow’s Titans”.

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

Established sourcing network

We intend to maximize our potential target investments by proactively approaching our extensive network of contacts, including private equity and venture capital sponsors, executives of public and private companies,

 

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merger and acquisition advisory firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial intermediaries. We believe the prior investment experience and track record of our team will give us a competitive advantage when sourcing potential initial business combination opportunities.

We also expect to benefit from Mr. Griffin’s affiliation with MGG Investment Group. MGG Investment Group is a private direct lender centered on the underserved and less competitive lower-middle market. MGG Investment Group is an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor. MGG Investment Group possesses a sourcing network built over two decades focused on management teams and advisors. MGG Investment Group generally reviews roughly 700 opportunities per year across a variety of industries, including those referenced above. MGG Investment Group’s veteran team members, led by Mr. Griffin, have spent their careers providing financings to, and advising, mid-market businesses and public companies. MGG Investment Group’s investment team includes individuals with prior investment and transactional experience at Highbridge Principal Strategies, Fortress Investment Group, Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., TPG Capital/Oaktree Capital, TCW/Regiment Capital Advisors, J.P. Morgan, AEA Investors LP, Apollo Investment Corporation, Avenue Capital, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, among others. MGG Investment Group partners with its portfolio companies to help them build value, address immediate needs, and solve complex situations. MGG Investment Group currently manages in excess of $1 billion of equity capital from leading institutional endowments, foundations, insurance companies and pensions. We believe that potential sellers will be interested in a relationship with the MGG Investment Group platform and look favorably upon our affiliation with MGG Investment Group. While MGG Investment Group has no contractual obligation to assist us in locating and consummating an initial business combination, we believe that MGG Investment Group will assist us to the extent it can as a result of Mr. Griffin’s affiliation with us. However, we cannot assure you of this fact.

Value-enhancing operational expertise

We will be focused on identifying target businesses where we believe significant value can be created through the implementation of operational improvements. We will also use our extensive expertise to ramp up the growth and franchise value of our target businesses through opportunistic “add on” acquisitions.

Financial acumen

We believe, given our management and board of directors’ transactional experience and network of contacts, we are well positioned to identify, source, negotiate, structure, and close an initial business combination and subsequently pursue “add on” acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic relationships. Collectively, management and our directors have been involved in numerous transactions ranging in size from several million dollars to several billion dollars.

Our business combination process

NYSE rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (net of amounts previously disbursed to management for tax obligations and excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust) at the time of our 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 our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction

 

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company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common or preferred stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target in order to consummate such transaction. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% fair market value test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

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

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team and directors 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 officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities, including as described below. 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 will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such other entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

 

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Corporate information

Our executive offices are located at c/o Graubard Miller, The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10174, and our telephone number is (212) 818-8800.

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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our shares of Class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.

 

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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 .”

 

Securities offered

20,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:

 

   

one share of Class A common stock; and

 

   

one redeemable warrant.

 

Proposed Listing symbols

Units: “PVT.U”

 

  Class A Common Stock: “PVT”

 

  Warrants: “PVT WS”

 

Trading commencement and separation of Class A common stock and warrants

The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52 nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. informs us of its 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 common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A common stock and warrants.

 

Separate trading of the Class A common stock and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K

In no event will the Class A common stock 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 after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days from the date the units commence trading. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

 

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Units:

 

Number outstanding before this offering

0

 

Number outstanding after this offering

20,000,000

Shares of common stock:

 

Number outstanding before this offering

5,750,000 (1) (2)

 

Number outstanding after this offering

25,000,000 (2) (3)

Warrants:

 

Number of private placement warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering

5,750,000 (4)

 

Number of warrants to be outstanding after this offering and the private placement

25,750,000 (4)

 

Exercisability

Each warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock.

 

Exercise price

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as described herein.

 

Exercise period

The warrants will become exercisable on the later of:

 

   

30 days after the completion of our initial business combination; and

 

   

12 months from the closing of this offering;

 

  provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock 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

 

(1)   Includes up to 750,000 founder shares that will be forfeited by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.

 

(2)   Founder shares are currently classified as Class B common stock, which shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “ Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights .”

 

(3)   Assumes the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised and 750,000 founder shares have been forfeited by our sponsor as a result thereof. Represents 20,000,000 public shares and 5,000,000 founder shares.

 

(4)   Assumes the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC will purchase an additional 600,000 warrants in a private placement simultaneously with this offering and an additional 1,500,000 warrants will be issued as part of the units sold pursuant to the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

 

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holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement). 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 not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants at this time. However, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC and have an effective registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60 th day after the closing of our 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.

 

  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

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 closing price of our shares of Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

  We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act.

 

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  If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. Please see “ Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Stockholders’ Warrants ” for additional information.

 

  None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees.

 

Founder shares

In August 2018, we issued to our sponsor an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors in December 2018 and transferred 100,000 founder shares to our chief financial officer in December 2018, in each case at the same per-share purchase price paid by our sponsor. Prior to the initial investment in our company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we 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 number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our sponsor will forfeit for no consideration up to 750,000 shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a stock dividend or contribution back to capital, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

 

  The founder shares are identical to the shares of Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

 

   

only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination;

 

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the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

 

   

our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into letter agreements with us, the form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination (and not seek to sell their shares to us in any tender offer we undertake in connection with our initial business combination), (ii) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame). If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed, pursuant to the above-referenced letter agreements, to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised). The members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them directly in or after this offering; and

 

   

the founder shares are automatically convertible into shares of our Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below adjacent to the caption “ Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights .”

 

Transfer restrictions on founder shares

Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “ Principal Stockholders—Transfers of

 

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Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants ”). Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial stockholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up.

 

  Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be automatically released from the lock-up.

 

Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

The founder shares are designated as Class B common stock and will automatically convert into Class A common stock on the first business day following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares will convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate 20% of the sum of the shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus the number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked shares issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of conversions), excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, pursuant to the forward purchase contract, or to any seller in our initial business combination and any private placement warrants or working capital warrants issued to our sponsor, any of our officers or directors, or any of their affiliates.

 

Election of directors; voting rights

Prior to the vote (if there is one) on our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation may only be amended if approved by a majority of at least 90% of our common stock voting at a stockholder meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our stockholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by 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.

 

Private placement at time of offering

Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,750,000 private placement warrants (or 6,350,000 private placement warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,750,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional

 

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units is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The number of private placement warrants to be purchased by the sponsor if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised only in part will be a number of warrants necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private placement warrants will be purchased simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants will be non-redeemable and exercisable on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us 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 shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described herein under “ Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants .”

 

Private placement at time of business combination

Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into a definitive agreement for a proposed initial business combination. The funds received from this arrangement, if any, may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination or may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The agreement to purchase these securities is also conditioned on our board of directors, including Kevin Griffin, who is affiliated with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, having unanimously approved the proposed initial business combination. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, we may not receive any proceeds from this agreement and may need to arrange alternate financing to complete a business combination.

 

Proceeds to be held in trust
account

Of the proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $200,000,000, or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is

 

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exercised in full ($10.00 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, $4,000,000 will be paid to the underwriters as commissions and $1,750,000 will be used to pay other expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.

 

  Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our tax obligations and subject to the requirements of law and regulation, provides that none of the funds held in the trust account will be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.

 

Anticipated expenses and funding sources

Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay our tax obligations. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the after-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,000,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 1.5% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. Except as described above, unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from:

 

   

the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account, which will be approximately $1,000,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately $750,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and

 

   

any loans or additional investments from our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or our officers and directors, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us, 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

NYSE rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (net of amounts previously disbursed to management for tax obligations and excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in

 

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trust) at the time of our 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 our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions.

 

  We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-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-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of NYSE’s 80% fair market value test, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for purposes of a tender offer or for seeking stockholder approval, as applicable. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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 shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or 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 —Permitted purchases of our securities ” for a description of

 

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how our sponsor, initial stockholders, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.

 

  The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our shares of Class A common stock or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.

 

Conversion rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert 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 trust account and not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to investors who properly convert their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no conversion rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us, the form of which has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them directly in or after this offering.

 

Limitations on conversions

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will consummate an initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets

 

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of at least $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted conversion requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, we would not proceed with such conversion and the related business combination. Additionally, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering. Such a public stockholder would still be entitled to vote against a proposed business combination with respect to all shares owned by him or his affiliates. We believe this restriction will prevent stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By limiting a stockholder’s ability to convert no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a 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 consummate on initial business combination if our net tangible assets are below $5,000,001, we do not have a maximum conversion threshold based on the percentage of the shares sold in this offering, as many blank check companies do. This may make it easier for us to consummate our initial business combination.

 

  In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for conversion 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 convert any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for conversion will be returned to the holders thereof.

 

Manner of conducting conversions

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek stockholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require stockholder approval, while direct mergers

 

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with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock or seek to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation would require stockholder approval. We currently intend to conduct conversions in connection with a stockholder vote unless stockholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement and we choose to conduct conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons.

 

  If we hold a stockholder vote to approve our initial business combination, we will:

 

   

file proxy materials with the SEC; and

 

   

conduct the conversions 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.

 

  If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. In such case, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised). The other members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them in or after this offering. Each public stockholder may elect to convert their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or vote at all.

 

  If we conduct conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation:

 

   

conduct the conversions 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 conversion 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 conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase shares of our Class A common stock in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.

 

 

In the event we conduct conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to convert will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with

 

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Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public stockholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public stockholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.

 

Limitation on conversion rights of stockholders holding 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold stockholder vote

Notwithstanding the foregoing conversion rights, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public stockholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its conversion 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 stockholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those stockholders that hold more than 20% 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 used to pay amounts due to any public stockholders who exercise their conversion rights as described above under “ Conversion rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination ,” to pay the underwriters the deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial

 

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business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, 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.

 

Liquidation if no initial business combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will have only 18 months from the consummation of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period (or such later date as may be approved by our stockholders), 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 trust account (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay liquidation expenses and which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time period.

 

  The holders of the founders’ shares will not participate in any liquidation distribution from our trust account with respect to such securities.

 

  Our sponsor has contractually agreed pursuant to a written agreement with us that, if we liquidate the trust account prior to the consummation of a business combination, our sponsor will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, the agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, we cannot assure you that the per-share distribution from the trust account, if we liquidate the trust account because we have not completed a business combination within the required time period, will not be less than $10.00.

 

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  We will pay the costs of liquidating the trust account from the up to $100,000 of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that is available to us for liquidation expenses.

 

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 our 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 held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

 

   

repayment of a $125,000 loan made to us by an affiliate of our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;

 

   

payment of consulting, finder or success fees for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination;

 

   

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

 

   

repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended 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. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates.

 

Audit committee

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 to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our 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 formed 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 .”

 

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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.

 

       August 25, 2018     September 30, 2018  
       Actual     Actual     As adjusted  
     (Audited)     (Unaudited)     (Unaudited)  

Balance Sheet Data:

      

Working capital deficiency(1)

   $ (2,869   $ (45,993   $ 194,024,007  

Total assets(2)

     152,500       152,476       201,024,007  

Total liabilities

     127,869       128,469       7,000,000  

Value of common stock subject to possible conversion/tender(3)

                 189,024,000  

Stockholders’ equity(4)

     24,631       24,007       5,000,007  

 

 

 

(1)   The “as adjusted” calculation includes $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,000,000 of cash held outside the trust account, less $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, plus $24,007 of actual stockholders’ equity at September 30, 2018. The “as adjusted” calculation excludes gross proceeds of up to $150,000,000 that we may receive from the forward purchase contract we have entered into with a member of our sponsor.

 

(2)   The “as adjusted” calculation equals $200,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, plus $1,000,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $24,007 of actual stockholders’ equity at September 30, 2018.

 

(3)   The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” stockholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001.

 

(4)   Excludes 18,902,400 shares of Class A common stock purchased in the public market which are subject to conversion in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of the shares of Class A common stock that may be converted in connection with our initial business combination ($10.00 per share).

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering, including the application of the related gross proceeds and the payment of the estimated remaining costs from such sale and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $200,000,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus.

If no initial business combination is completed within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares. Our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us in which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months.

 

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Risk factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.

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

We are a recently formed company with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.

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 September 30, 2018, we had $82,476 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $45,993. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “ Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations .” Our plans to raise capital and to consummate our initial business combination may not 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.

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

We may choose not to hold a stockholder vote before we complete our initial business combination if the business combination would not require stockholder 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 not be required to seek stockholder approval to complete such a transaction. Except for as required by applicable law or stock exchange requirement, the decision as to whether we will seek stockholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow stockholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek stockholder approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our shares of common stock do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “ Proposed Business—Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination ” for additional information.

 

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Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to convert your shares to 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 our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking stockholder approval, public stockholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such stockholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding our initial business combination may be limited to exercising your conversion rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public stockholders in which we describe our initial business combination.

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

Our initial stockholders will own 20% of our outstanding shares of common stock immediately following the completion of this offering. Our initial stockholders and management team also may from time to time purchase shares of Class A common stock prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, if we seek stockholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares voted at such meeting, including the founder shares. If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public stockholders vote. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised). Accordingly, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial stockholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite stockholder approval for such initial business combination.

The ability of our public stockholders to convert 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 business that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. Although we may have access to up to $150,000,000 from the forward purchase contract entered into with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, as described in this prospectus, if too many public stockholders exercise their conversion 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. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted conversion requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a closing condition as described above, we would not proceed with such conversion 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.

 

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

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

The ability of our public stockholders to exercise conversion 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 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 the conversion until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.

The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our stockholders.

Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct

 

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due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law.

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

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. However, other than as expressly stated herein, 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 shares or public warrants in such transactions.

In the event that our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their conversion rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to convert their shares. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “ Proposed Business

 

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—Permitted purchases of our securities ” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting conversions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a stockholder fails to receive our proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, such stockholder may not become aware of the opportunity to convert 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 convert or tender public shares. In the event that a stockholder fails to comply with these procedures, its shares may not be converted to cash. See “ Proposed Business—Business Strategy—Tendering Share Certificates in Connection with Exercising Conversion Rights .”

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 stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those shares of Class A common stock that such stockholder properly elected to convert, subject to the limitations described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public stockholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

In evaluating a prospective target business for our initial business combination, our management may rely on the availability of the funds from the sale of the securities pursuant to the forward purchase contract to be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination. If the sale of the securities pursuant to the forward purchase contract fails to close, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination.

Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into the definitive agreement for the proposed business combination. The funds received from this arrangement, if any, may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination or may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The forward purchase contract is subject to additional conditions, including that our board of directors unanimously approves our proposed initial business combination (and Kevin Griffin, an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, is one of our directors). Accordingly, if the conditions are

 

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not satisfied, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will not be obligated to purchase the securities. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. If the sale of the securities pursuant to the forward purchase contract does not close by reason of (i) the failure of a condition or contingency to the closing of the forward purchase contract not being satisfied or (ii) Pivotal Spac Funding LLC’s failure to fund the purchase price for the securities, either because it lacks sufficient funds or because it determines that it is not in its best interest to fund the purchase price for any reason whatsoever, we may lack sufficient funds to consummate our initial business combination, or we may need to seek alternative financing. In the event of any such failure to fund, we may not be able to obtain additional funds to account for such shortfall on terms favorable to us or at all. Any such shortfall may also reduce the amount of funds that we have available for the working capital of the post-business combination company. We have not obligated Pivotal Spac Funding LLC to reserve any funds to satisfy its obligations under the forward purchase contract.

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

We have applied to have our units listed on the NYSE on or promptly after the date of this prospectus and our Class A common stock and warrants on or promptly after their date of separation. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. 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 400 public holders).

Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will likely be required to demonstrate compliance with the NYSE’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than the NYSE’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on the NYSE. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our stockholders’ equity would generally be required to be at least $4.0 million. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.

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

 

 

a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

 

 

reduced liquidity for our securities;

 

 

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

 

 

a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and

 

 

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

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE, our

 

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units, Class A common stock and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on the NYSE, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

If we take advantage of the NYSE controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements.

NYSE Rule 303A defines a “Controlled Company” as any company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. More than 50% of the founder shares will be held by our sponsor. Accordingly, prior to the vote on our initial business combination, we would likely satisfy the definition of being a controlled company. As indicated herein, we will not use the related exemptions to the NYSE governance rules under the controlled company standards. However, if we were to change our intentions and take advantage of the controlled company standards, we would be exempt from various corporate governance requirements such as the requirement to have a majority of independent directors and to have nominating/corporate governance and compensation committees comprised entirely of independent directors.

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 of at least $5,000,001 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. 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 .”

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of stockholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock, you will lose the ability to convert all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A common stock.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or

 

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any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. 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. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, 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 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 stockholder 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in the trust account, together with the interest that may be released to us, are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.

Of the net proceeds of this offering, only $1,000,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We will also have access to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account to pay our tax obligations. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, such funds will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate.

 

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In the event that our offering expenses (not including underwriting commissions) 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 (not including underwriting commissions) 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, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into 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, members of our management team or an affiliate of our sponsor 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public stockholders may only receive an estimated $10.00 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.

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 our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will surface 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 stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

 

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

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

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 are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public stockholders could be less than the $10.00 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to a 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 public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations. Since our sponsor’s assets consist only of our securities, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our other officers or directors or members of our sponsor will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per share and (ii) the actual amount per share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, 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 stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per share.

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

If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public stockholders, we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.

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

 

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

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

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

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

 

 

restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

 

restrictions on the issuance of securities,

each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:

 

 

registration as an investment company;

 

adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

 

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

In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading 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 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) 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

 

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either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering; or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholder rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public stockholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

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.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, our public stockholders may be forced to wait beyond such to 18 months before redemption from our trust account.

If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public stockholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public stockholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the DGCL. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond 18 months 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 we seek to amend our certificate of incorporation as described herein or consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A common stock. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public stockholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.

 

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

Under the DGCL, stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against a corporation to the extent of distributions received by them in a dissolution. The pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering may be considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law. If a corporation complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the DGCL intended to ensure that it makes reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional 150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. However, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as soon as reasonably possible following the 18th month from the closing of this offering in the event we do not complete our initial business combination and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with the foregoing procedures.

Because we will not be complying with Section 280, Section 281(b) of the DGCL requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within the 10 years following our dissolution. However, because we are a blank check company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors (such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target businesses. If our plan of distribution complies with Section 281(b) of the DGCL, any liability of stockholders with respect to a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the stockholder would likely be barred after the third anniversary of the dissolution. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend beyond the third anniversary of such date. Furthermore, if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our public stockholders upon the redemption of our public shares in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering is not considered a liquidating distribution under Delaware law and such redemption distribution is deemed to be unlawful (potentially due to the imposition of legal proceedings that a party may bring or due to other circumstances that are currently unknown), then pursuant to Section 174 of the DGCL, the statute of limitations for claims of creditors could then be six years after the unlawful redemption distribution, instead of three years, as in the case of a liquidating distribution.

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

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

 

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We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time, and such registration may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding such investor from being able to exercise its warrants and causing such warrants to expire worthless.

We are not registering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering such shares and maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, unless an exemption is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to take such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants in such states, to the extent an exemption is not available. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of Class A common stock included in the units. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

If you exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis,” you will receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

There are circumstances in which the exercise of the public warrants may be required or permitted to be made on a cashless basis. For instance, if we call our warrants for redemption, we can force all holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. Additionally, If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrantholders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. In the event of an exercise on a cashless basis, a holder would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined in the next sentence) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average volume weighted average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the

 

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holders of warrants, as applicable. As a result, you would receive fewer shares of Class A common stock from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.

The private placement warrants may be exercised at a time when the public warrants may not be exercised.

Once the private placement warrants become exercisable, such warrants may immediately be exercised on a cashless basis, at the holder’s option, so long as they are held by our sponsor or its permitted transferees. The public warrants, however, will only be exercisable on a cashless basis at the option of the holders if we fail to register the shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act within 60 days following the closing of our initial business combination. Accordingly, it is possible that the holders of the private placement warrants could exercise such warrants at a time when the holders of public warrants could not exercise their warrants.

The grant of registration rights to our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants and purchasers of securities pursuant to the forward purchase contract may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock.

Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A common stock into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, holders of warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, and holders of units that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract may demand that we register such securities. The registration rights will be exercisable with respect to the founder shares, the private placement warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of such private placement warrants and forward purchase contract units and underlying securities. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the 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 Class A common stock that is expected when the securities owned by our initial stockholders, holders of our private placement warrants, and holders of units that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract or their respective permitted transferees are registered.

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.

Although we initially intend to focus our search for a target business in in the sports, logistics, e-commerce and consumer technology industries, we are not limited to evaluating a target business in any particular industry sector (except that we will not, under our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, be permitted to effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations). As a result, there is no current 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

 

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lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target. Accordingly, any stockholders who choose to remain stockholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such stockholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.

We may seek acquisition opportunities in any industry our management chooses (which industries may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise).

We may consider a business combination with a target business operating in any industry our management chooses. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our 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 candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained 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 securityholders who choose to remain securityholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such securityholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.

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

To the extent we complete our initial business combination with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the operations of the business with which we combine. These risks include volatile revenues or earnings and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we may not be able to properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors and we may not have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.

 

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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our stockholders from a financial point of view.

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

We may issue additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon the conversion of the 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 therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our stockholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 75,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 29,250,000 and 5,000,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their option to purchase additional units) authorized but unissued shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock, 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 common stock or securities issuable pursuant to the forward purchase contract. The Class B common stock is automatically convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein. Immediately after this offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.

We may issue a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue shares of Class A common stock upon conversion of the Class B common stock at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth herein. However, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provide, among other things, that prior to 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 any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the rights granted to public stockholders in this offering, including but not limited to conversion rights.

These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred stock:

 

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;

 

 

may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock;

 

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

 

 

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

Our initial stockholders will receive additional shares of Class A common stock if we issue shares to consummate an initial business combination.

The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock on the first business day following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of Class A common stock, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares will convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate 20% of the sum of our shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus the number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of conversions), excluding any shares of Class A common stock or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in our initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor. This is different than most other similarly structured blank check companies in which the initial stockholders will only be issued an aggregate of 20% of the total number of shares to be outstanding prior to our initial business combination.

Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on stockholders.

We may, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite stockholder approval under the DGCL, reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a stockholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the stockholder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to stockholders to pay such taxes. Stockholders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.

 

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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.

Prior to the completion of an initial business combination, our operations will be dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our executive 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 executive 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 executive officers. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors or executive officers could have a detrimental effect on us.

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

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, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

 

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

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

Our executive 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 executive 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 executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers 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 executive 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 executive officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “ Management .”

Our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities 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. Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. For instance, Jonathan J. Ledecky, our chief executive officer, is also the president and a director of Newtown Lane Holdings, Incorporated, a blank check company currently searching for strategic alternatives. Accordingly, our officers and directors 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, subject to their fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

For a complete discussion of our executive officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “ Management—Officers and Directors ” and “ Management—Conflicts of Interest.

 

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Our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us, 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 officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. 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 other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Delaware law.

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—Directors and Executive Officers ,” “ Management —Conflicts of Interest ” and “ Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions .”

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, executive officers, directors or existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.

In light of the involvement of our sponsor, executive officers and directors with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders. Our directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “ Management—Conflicts of Interest .” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “ Proposed Business—Effecting our initial business combination —Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination ” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public stockholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.

Since our sponsor, executive 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.

In August 2018, we issued to our sponsor an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors in December 2018 and transferred 100,000 founder shares to our chief financial officer in December 2018, in each case at the same per-share purchase price paid by our sponsor. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per-share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount contributed to us

 

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by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our sponsor will forfeit to us for no consideration up to 750,000 shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. 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 5,750,000 private placement warrants (or 6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,750,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. In addition, we may obtain loans from our sponsor, our officers or directors, or any of their affiliates. The personal and financial interests of our executive 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 our initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the 18-month anniversary of the closing of this offering nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.

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

Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We 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:

 

 

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 security is payable on demand;

 

 

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

 

 

our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock;

 

 

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock 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;

 

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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.

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, the sale of the private placement warrants and proceeds from the forward purchase contract, 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 private placement of warrants will provide us with $194,000,000 (or $222,950,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $7,000,000, or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account). We may also have access to up to $150,000,000 of proceeds from the forward purchase contract as described herein.

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

 

 

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

 

 

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

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

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

 

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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 business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. By definition, very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.

Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.

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

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not provide a specified maximum conversion threshold, except that in no event will we consummate an initial business combination if holders exercising conversion rights would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (such that we are not 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 stockholders do not agree with the transaction and have converted their shares or, if we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are

 

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validly submitted for conversion 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 convert any shares, all shares of Class A common stock submitted for conversion will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.

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

In order to effectuate a business combination, blank check companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, blank check companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination, changed industry focus 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 certificate of incorporation will require the approval of holders of at least 65% of the outstanding shares of our common stock, and amending our warrant agreement will require a vote of holders of at least 50% of the public warrants. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires us to provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months of the closing of this offering. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.

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

Some other blank check companies have a provision in their charter which prohibits the amendment of certain of its provisions, including those which relate to a company’s pre-business combination activity, without approval by a certain percentage of the company’s stockholders. In those companies, amendment of these provisions typically requires approval by between 90% and 100% of the company’s public stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement) provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (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 conversion rights to public stockholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by holders of not less than 65% of our outstanding shares of common stock. Our initial stockholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our shares of common

 

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stock upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation which govern our pre-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 stockholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of Class A common stock upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. Our stockholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, executive officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our stockholders would need to pursue a stockholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholder may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and proceeds from the forward purchase contract 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 and proceeds from the forward purchase contract prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of our initial business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, the obligation to redeem for cash a significant number of shares from stockholders who elect redemption in connection with our initial business combination or the terms of negotiated transactions to purchase shares in connection with our initial business combination, we may be required to seek additional financing or to abandon the proposed business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The current economic environment has made it especially 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public stockholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public stockholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.

 

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

Upon closing of this offering, our initial stockholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a stockholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. If our initial stockholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial stockholders purchase any additional shares of Class A common stock in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial stockholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A common stock. In addition, 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 for three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual 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 initial stockholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.

Our sponsor contributed $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per founder share, and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A common stock.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the share of Class A common stock and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our sponsor acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public stockholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 91.8% (or $9.18 per share), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $0.82 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 shares of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination and would become exacerbated to the extent that public stockholders seek conversion from the trust for their public shares. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A common stock.

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

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the

 

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warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of Class A common stock 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 outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption. 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. 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, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants. None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees.

Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A common stock and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 20,000,000 shares of our Class A common stock (or up to 23,000,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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 5,750,000 private placement warrants (or 6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. In addition, if our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates make any working capital loans, they may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue common stock to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock and reduce the value of the Class A common stock 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.

 

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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 representative of the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with representatives of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the shares of Class A common stock and warrants underlying the units, include:

 

 

the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

 

prior offerings of those companies;

 

our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

 

a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;

 

our capital structure;

 

an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;

 

general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and

 

other factors as were deemed relevant.

Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering 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. Stockholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

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

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination 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

 

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

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our shares of Class A common stock 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 accountant standards used.

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 an acquisition.

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, 2020. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target

 

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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 acquisition.

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

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and bylaws contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such period This may entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interest of stockholders. Additionally, 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 elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our stockholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may further entrench management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that may be in the best interests of stockholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred stock.

We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make 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.

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

We will likely 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 or inability to consummate an initial business combination.

There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the owners of the acquired business and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes. Additionally, depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of personal holding company income. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-

 

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exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a personal holding company following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a personal holding company in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional personal holding company tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

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, 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. It is also unclear what impact the conversion rights with respect to our shares of Class A common stock would have on a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A common stock is long-term capital gain or loss and with respect to any dividends we may pay. See the section titled “ Taxation ” for a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax consequences 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.

Recently enacted tax reform legislation in the U.S. could adversely affect our business and financial condition following a business combination.

On December 22, 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “Tax Act”) was signed into law, making significant changes to the Internal Revenue Code. Changes under the Tax Act include, but are not limited to, a corporate tax rate decrease from 35% to 21% effective for tax years beginning after July 2, 2018, a one-time transition tax on the mandatory deemed repatriation of cumulative foreign earnings, a limitation of the tax deduction for interest expense to 30% of adjusted earnings (except for certain small businesses), a limitation of the deduction for net operating losses to 80% of current year taxable income and the elimination of net operating loss carrybacks, a one-time taxation of offshore earnings at reduced rates regardless of whether they are repatriated, the elimination of U.S. tax on foreign earnings (subject to certain important exceptions), immediate deductions for certain new investments instead of deductions for depreciation expense over time, and modifying or repealing many business deductions and credits (including reducing the business tax credit for certain clinical testing expenses incurred in the testing of orphan drugs). The overall impact of the Tax Act is uncertain, and it could make completing a business combination with us less appealing than with companies in other countries. In addition, it is uncertain if and to what extent various states will conform to the Tax Act and what effect any legal challenges will have on the Tax Act, including litigation in the U.S. and international challenges brought by organizations such as the World Trade Organization. The impact of the Tax Act on holders of our securities is also uncertain and could be adverse. Investors should consult with their legal and tax advisors with respect to this legislation and the potential tax consequences of investing in or holding our securities.

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,

 

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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 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.

 

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If we consummate a business combination with a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States, substantially all of our assets could be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue could be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects could be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal 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 ultimately 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.

 

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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 complete our initial business combination;

 

 

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

 

 

our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;

 

 

our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;

 

 

our pool of prospective target businesses;

 

 

the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment 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.

 

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Use of proceeds

We are offering 20,000,000 units (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional units in full) 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.

 

       Option not
exercised
     Option exercised
in full
 

Gross proceeds

     

Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1)

   $ 200,000,000      $ 230,000,000  

Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement

     5,750,000        6,350,000  
  

 

 

 

Total gross proceeds

   $ 205,750,000      $ 236,350,000  
  

 

 

 

Offering expenses(2)

     

Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3)

   $ 4,000,000      $ 4,600,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     300,000        300,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     50,000        50,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

     40,000        40,000  

SEC/FINRA Expenses

     65,000        65,000  

Travel and road show

     25,000        25,000  

Stock exchange listing and filing fees

     85,000        85,000  

Director & Officer liability insurance premiums

     100,000        100,000  

Miscellaneous

     85,000        85,000  
  

 

 

 

Total offering expenses

   $ 4,750,000      $ 5,350,000  
  

 

 

 

Proceeds after offering expenses

   $ 201,000,000      $ 231,000,000  
  

 

 

 

Held in trust account(3)

   $ 200,000,000      $ 230,000,000  

% of public offering size

     100%        100%  

Not held in trust account

   $ 1,000,000      $ 1,000,000  

 

 

The following table shows the use of the $1,000,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account.(4)(5)

 

       Amount      % of total  

Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination

   $ 400,000        40.0%  

Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations

     150,000        15.0%  

Consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during search for initial business combination target(6)

     100,000        10.0%  

Stock exchange continued listing fees

     80,000        8.0%  

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses

     270,000        27.0%  
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,000,000        100.0%  

 

 

 

(1)   Includes amounts payable to public stockholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.

 

(2)   A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of a loan from an affiliate of our sponsor of an aggregate of $125,000 as described in this prospectus. This loan will be repaid upon completion of this offering.

 

(3)  

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 $8,050,000 if the

 

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underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming stockholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

(4)   These expenses are estimates only and do not include interest which may be available to us from the trust account to pay taxes. 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.

 

(5)   The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the after-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,000,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 1.5% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

 

(6)   This could include payment of consulting, finder or success fees to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination.

Of the $201,000,000 in net proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, or $231,000,000 in net proceeds if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, $200,000,000 ($10.00 per unit), or $230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full ($10.00 per unit), will be deposited into a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, and $1,000,000 in each case will be used for working capital following this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the after-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $3,000,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 1.5% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our tax obligations, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. Based on current interest rates, we expect that interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay income 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. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The funds, if any, from the sale of securities pursuant to this agreement may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination or may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into the definitive agreement for the proposed business combination. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The agreement is also conditioned on our board of directors, including Kevin Griffin, who is affiliated with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, having unanimously approved the proposed initial business combination. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our

 

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sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, we may not receive any proceeds from this agreement and may need to arrange alternate financing to complete a business combination.

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for conversions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash released from the trust account and proceeds of the forward purchase contract for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. 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, in addition to the interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us as described above, will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in-depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective acquisition, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. 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, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.

Prior to the date of this prospectus, an affiliate of our sponsor has loaned us $125,000 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 September 1, 2019, the closing of this offering or if we determine to abandon this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the funds not held in the trust account.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on an interest-free basis. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust account released to us. Otherwise, such loans would 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. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor, officers or directors or their affiliates 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.

 

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Dividend policy

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. 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 at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock 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.

 

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Dilution

The difference between the public offering price per share of Class A common stock, 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 share of our common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public stockholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of shares of Class A common stock which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock.

At September 30, 2018, our net tangible book value was a deficit of $45,993, or approximately $(0.01) per share of common stock. After giving effect to the sale of 20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 23,000,000 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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 September 30, 2018 would have been $5,000,007 or $0.82 per share (or $5,000,007 or approximately $0.72 per share if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 18,902,400 shares of Class A common stock that may be redeemed for cash, or 21,797,400 shares of Class A common stock if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) of $0.82 per share (or approximately $0.72 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) to our initial stockholders as of the date of this prospectus and an immediate dilution to public stockholders from this offering of $9.18 per share (or approximately $9.28 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full).

The following table illustrates the dilution to the public stockholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:

 

Public offering price

           $ 10.00  

Net tangible book value before this offering

   $ (0.01  

Increase attributable to public stockholders and private sales

     0.83    
  

 

 

   

Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering

       0.82  
    

 

 

 

Dilution to public stockholders

       9.18  
    

 

 

 

Percentage of dilution to public stockholders

       91.8%  

 

 

For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units) by $189,024,000 because holders of up to approximately 94.5% of our public shares may convert their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share conversion 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 days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or stockholder meeting, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us and net of taxes payable), divided by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold in this offering.

 

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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial stockholders and the public stockholders:

 

                         Total consideration      Average price
per share
 
Number    Shares purchased(1)      Percentage      Amount      Percentage  

Existing stockholders

     5,000,000        20%      $ 25,000        0.01%      $ 0.005  

Public stockholders

     20,000,000        80%        200,000,000        99.99%        10.00  
  

 

 

       

 

 

    

Total

     25,000,000        100%      $ 200,025,000        100.0%     

 

 

 

(1)   Assumes that 750,000 founder shares are forfeited by our sponsor after the closing of this offering in the event the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units.

The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering (assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units) is calculated as follows:

 

   

Numerator:

  

Net tangible book value before the offering

   $ (45,993

Net proceeds from this offering and private placement of private placement warrants

     201,000,000  

Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering

     70,000  

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to conversion/tender

     (189,024,000

Less: Underwriters’ Deferred Commissions

     (7,000,000
  

 

 

 

Total

   $ 5,000,007  

Denominator:

  

Shares of Class B common stock outstanding prior to this offering

     5,000,000 (1) 

Shares of Class A common stock included in the units offered

     20,000,000  

Less: Class A shares subject to conversion/tender

     (18,902,400
  

 

 

 

Total

     6,097,600  

 

 

 

(1)   Assumes that 750,000 founder shares are forfeited in the event the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units.

 

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Capitalization

The following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2018, and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional units:

 

       September 30, 2018  
       Actual     As adjusted(1)  

Note Payable—related party(1)

   $ 125,000     $  

Deferred underwriting discounts and commissions

           7,000,000  

Class A common stock subject to possible conversion; $0.0001 par value, 0 and 18,902,400 shares subject to possible conversion, actual and adjusted, respectively(2)

           189,024,400  

Stockholders’ equity:

    

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 1,000,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted

            

Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, 75,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding, actual; 1,097,600 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 18,902,400 shares subject to conversion), as adjusted

           110  

Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 and 5,000,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively

     575       500  

Additional paid-in capital

     24,425       5,000,390  

Accumulated deficit

     (993     (993
  

 

 

 

Total stockholders’ equity

   $ 24,007     $ 5,000,007  
  

 

 

 

Total capitalization

   $ 149,007     $ 201,024,407  

 

 

 

(1)   An affiliate of our sponsor has loaned us $125,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of the loan made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants.

 

(2)   Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares to 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 trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein whereby conversion 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.

 

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Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations

Overview

We are a blank check company incorporated on August 2, 2018 as a Delaware corporation 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 or entities. While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location, we intend to focus our search on companies exploiting disruptive smart phone technology and the resultant rapidly changing distribution patterns and evolving consumer purchase behavior. These middle market companies and emerging growth companies will also need to eventually consolidate to achieve the scale necessary to attain high growth in revenues and profitability.

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 securities in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the forward purchase contract described herein, 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.

The issuance of additional shares in connection with a business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:

 

 

may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B common stock resulted in the issuance of Class A common stock on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B common stock;

 

 

may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A common stock if shares of preferred stock are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A common stock;

 

 

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

 

 

may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and

 

 

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

Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, 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 security is payable on demand;

 

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

 

 

our inability to pay dividends on our Class A common stock;

 

 

using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A common stock 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 September 30, 2018, we had $82,476 in cash and deferred offering costs of $70,000. 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

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, we had $82,476 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $45,993 at September 30, 2018. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through this offering are discussed above. Our plans to raise capital or to consummate our initial business combination may not be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through receipt of a $25,000 capital contribution from our sponsor in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares and a $125,000 loan from an affiliate of our sponsor. We estimate that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of $750,000, underwriting commissions of $4,000,000, or $4,600,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $7,000,000, or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) and (ii) the sale of the private placement warrants for a purchase price of $5,750,000 (or $6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be $201,000,000 (or $231,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). $200,000,000 (or

 

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$230,000,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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 may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining $1,000,000 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 not previously released to us (less taxes payable and deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our tax obligations. 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.

Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into a definitive agreement for a proposed initial business combination. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The funds received from this agreement, if any, may be used as part of the consideration to the sellers in the initial business combination or may be used for working capital in the post-transaction company. The agreement is also conditioned on our board of directors, including Kevin Griffin, who is affiliated with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, having unanimously approved the proposed initial business combination. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, we may not receive any proceeds from this agreement and may need to arrange alternate financing to complete a business combination.

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account for our working capital needs. 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. 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, officers and directors or their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of

 

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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, officers, directors or their respective affiliates 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 the 18 months after this offering (assuming a business combination is not consummated during this time) to include approximately $400,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $150,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $100,000 for consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during the search for an initial business combination target; $80,000 for stock exchange continued listing fees; and $270,000 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.

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 are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account.

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, 2020. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.

Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor have 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:

 

 

staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;

 

reconciliation of accounts;

 

proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;

 

evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

 

documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and

 

documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our

 

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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. 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 may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) 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 September 30, 2018, 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, (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 auditor’s report 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 CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of our initial public offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.

 

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Proposed business

Introduction

We are a blank check company incorporated on August 2, 2018 as a Delaware corporation 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 or entities. We have not selected 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 target regarding entering into a business combination with us.

Business Strategy and Target Industries

While we may pursue an initial business combination target in any industry or geographic location, we intend to focus our search on companies in North America in industries ripe for disruption from continuously evolving digital technology and the resulting shift in distribution patterns and consumer purchase behavior. Most of these middle market and emerging growth companies will ultimately need to consolidate to achieve the scale necessary to attain high revenue growth and attractive profitability. We believe that acquiring a leading, high-growth participant will provide a public currency to fund consolidation and fuel growth. Segments we might explore include, but are not limited to, logistics technology and “last mile” delivery services, business technology services, on-line cyber security and off-line physical security services, media and entertainment services and franchise businesses.

 

Competitive Strengths

We believe that we possess several competitive strengths to successfuly source, evaluate and execute an initial business combination. We believe that the background, operating history and experience of our management team and special advisors have equipped us not only to provide access to a broad spectrum of investment opportunities, but also to significantly improve upon the operational and financial performance of a target business.

Experienced management

We are led by Jonathan J. Ledecky, our Chief Executive Officer and the chairman of our board of directors. Mr. Ledecky is also a managing member of our sponsor. Mr. Ledecky has an extensive track record of involvement in public companies and acquisition vehicles. Mr. Ledecky has been a co-owner of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders franchise since October 2014. Previously, Mr. Ledecky served as president, secretary and a director of Endeavor Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised gross proceeds of approximately $129 million in its initial public offering and completed its initial business combination with American Apparel, Inc. Mr. Ledecky also founded U.S. Office Products. U.S. Office Products was one of the fastest start-up entrants in the history of the Fortune 500 with sales in excess of $3 billion within its first three years of operation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Mr. Ledecky has been involved with other blank check companies that were unable to complete initial business combinations or completed initial business combinations only after changes were made to the structure of such companies. See the section titled “Management - Prior involvement of principals in blank check companies” for further information.

Additionally, Kevin Griffin, one of our directors, is the Chief Executive Officer of MGG Investment Group, an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC. During Mr. Griffin’s 20-year career, Mr. Griffin has originated and invested over $4 billion across the capital structure of middle market businesses and has also served on numerous boards of directors. In May 2015, the M&A Advisor named Mr. Griffin a winner of its 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award. In December 2016, the Hedge Fund Journal, in association with Ernst & Young, named Mr. Griffin one of 50 “Tomorrow’s Titans”.

 

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The past performance of our management team is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our management’s performance as indicative of our future performance.

Established sourcing network

We intend to maximize our potential target investments by proactively approaching our extensive network of contacts, including private equity and venture capital sponsors, executives of public and private companies, merger and acquisition advisory firms, investment banks, capital markets desks, lenders and other financial intermediaries. We believe the prior investment experience and track record of our team will give us a competitive advantage when sourcing potential initial business combination opportunities.

We also expect to benefit from Mr. Griffin’s affiliation with MGG Investment Group. MGG Investment Group is a private direct lender centered on the underserved and less competitive lower-middle market. MGG Investment Group is an affiliate of Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor. MGG Investment Group possesses a sourcing network built over two decades focused on management teams and advisors. MGG Investment Group generally reviews roughly 700 opportunities per year across a variety of industries, including those referenced above. MGG Investment Group’s veteran team members, led by Mr. Griffin, have spent their careers providing financings to, and advising, mid-market businesses and public companies. MGG Investment Group’s investment team includes individuals with prior investment and transactional experience at Highbridge Principal Strategies, Fortress Investment Group, Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., TPG Capital/Oaktree Capital, TCW/Regiment Capital Advisors, J.P. Morgan, AEA Investors LP, Apollo Investment Corporation, Avenue Capital, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, among others. MGG Investment Group partners with its portfolio companies to help them build value, address immediate needs, and solve complex situations. MGG Investment Group currently manages in excess of $1 billion of equity capital from leading institutional endowments, foundations, insurance companies and pensions. We believe that potential sellers will be interested in a relationship with the MGG Investment Group platform and look favorably upon our affiliation with MGG Investment Group. While MGG Investment Group has no contractual obligation to assist us in locating and consummating an initial business combination, we believe that MGG Investment Group will assist us to the extent it can as a result of Mr. Griffin’s affiliation with us. However, we cannot assure you of this fact.

Value-enhancing operational expertise

We will be focused on identifying target businesses where we believe significant value can be created through the implementation of operational improvements. We will also use our extensive expertise to ramp up the growth and franchise value of our target businesses through opportunistic “add on” acquisitions.

Financial acumen

We believe, given our management and board of directors’ transactional experience and network of contacts, we are well positioned to identify, source, negotiate, structure, and close an initial business combination and subsequently pursue “add on” acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic relationships. Collectively, management and our directors have been involved in numerous transactions ranging in size from several million dollars to several billion dollars.

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

 

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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 in the target business for shares of our Class A common stock (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of shares of our Class A common stock 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 prevent the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with stockholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.

While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds and experience will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek stockholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.

Financial position

With funds available for a business combination in our trust account initially in the amount of $194,000,000, after payment of $7,000,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $222,950,000 after payment of $8,050,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), together with up to $150,000,000 that we may receive pursuant to the forward purchase contract described elsewhere herein, 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 securities in connection with our initial business combination from the forward purchase contract described herein, shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.

If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for conversions of our Class A common stock, we may apply the balance of the cash

 

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released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.

We 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. 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. Except as described in this prospectus, 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 unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. 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 many 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, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware 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 track record and 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 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. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee for introducing a target business to us.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or from making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial

 

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business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.

Evaluation of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction. Our board of directors has determined that we will not proceed with any proposed business combination unless approval of the proposed transaction is unanimous among the members of the board.

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.

Lack of business diversification

For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

 

 

subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and

 

 

cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.

Limited ability to evaluate the target’s management team

Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’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.

 

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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.

Fair Market Value of Target Business

NYSE rules require that we must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (net of amounts previously disbursed to management for tax obligations and excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust) at the time of our 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 our initial business combination, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public stockholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or stockholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our stockholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares of common or preferred stock in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target in order to consummate such transaction. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the NYSE’s 80% fair market value test. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the transactions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

Stockholders may not have the ability to approve our initial business combination

We may conduct redemptions without a stockholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. However, we will seek stockholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons.

 

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

 

 

we issue shares of common stock that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our shares of common stock then outstanding (other than in a public offering);

 

 

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

 

 

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

Permitted purchases of our securities

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our initial stockholder, sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. 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 shares or public warrants in such transactions. If our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, executive officers, advisors or their affiliates engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

In the event that our initial stockholders, sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public stockholders who have already elected to exercise their conversion rights, such selling stockholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to convert their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.

The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining stockholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.

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

Our initial stockholders, sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the stockholders with whom our initial stockholder, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the stockholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by stockholders (in the case of Class A common stock) following our mailing of proxy materials in

 

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connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling stockholders who have expressed their election to convert their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such stockholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the stockholder meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, executive officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which stockholders to purchase shares from based on the negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws. 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.

Conversion rights for public stockholders upon completion of our initial business combination

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public stockholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations) as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. Alternatively, we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares of common stock to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a stockholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations).

Our initial stockholders, officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any shares of common stock owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket.

We may require public stockholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates (if any) to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, prior to the vote on the business combination with the specific deadline set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. The foregoing is different from the procedures used by some earlier blank check companies. In order to perfect conversion rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed initial business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her conversion rights. After the initial business combination was approved, the company would contact such stockholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the initial business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the conversion 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 conversion rights, to which stockholders were aware they needed to commit before the stockholder meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the initial business combination until the converting holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a converting holder’s election to convert is irrevocable once the initial business combination is approved.

 

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There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require stockholders seeking to exercise conversion rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to stockholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to stockholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring stockholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a stockholder would have from the time the stockholder received our proxy statement up until two business days prior to the originally scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the stockholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact.

Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of a public shares delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public stockholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

Limitations on conversions

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we will consummate an initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules). Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted conversion requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001, we would not proceed with such conversion and the related business combination. Additionally, a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering. Such a public stockholder would still be entitled to vote against a proposed business combination with respect to all shares owned by him or his affiliates. We believe this restriction will prevent stockholders from accumulating large blocks of shares before the vote held to approve a proposed business combination and attempt to use the conversion right as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then current market price. By limiting a stockholder’s ability to convert no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we have limited the ability of a small group of stockholders to unreasonably attempt to block a transaction which is favored by our other public stockholders.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a 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

 

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proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all shares of Class A common stock that are validly submitted for conversion 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 convert any shares, and all shares of Class A common stock submitted for conversion will be returned to the holders thereof.

Liquidation if no initial business combination

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provided that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such 18-month period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors in all cases subject to and the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the 18-month time period.

Our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted 18-month time period.

Our sponsor, executive officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to written agreements with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, unless we provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. However, we may not effectuate any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation if it would result in our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 (so that we are not subject to the SEC’s “penny stock” rules) as a result of holders exercising their redemption rights. 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 executive 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 $1,000,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account plus the interest earned on the funds in the trust account available to us to pay taxes although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, we may

 

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request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.

If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by stockholders upon our dissolution would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public stockholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by stockholders will not be less than $10.00. 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, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public stockholders, 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. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. 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. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party (other than our independent public accountants) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations. Since our sponsor’s assets consist only of our securities, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. None of our other officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.

 

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In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.00 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor assert 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. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve any funds to satisfy its obligations. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.00 per 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, 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 $1,000,000 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, stockholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. 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 petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our stockholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.00 per share to our public stockholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy petition or an involuntary bankruptcy petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by stockholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public stockholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Our public stockholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, (ii) in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity (iii) if they convert their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business

 

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combination, a stockholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a stockholder’s converting its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such stockholder must have also exercised its conversion rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, like all provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, may be amended with a stockholder vote.

Comparison of redemption or purchase prices in connection with our initial business combination and if we fail to complete our initial business combination.

The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.

 

       Redemptions in
connection with our initial
business combination
   Other permitted purchases
of public shares by our
affiliates
   Redemptions if we fail to
complete an initial
business combination

Calculation of redemption price

   Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. The redemption price will be the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a stockholder vote. In either case, our public stockholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per share), including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number    If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors 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 initial stockholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the    If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 $10.00 per share), including interest earned on the trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

 

  

 

  

 

  

 

 

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       Redemptions in
connection with our initial
business combination
   Other permitted purchases
of public shares by our
affiliates
   Redemptions if we fail to
complete an initial
business combination
   of then outstanding public shares, provided that we will not consummate the initial business combination if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination.    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.   

Impact to remaining stockholders

   The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining stockholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable    If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining stockholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us.    The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial stockholders, who will be our only remaining stockholders after such 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’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.

 

       Terms of our offering    Terms under a Rule 419 offering

Escrow of offering proceeds

   $200,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee.    Approximately $176,400,000 of the offering proceeds, representing the gross proceeds of this offering, 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.

Investment of net proceeds

  

$200,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 180 days or less or in money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7(d) under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.

 

   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.

Receipt of interest on escrowed funds

  

Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to stockholders is reduced by (i) any 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 an additional $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

 

   Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination

 

 

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       Terms of our offering    Terms under a Rule 419 offering

Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business

  

We must complete one or more business combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the value of the assets held in the trust account (net of amounts previously disbursed to management for tax obligations and excluding the amount of deferred underwriting discounts held in trust) at the time of the agreement to enter into our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

 

   The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

Trading of securities issued

   The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The shares of Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52 nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date the units commence trading. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial    No trading of the units or the underlying shares of Class A common stock 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    Terms under a Rule 419 offering
  

information to reflect the exercise of the option to purchase additional units.

  

Exercise of the warrants

   The warrants cannot be exercised until the later of 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination or 12 months from the closing of this offering    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.

Election to remain an investor

   We will provide our public stockholders 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 trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a stockholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a stockholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. In the event we conduct    A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45 th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the stockholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued.

 

 

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       Terms of our offering    Terms under a Rule 419 offering
  

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.

 

If, however, we hold a stockholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of stockholders held to approve a proposed business combination. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to convert their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

  

Business combination deadline

   If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months 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 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    If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are returned to investors.

 

 

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       Terms of our offering    Terms under a Rule 419 offering
   trust account not previously released to us (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law.   

Release of funds

   Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our tax obligations, 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 are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.    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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Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public stockholders who exercise their conversion 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 c/o Graubard Miller, The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10174. This space, to the extent it is needed, is being provided to us for no charge by Graubard Miller, our counsel. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers and directors, adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We currently have two executive 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 common stock and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

We will provide stockholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, sent to stockholders. 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 acquisition candidate 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 acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.

 

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We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

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 stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of the shares of our Class A common stock that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30 th , and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.

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.

 

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Management

Officers and directors

Our officers and directors are as follows:

 

Name    Age        Position
Jonathan J. Ledecky      60        Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer

James H.R. Brady

     54        Chief Financial Officer

Kevin Griffin

     42        Director

Evan B. Morgan

     34        Director

Efrat Epstein

     35        Director
Katrina Adams      50        Director

 

Jonathan J. Ledecky has served as our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since our inception. Mr. Ledecky has been a co-owner of the National Hockey League’s New York Islanders franchise since October 2014. He also serves as an Alternate Governor on the Board of Governors of the NHL and as President of NY Hockey Holdings LLC. Mr. Ledecky has served as chairman of Ironbound Partners Fund LLC, a private investment management fund, since March 1999. Mr. Ledecky has also served as President and a director of Newtown Lane Holdings, Incorporated, a blank check company, since October 2015. Mr. Ledecky also served as a member of the board of directors of Propel Media, Inc., a digital media holding company, from January 2015 to January 2019. From July 2005 to December 2007, Mr. Ledecky served as president, secretary and a director of Endeavor Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that completed its initial business combination with American Apparel, Inc. From January 2007 to May 2009, he served as president, secretary and a director of Victory Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that was unable to consummate an initial business combination. He also served as president, secretary and a director of Triplecrown Acquisition Corp., a blank check company, from June 2007 until it completed its initial business combination with Cullen Agricultural Technologies, Inc. in October 2009. During 2007, he also served as president, secretary and director of Grand Slam Acquisition Corp., Performance Acquisition Corp. and Endeavour International Acquisition Corp., three similarly structured blank check companies that never completed their initial public offerings due to market conditions at the time. Mr. Ledecky founded U.S. Office Products in October 1994 and served as its chief executive officer until November 1997 and as its chairman until its sale in June 1998. U.S. Office Products was one of the fastest start-up entrants in the history of the Fortune 500 with sales in excess of $3 billion within its first three years of operation. From 1999 to 2001, Mr. Ledecky was vice chairman of Lincoln Holdings, owners of the Washington sports franchises in the NBA, NHL and WNBA. In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Ledecky served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Consolidation Capital Corporation from its formation in February 1997 until March 2000 when it merged with Group Maintenance America Corporation. Mr. Ledecky also has served as a trustee of George Washington University, a director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and a commissioner on the National Commission on Entrepreneurship and currently serves as a trustee of the U.S. Olympic Foundation and the U.S. Paralympic Foundation. In 2004, Mr. Ledecky was elected the Chief Marshal of the 2004 Harvard University Commencement, an honor bestowed by his alumni peers for a 25th reunion graduate deemed to have made exceptional contributions to Harvard and the greater society while achieving outstanding professional success. Mr. Ledecky received a B.A. (cum laude) from Harvard University in 1979 and a M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School in 1983.

We believe Mr. Ledecky is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to his public company experience, including with other similarly structured blank check companies, business leadership, operational experience and contacts.

 

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James H.R. Brady has served as our Chief Financial Officer since September 2018. Since 2014, Mr. Brady has been the Chief Executive Officer of Brady Enterprises, an advisory firm Mr. Brady founded that provides financial, legal and strategic services to growth companies. From 2013 to 2014, Mr. Brady was the Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of Sweetgreen, a high-growth healthy, fast casual restaurant chain. From 2011 to 2013, Mr. Brady was Executive Vice President – Finance and Legal for Audax Health Solutions, a digital health/social media company. From 2009 to 2011, he was Executive Counsel of ODIN Technologies, a RFID software company. From 2007 to 2008, he was Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel of VCampus Corporation, a company engaged in the learning/education industry. Mr. Brady previously served as a corporate and securities attorney with the firms of Hogan & Hartson and Hunton & Williams. Mr. Brady received a BA from the College of William and Mary, a JD from the George Washington National Law Center and a MBA from Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Kevin Griffin has served as a member of our board of directors since September 2018. Mr. Griffin has been designated as a director by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation. During Mr. Griffin’s 20-year career, Mr. Griffin has originated and invested over $4 billion across the capital structure of middle market businesses and has also sat on numerous boards of directors. Mr. Griffin founded MGG Investment Group in October 2014 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer since such time. Prior to launching MGG Investment Group, Mr. Griffin was a Managing Director with Highbridge Principal Strategies from January 2010 to June 2014, where he was a senior member of the Specialty Lending Platform and a Member of the Highbridge Credit Committee. Prior to this, Mr. Griffin was the Head of Private Investing for Octavian Funds, a hedge fund focused on global investing across debt and equity structures, from 2007 to 2009. From 2003 to 2007, Mr. Griffin was part of Fortress Investment Group in charge of originating and underwriting investment opportunities for the Drawbridge Special Opportunities Fund. Prior to Fortress, Mr. Griffin was an investor with one of the first publicly traded business development companies, American Capital, where he was involved in numerous equity buyout and subordinated debt investments. Mr. Griffin began his career with Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin’s Investment Banking Division, focusing primarily on distressed M&A and financial restructurings. The M&A Advisor in May 2015 named Mr. Griffin a winner of its 40 Under 40 Emerging Leaders Award. The Hedge Fund Journal, in association with Ernst & Young, in December 2016 named Mr. Griffin one of 50 “Tomorrow’s Titans”. Mr. Griffin received a BSBA in Finance from Georgetown University.

We believe Mr. Griffin is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to his business and operational experience and contacts.

Evan B. Morgan has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2018. Since July 2016, Mr. Morgan has served as Manager of The Radcliff Companies (“Radcliff”), a New York-based private investment partnership. Radcliff invests across the capital structure seeking long-term compounding at high rates of return primarily in privately held consumer and services businesses. From 2011 until he joined Radcliff in 2016, Mr. Morgan was a Partner at Revolution Growth, a Washington D.C. based private equity firm which invests in and actively helps build disruptive, innovative, and significant new consumer companies. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Morgan was with the Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager based in Washington, D.C. Mr. Morgan is a member of the board of directors of KLDiscovery, JetLinx Global and SportRadar US. Mr. Morgan received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

We believe Mr. Morgan is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to his business experience and contacts.

Efrat Epstein has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2018. Ms. Epstein has held leadership positions across media, tech and financial services. Since November 2016, Ms. Epstein has been the Managing Partner of Sound Ventures, an LA-based venture capital fund founded by Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary. In this role, Ms. Epstein leads investing, strategy and the day-to-day management of the fund. From

 

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January 2016 to November 2016, Ms. Epstein led Global Strategy at Marsh, a multi-billion dollar division of financial services firm Marsh & McLennan (NYSE: MMC). From October 2013 to January 2016, Ms. Epstein was Senior Vice President of Planning and Head of Investor Relations at iHeartMedia, a global entertainment company, and from May 2011 to September 2013, she was Head of Business Development and Strategy at CLEAR, a privately held technology company. Earlier in her career, Ms. Epstein was part of Merrill Lynch’s Global Energy and Power Investment Banking group as well as the Global Strategy team at NYSE Euronext. Ms. Epstein received a BA from the University of Texas in Austin and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

We believe Ms. Epstein is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to her work experience and contacts.

Katrina Adams has served as a member of our board of directors since December 2018. Ms. Adams is the Chairman of the Board and President of the United States Tennis Association, a position she assumed in January 2015. In this role, she also serves as Chairman of the US Open. Ms. Adams is the first African-American, first former professional tennis player and youngest person to serve as President in the organization’s 135-year history. She is also the first individual to serve a second two-year term as Chairman of the Board and President. In 2015, Ms. Adams was elected Vice President of the International Tennis Federation and in 2016, she was appointed Chairman of the Fed Cup Committee, which governs the Fed Cup, the largest annual international team competition in women’s sport. She also serves on the board of directors for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. An accomplished tennis professional, Ms. Adams played for 12 years on the Women’s Tennis Association tour, where she ranked as high as No. 67 in the world in singles and No. 8 in doubles, winning 20 career doubles titles and reaching the quarterfinals or better in doubles at all four Grand Slam events. While an active pro, Ms. Adams served on the board of directors of the Women’s Tennis Association as a player representative for four one-year terms and on the Women’s Tennis Association’s Players Association for five two-year terms. After leaving the tour, Ms. Adams was a USTA National Tennis Coach from 1999 to 2002. She also joined the USTA’s Board of Directors in 2005, serving as a Director at Large and as the association’s Vice President and First Vice President before assuming the presidency. She was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Rookie of the Year in 1986 and an NCAA All-American in 1986 and 1987. She also became the first African-American to win the NCAA doubles title in 1987. Among her many accolades, Ms. Adams was honored with the WTA’s Player Service Award in 1989, 1996 and 1997, and she received the WTA Althea Gibson Award in 2003. In addition, she was inducted into the Northwestern Hall of Fame in 1998, the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame in 2005, the Chicago District Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008, the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012, the ITA Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame in 2014 and the USTA Eastern Section Tennis Hall of Fame in 2015. She was also named one of the “25 Influential Black Women in Business” by The Network Journal and as one of Sports Business Daily’s “Game Changers” in 2015. In 2016, she was inducted into the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Alumni Hall of Fame. In addition to her duties with the USTA, Ms. Adams is a contributor on CBS Sports Network’s first all-female sports show, “We Need to Talk.” She also serves as a television analyst for Tennis Channel and as a contributor to Tennis magazine and tennis.com, providing instructional articles and videos. Moreover, since 2005, Ms. Adams has served as the Executive Director of the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program, a National Junior Tennis & Learning network (NJTL) chapter based in New York City. Ms. Adams attended Northwestern University, majoring in communications, before deciding to leave school and focus on her professional tennis career.

We believe Ms. Adams is well-qualified to serve as a member of the board due to her experience and contacts.

Number and terms of office of officers and directors

Our board of directors consists of five members and is divided into three classes, with only one class of directors being elected in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first full fiscal year end

 

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following our listing on the NYSE. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Katrina Adams, will expire at our first annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Evan Morgan and Efrat Epstein, will expire at our second annual meeting of stockholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Jonathan J. Ledecky and Kevin Griffin, will expire at our third annual meeting of stockholders.

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 such officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.

Prior and current involvement of principals in blank check companies

Mr. Ledecky has been involved in the initial public offerings of several similarly structured blank check companies. From July 2005 to December 2007, Mr. Ledecky served as president, secretary and a director of Endeavor Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised gross proceeds of approximately $129.3 million in its initial public offering which priced at $8.00 per unit and completed its initial business combination with American Apparel, Inc. in 2006. Upon the consummation of the business combination, Mr. Ledecky resigned from all his positions with the company. Mr. Ledecky received a portion of the founder shares in connection with Endeavor Acquisition Corp.’s initial public offering. An affiliate of Mr. Ledecky’s was also paid a monthly fee of $7,500 until Endeavor consummated its business combination for providing the company with office space and administrative services. He did not receive any other cash payment or securities from this entity. While American Apparel’s units traded at a high of $24.25 per unit, American Apparel filed for bankruptcy in 2015 and its securities are no longer trading. From January 2007 to May 2009, he served as president, secretary and a director of Victory Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised $330 million in its initial public offering but was unable to consummate an initial business combination and dissolved and liquidated. Mr. Ledecky received a portion of the founder shares and purchased risk capital warrants in connection with Victory Acquisition Corp.’s initial public offering. He did not receive any cash payment or any other securities from this entity. He also served as president, secretary and a director of Triplecrown Acquisition Corp., a blank check company that raised $552 million in its initial public offering, from June 2007 until it completed its initial business combination with Cullen Agricultural Technologies, Inc., a dairy and agricultural company affiliated with one of the founders of Triplecrown, in October 2009. Triplecrown amended its charter to allow it to consummate the transaction with Cullen Agricultural Technologies, Inc. The combined company ultimately abandoned its business plan and completed a merger with Long Island Brand Beverages in 2015 and is now trading on the Pink Sheets under the Symbol “LBCC”. Mr. Ledecky received a portion of the founder shares and purchased risk capital warrants in connection with Triplecrown Acquisition Corp.’s initial public offering. He did not receive any cash payment or any other securities from this entity.

During 2007, Mr. Ledecky served as president, secretary and director of Grand Slam Acquisition Corp., Performance Acquisition Corp. and Endeavour International Acquisition Corp., three similarly structured blank check companies that never completed their initial public offerings due to market conditions at the time.

In January 2011, Mr. Ledecky became an officer and director of Ascend Acquisition Corp., a blank check company formed in December 2005 to serve as a vehicle to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition or other similar business combination with a currently unidentified operating business. Ascend Acquisition Corp. was unable to complete a business combination within the required time period and returned funds to its stockholders. After Mr. Ledecky became an officer and director in 2011, Ascend Acquisition Corp. completed several business combinations culminating in the business combination with Future Ads LLC whereby the company ultimately became known as Propel Media, Inc. The company ceased being a publicly traded reporting company in September 2018.

 

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In addition to the foregoing, Mr. Ledecky served as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Consolidation Capital Corporation from its formation in February 1997 until March 2000 when it merged with Group Maintenance America Corporation. Consolidation Capital Corporation was formed to build consolidated enterprises with national market reach through the acquisition and integration of multiple businesses in one or more fragmented industries. In November 1997, Consolidation Capital Corporation completed its initial public offering raising gross proceeds of $552 million.

Mr. Ledecky also currently serves as president of Newtown Lane Marketing, Incorporated, a shell company exploring strategic alternatives. It is possible that the fiduciary duties Mr. Ledecky owes to Newtown Lane Marketing may affect our ability to complete our initial business combination as Mr. Ledecky may be required to present potential business combination opportunities to Newtown Lane Marketing prior to our company.

Other than as set forth above, none of our officers or directors has been a principal of, or affiliated with, a blank check company. Past performance by Mr. Ledecky, or any other member of our management team, is not a guarantee of any future performance. There is no assurance that we will be able to locate a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or that any business combination we ultimately may consummate will be successful.

Executive officer and director compensation

None of our executive officers or directors have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. We may pay consulting, finder or success fees to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, executive officers or directors, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and executive officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with 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 will be paid by the company to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of 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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our stockholders 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 executive officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our executive 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 executive officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us

 

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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 executive officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.

Corporate Governance

NYSE rules require that we follow certain corporate governance requirements described herein, including having a majority of our board of directors be independent and maintaining certain committees of our board of directors. Prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. More than 50% of the founder shares will be held by our sponsor. This would permit us to be considered a “controlled company” under NYSE rules and allow us to avoid certain of the foregoing corporate governance requirements. Nevertheless, we will not use the related exemptions to the NYSE corporate governance rules under the controlled company standard.

Director independence

NYSE listing standards require that a majority of our board of directors be independent. Our board of directors has determined that Evan Morgan, Efrat Epstein and Katrina Adams are “independent directors” as defined in the listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

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. Each of these committees will 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. Evan Morgan, Efrat Epstein and Katrina Adams will serve as members of our audit committee, all of whom are independent. Pursuant to NYSE’s phase-in rules for newly listed companies, we have one year from the date on which we are first listed on NYSE to have our audit committee be comprised of three members. We intend to identify one additional independent director to serve on the audit committee within the applicable time period.

Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that each of Mr. Morgan and Ms. Adams qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules.

The audit committee is responsible for:

 

 

meeting with our independent auditor regarding, among other issues, audits, and adequacy of our accounting and control systems;

 

 

monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

 

 

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;

 

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inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

 

 

pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

 

 

appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

 

 

determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

 

 

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;

 

 

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 stockholders, executive 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

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Evan Morgan, Efrat Epstein and Katrina Adams, each of whom is an independent director under the NYSE’s 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, stockholders, investment bankers and others.

Guidelines for selecting director nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

 

 

should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

 

 

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

 

 

should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the stockholders.

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 stockholders and other persons.

 

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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 Evan Morgan, Efrat Epstein and Katrina Adams. We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:

 

 

reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer based on such evaluation;

 

 

reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other Section 16 executive officers;

 

 

reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

 

 

implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

 

 

assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

 

 

approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

 

 

producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

 

 

reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

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 the NYSE and the SEC.

Compensation committee interlocks and insider participation

None of our executive 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 executive officers serving on our board of directors.

Code of ethics

Upon to 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. We have filed a copy of our Code of Ethics and our committee charters as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review these documents by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Ethics will be provided without charge upon request from us. We intend to disclose any amendments to or waivers of certain provisions of our Code of Ethics in a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

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Conflicts of interest

In general, officers and directors of a corporation incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware are required to present business opportunities to a corporation if:

 

 

the corporation could financially undertake the opportunity;

 

 

the opportunity is within the corporation’s line of business; and

 

 

it would not be fair to the corporation and its stockholders for the opportunity not to be brought to the attention of the corporation.

In relation to the foregoing, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that:

 

 

we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or being offered an opportunity to participate in, any business opportunities that are presented to us or our officers, directors or stockholders or affiliates thereof, including but not limited to, our sponsor and its affiliates, except as may be prescribed by any written agreement with us; and

 

 

our officers and directors will not be liable to our company or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of any fiduciary duty by reason of any of our activities or any of our sponsor or its affiliates to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law.

In addition to our sponsor, our officers and directors are, and may in the future become, affiliated with other companies. In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from such other corporate affiliations, each of our officers and directors has contractually agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, until the earliest of our execution of a definitive agreement for a business combination, our liquidation or such time as he ceases to be an officer or director, to present to our company for our consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable business opportunity which may reasonably be required to be presented to us, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations he might have.

Our officers and directors and we have agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until we have entered into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business combination or we have failed to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the consummation of this offering.

The following table summarizes the relevant pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors:

 

Individual    Entity    Position at affiliated entity

Jonathan J. Ledecky

  

New York Islanders

NY Hockey Holdings LLC

Ironbound Partners Fund LLC

Newtown Lane Holdings, Incorporated

  

Owner

President

Chairman

President and Director

Kevin Griffin

   MGG Investment Group    Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

Evan B. Morgan

   The Radcliff Companies    Manager

Efrat Epstein

   Sound Ventures    Managing Partner

 

 

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Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:

 

 

Our executive 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 executive officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our executive officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.

 

 

Our sponsor and directors purchased 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. Our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them directly in or after this offering. Additionally, our initial stockholders have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lockup. The private placement warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our executive officers and directors will own common stock 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 sponsor, officers and directors may loan funds to us after this offering and may be owed reimbursement for expenses incurred in connection with certain activities on our behalf which would only be repaid if we complete an initial business combination.

 

 

Our officers and directors may be paid consulting, finder or success fees for assisting us in consummating 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 was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or making the acquisition through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with an business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, executive officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness 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.

 

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We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.

In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares, and they, and the members of our management team, have agreed to vote any shares purchased during or after the offering, in favor of our initial business combination.

Limitation on liability and indemnification of officers and directors

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors and officers will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our directors and officers against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify the directors and officers.

These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers 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 directors and officers.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

We believe that these provisions and the insurance are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers and directors.

 

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Principal stockholders

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our shares of common stock as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:

 

 

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

 

 

each of our executive officers and directors that beneficially owns shares of common stock; and

 

 

all our executive officers and directors as a group.

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

In August 2018, we issued to our sponsor an aggregate of 5,750,000 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors in December 2018 and transferred 100,000 founder shares to our chief financial officer in December 2018, in each case at the same per-share purchase price paid by our sponsor. Prior to the initial investment in our company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we 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 number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our sponsor will forfeit for no consideration up to 750,000 shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional units, that our sponsor has forfeited for no consideration 750,000 founder shares, and that there are 25,000,000 shares of common stock issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

       Prior to offering(2)      After offering(4)  
Name and address of beneficial owner(1)    Amount and
nature of
beneficial
ownership (3)
     Approximate
percentage of
outstanding
common stock
     Amount and
nature of
beneficial
ownership (3)
     Approximate
percentage of
outstanding
common stock
 

Jonathan J. Ledecky(5)

     5,500,000        95.7%        4,750,000        19.0%  

James H.R. Brady

     100,000        1.7%        100,000        *  

Kevin Griffin(5)

     5,500,000        95.7%        4,750,000        19.0%  

Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC

     5,500,000        95.7%        4,750,000        19.0%  

Evan Morgan

     50,000        *        50,000        *  

Efrat Epstein

     50,000        *        50,000        *  

Katrina Adams

     50,000        *        50,000        *  

All officers and directors as a group ( six  individuals)

     5,750,000        100.0%        5,000,000        20.0%  

 

 

 

*   Less than one percent.

 

(1)   Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of our stockholders is c/o Pivotal Acquisition Corp., c/o Graubard Miller, The Chrysler Building, 425 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10174 .

 

(2)   Includes up to 750,000 founder shares that will be forfeited by our sponsor depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised.

 

(3)   Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B common stock. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “ Description of Securities .”

 

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(4)   Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and, therefore, the forfeiture of an aggregate of 750,000 founder shares.

 

(5)   Represents shares held by our sponsor, Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC, of which each of Mr. Ledecky and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, an affiliate of Mr. Griffin, is a managing member.

Immediately after this offering, our initial stockholders will beneficially own 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering) and will have the right to elect all of our directors prior to our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to elect any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our initial stockholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including amendments to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.

Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,750,000 private placement warrants (or 6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,750,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The number of private placement warrants to be purchased by the sponsor if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised only in part will be a number of warrants necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private placement warrants will be purchased simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. If we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below. The private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor and independent directors or their permitted transferees. Our sponsor or its permitted transferees have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. Otherwise, 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.

Our sponsor and Messrs. Ledecky and Griffin are deemed to be our “promoters” 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 shares of Class A common stock issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreements entered into by our initial stockholders and management team. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination and (B) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective shares of Class A common stock underlying such warrants, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any

 

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affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor or any of their affiliates, (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’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 such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the State of Delaware or our sponsor’s limited liability company agreement upon dissolution of our sponsor, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) 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 agreements.

Registration rights

The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans, as well as the holders of the securities we issue pursuant to the forward purchase contract described below, will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. These holders will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that we register such securities for sale under the Securities Act. In addition, these holders will have “piggy-back” registration rights to include their securities in other registration statements filed by us. However, the registration rights agreement provides that we will not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lockup period, which is described above under “— Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants .”

Forward purchase contract

Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into the definitive agreement for the proposed business combination. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business combination. The agreement is also conditioned on our board of directors, including Kevin Griffin, who is affiliated with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, having unanimously approved the proposed initial business combination. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, we may not receive any proceeds from this agreement and may need to arrange alternate financing to complete a business combination.

 

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Certain relationships and related party transactions

In August 2018, we issued to our sponsor an aggregate of 5,570,000 founder shares in exchange for a capital contribution of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per share. Our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent directors in December 2018 and transferred 100,000 founder shares to our chief financial officer in December 2018, in each case at the same per-share purchase price paid by our sponsor. Prior to the initial investment in our company of $25,000 by our sponsor, we 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 number of founder shares issued was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the outstanding shares after this offering. Our sponsor will surrender for no consideration up to 750,000 founder shares depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. 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 common stock immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 5,750,000 private placement warrants (or 6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant ($5,750,000 in the aggregate or $6,350,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The number of private placement warrants to be purchased by the sponsor if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised only in part will be a number of warrants necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private placement warrants will be purchased simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units. Each private placement warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at $11.50 per share. The private placement warrants (including the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.

We may pay consulting, finder or success fees to our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates for assisting us in consummating our initial business combination.

Other than the salaries, consulting fees or success fees described above, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s fees, will be paid by us to our sponsor, executive officers and directors, or any of 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 to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their affiliates.

Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has agreed, pursuant to a forward purchase contract with us, to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of our initial business combination, up to $150,000,000 of our securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will be determined by us and Pivotal Spac Funding LLC at the time we enter into a definitive agreement for a proposed initial business combination. This agreement is independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to redeem their public shares and may provide us with an increased minimum funding level for the initial business

 

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combination. The agreement is also conditioned on our board of directors, including Kevin Griffin, who is affiliated with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, having unanimously approved the proposed initial business combination. Additionally, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has no assets other than its interest in our sponsor and we have not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, we may not receive any proceeds from this agreement and may need to arrange alternate financing to complete a business combination.

An affiliate of our sponsor previously loaned to us $125,000. This loan is non-interest bearing, unsecured and is due at the earlier of September 1, 2019, the closing of this offering or if we determine to abandon this offering. The loan would be repaid upon the closing of this offering.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from 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. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from other third parties 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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our stockholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a stockholder meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation.

We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares, private placement warrants and securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract described, among other securities, which is described under the heading “ Principal Stockholders—Registration Rights .”

 

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Description of securities

As of the date of this prospectus, we will be authorized to issue 85,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001, including 75,000,000 shares of Class A common stock and 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, as well as 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001. As of the date of this prospectus, 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock are outstanding. No shares of Class A common stock or preferred stock are currently outstanding. The following description summarizes the material terms of our securities. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you. For a complete description you should refer to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, bylaws and the form of warrant agreement, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law.

Units

Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one share of Class A common stock and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. The Class A common stock and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52 nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. informs us of its 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 common stock and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A common stock and warrants.

In no event will the Class A common stock 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 of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days after the units commence trading. If the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

Common stock

Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, all of which were held of record by our initial stockholders, so that our initial stockholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our initial stockholders do not purchase any units in this offering). Our sponsor will surrender for no consideration up to 750,000 shares of Class B common stock depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 25,000,000 shares of common stock will be issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units and the corresponding surrender for no consideration of 750,000 founder shares by our sponsor) including:

 

 

20,000,000 shares of Class A common stock underlying the units issued as part of this offering; and

 

5,000,000 shares of Class B common stock held by our initial stockholders.

If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B common stock

 

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immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial stockholders at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering.

Stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders except as required by law. However, prior to the vote on our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time.

Because our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance of up to 75,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of shares of common stock which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our stockholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of stockholders) serving a three-year term. In accordance with NYSE corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first full fiscal year end following our listing on the NYSE. We may not hold an annual meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, at all times prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC may designate a director to serve on our board. Prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, amending our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws will require the approval of such designee and such designee’s presence will be required to form a quorum of the board. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that, prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, transactions between the company and any managing member of our sponsor or any other officer, director or 5% stockholder of the company or their respective affiliates will require the unanimous approval of the board, other than those transactions, payments or reimbursements described in this prospectus. Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a managing member of our sponsor, has designated Kevin Griffin as a director. Should Mr. Griffin cease to serve as a director prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, Pivotal Spac Funding LLC will have the right to designate his successor.

We will provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to convert 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 trust account (to pay our tax obligations), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.00 per public share. 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. Our initial stockholders, which include our independent directors, have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. The members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them directly in or after this offering. Unlike many blank check companies that hold stockholder 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

 

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required by law, if a stockholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation 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 stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain stockholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek stockholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of our initial business combination. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors 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 stockholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of the majority of our outstanding shares of common stock, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained.

If we seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our stockholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our stockholders’ inability to convert the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such stockholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such stockholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such stockholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% 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 stockholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial stockholders’ founder shares, we would need 7,500,001, or 37.5%, of the 20,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all shares of common stock are voted and the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised). The other members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them in or after this offering. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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, 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 trust account (to pay our tax obligations and less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further 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 stockholders and our

 

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board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. Our initial stockholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial stockholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our stockholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the shares of common stock. Our stockholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock, except that public stockholders have the right to sell their shares to us in a tender offer or have their shares of common stock converted to cash for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our tax obligations, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations described herein. Public stockholders who sell or convert their stock into their share of the trust account still have the right to exercise the warrants that they received as part of the units.

Founder shares

The founder shares are designated as Class B common stock and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A common stock included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same stockholder rights as public stockholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our initial stockholders have entered into agreements with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the substance or timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months 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 fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A common stock at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein, (iv) prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of our directors and (v) have registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholders have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination. The members of our management team have entered into agreements similar to the one entered into by our initial stockholders with respect to any public shares acquired by them directly in or after this offering.

The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock at the time our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities convertible or exercisable for shares of Class A common stock, such as options, rights or warrants are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in this prospectus and related to the closing of our initial business combination, the ratio at which founder shares will

 

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convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted unless waived by majority of Class B holders so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate 20% of the sum of the shares of common stock outstanding upon completion of this offering plus the number of shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked shares issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination (net of conversions), excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, pursuant to the forward purchase contract, or to any seller in our initial business combination and any private placement warrants or working capital warrants issued to our sponsor, officers and directors or any of their affiliates.

With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination and (B) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property. Up to 750,000 founder shares will be forfeited by our sponsor depending on the exercise of the option to purchase additional units.

Preferred stock

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock and provides that preferred stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without stockholder approval, issue shares of preferred stock with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the common stock and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue shares of preferred stock without stockholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preferred stock, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this offering.

Warrants

Public stockholders’ warrants

Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on the later of one year from the closing of this offering or 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) 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. 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 shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities

 

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Act with respect to the Class A common stock 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. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a share of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. 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 share of Class A common stock underlying such unit.

We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 days and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60 th ) day after the closing of our 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.

Once the warrants become exercisable, we may call the warrants for redemption:

 

 

in whole and not in part;

 

 

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

 

upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and

 

 

if, and only if, the reported closing price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before we send to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

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 common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his, her or its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of

 

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our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants after our initial business combination. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, the holders of the private placement warrants and their permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.

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 4.9% or 9.8% (as specified by the holder) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.

If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a share dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding common stock. A rights offering to holders of common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for common stock) and (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock 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 the holders of Class A common stock on account of such Class A common stock (or other securities into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, which are dividends of $0.50 or less in any fiscal year (subject to adjustments), (c) to satisfy the conversion rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a proposed initial business combination or (d) 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 share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.

 

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If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock. We will not be required to make adjustments to the exercise price for any other events including the issuance of additional shares of Class A common stock other than dividends paid in Class A common stock as described above.

Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock 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 shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of us as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the 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 common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of Class A common stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the 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 in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrantholder for the loss of the option value portion of the warrant due to the requirement that the warrantholder exercise the warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.

The 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 provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. 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 warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed

 

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and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A common stock. After the issuance of Class A common stock 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 stockholders.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

Private placement warrants

The private placement warrants (including the Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except, among other limited exceptions as described under “ Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants ,” to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the sponsor) and they will not be redeemable by us so long as they are held by the sponsor and independent directors or their permitted transferees. The sponsor and independent directors, or their permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the private placement warrants on a cashless basis. 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. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than the sponsor and independent directors or their permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering.

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 shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of 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 and independent directors or their 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 prohibit insiders from selling our securities except during specific periods of time. Even during such periods of time when insiders will be permitted to sell our securities, an insider cannot trade in our securities if he or she is in possession of material non-public information. Accordingly, unlike public stockholders who could exercise their warrants and sell the Class A common stock received upon such exercise freely in the open market in order to recoup the cost of such exercise, the insiders could be significantly restricted from selling such securities. As a result, we believe that allowing the holders to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis is appropriate.

In order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or their respective affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. 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. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants.

 

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Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a 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 a business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase the size of this offering, then we will effect a share capitalization with respect to our founder shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.

Our transfer agent and warrant agent

The transfer agent for our common stock and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. We have agreed to indemnify Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company in its roles as transfer agent and warrant agent, its agents and each of its stockholders, directors, officers and employees against all 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.

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company has agreed that it has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account, and has irrevocably waived any right, title, interest or claim of any kind to, or to any monies in, the trust account that it may have now or in the future. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied, or a claim will only be able to be pursued, solely against us and our assets outside the trust account and not against the any monies in the trust account or interest earned thereon.

Certain anti-takeover provisions of delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and by-laws

Staggered board of directors

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors of approximately equal size. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual meetings.

Special meeting of stockholders

Our bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our president or by our chairman or by our secretary at the request in writing of stockholders owning a majority of our issued and outstanding capital stock entitled to vote.

Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations

Our bylaws provide that stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders must provide timely notice of their intent in writing. To be timely, a stockholder’s notice will need to be delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the close of business on the 60 th  day nor earlier than the close of business on the 90 th  day prior to the scheduled date of the annual meeting of stockholders. In the event that less than 70

 

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days’ notice or prior public disclosure of the date of the annual meeting of stockholders is given, a stockholder’s notice shall be timely if delivered to our principal executive offices not later than the 10 th  day following the day on which public announcement of the date of our annual meeting of stockholders is first made or sent by us. Our bylaws also specify certain requirements as to the form and content of a stockholders’ meeting. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders.

Authorized but unissued shares

Our authorized but unissued common stock and preferred stock are available for future issuances without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

Exclusive forum selection

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in our name, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits our company by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Section 203 opt out

Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, we have opted out of the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law regulating corporate takeovers. This section prevents certain Delaware corporations, under certain circumstances, from engaging in a “business combination” with:

 

 

a stockholder who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock (otherwise known as an “interested stockholder”);

 

 

an affiliate of an interested stockholder; or

 

 

an associate of an interested stockholder, for three years following the date that the stockholder became an interested stockholder. A “business combination” includes a merger or sale of more than 10% of our assets. However, the above provisions of Section 203 do not apply if:

 

 

our board of directors approves the transaction that made the stockholder an “interested stockholder,” prior to the date of the transaction;

 

 

after the completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, that stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, other than statutorily excluded shares of common stock; or

 

 

on or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at a meeting of our stockholders, and not by written consent, by an affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock not owned by the interested stockholder.

We have opted out of the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law because we believe this statute could prohibit or delay mergers or other change in control attempts, and thus may discourage attempts to acquire us.

 

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Limitation on liability and indemnification of directors and officers

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors and officers will be indemnified by us to the fullest extent authorized by Delaware law as it now exists or may in the future be amended. In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages to us for breaches of their fiduciary duty as directors, unless they violated their duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful redemptions, or derived an improper personal benefit from their actions as directors.

Our bylaws also will permit us to secure insurance on behalf of any officer, director or employee for any liability arising out of his or her actions, regardless of whether Delaware law would permit indemnification. We will purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our directors and officers against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify the directors and officers.

These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. Furthermore, a stockholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers 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 directors and officers.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable.

 

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Securities eligible for future sale

Immediately after this offering we will have 25,000,000 (or 28,750,000 if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) shares of common stock outstanding. Of these shares, the Class A common stock sold in this offering (20,000,000 shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised and 23,000,000 shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares of Class A common stock purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the outstanding founder shares (5,000,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised and 5,750,000 founder shares if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) and all of the outstanding private placement warrants (5,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised and 6,350,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units 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 12 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:

 

 

1% of the total number of shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 250,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 287,500 if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional units); or

 

 

the average weekly reported trading volume of the Class A common stock during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales by our affiliates under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Restrictions on the use of rule 144 by shell companies or former shell companies

Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by shell companies (other than 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:

 

 

the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

 

 

the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

 

the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than 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 initial stockholders will be able to sell their 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 rights

The holders of the founder shares, private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans (and any Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the private placement warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans), as well as the holders of the securities we issue pursuant to the forward purchase contract described herein, will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. 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 rights agreement provides 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, upon the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (B) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our public stockholders having the right to exchange their Class A common stock for cash, securities or other property (except as described herein under “ Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants ”), provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the founder shares will be released from the lock-up if the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and the respective Class A common stock underlying such warrants and the securities issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract, 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination (except as described herein under “ Principal Stockholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants ”). We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Listing of securities

We have applied to have our units listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PVT.U” commencing on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on the NYSE. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A common stock and warrants will be listed on the NYSE under the symbols “PVT” and “PVT WS,” respectively. We do not anticipate having units traded following consummation of the initial business combination.

 

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Taxation

The following are the material U.S. federal income and estate tax considerations with respect to your ownership and disposition of our units or components thereof, which we refer to collectively as our securities, assuming you purchase the securities in this offering and will hold them as capital assets within the meaning of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”).

This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income and estate tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, and it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to persons subject to special rules, such as:

 

 

certain financial institutions;

 

 

insurance companies;

 

 

dealers and traders in securities or foreign currencies;

 

 

persons holding our securities as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction;

 

 

former citizens or residents of the United States;

 

 

U.S. persons whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;

 

 

partnerships or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

 

persons liable for the alternative minimum tax; and

 

 

tax-exempt organizations.

The following does not discuss any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation. This discussion is based on current provisions of the Code, Treasury regulations, judicial opinions, published positions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and all other applicable authorities, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

If an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the entity. If you are a partner in such an entity, you should consult your tax advisor.

WE URGE PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ACQUIRING, HOLDING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES.

Each unit will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as an investment unit consisting of one share of our common stock and one warrant to acquire one share of our common stock, subject to adjustment. In determining your basis for the common stock and warrant composing a unit, you should allocate your purchase price for the unit between the components on the basis of their relative fair market values at the time of issuance.

Personal holding company status

We could be subject to United States federal income tax at rates in excess of those generally applicable to corporations on a portion of our income if we are determined to be a personal holding company, or PHC, for United States federal income tax purposes. A U.S. corporation will generally be classified as a PHC for United

 

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States federal income tax purposes in a given taxable year if (i) at any time during the last half of such taxable year, five or fewer individuals (without regard to their citizenship or residency and including as individuals for this purpose certain entities such as certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts) own or are deemed to own (pursuant to certain constructive ownership rules) more than 50% of the stock of the corporation by value and (ii) at least 60% of the corporation’s adjusted ordinary gross income, as determined for United States federal income tax purposes, for such taxable year consists of PHC income (which includes, among other things, dividends, interest, certain royalties, annuities and, under certain circumstances, rents).

Depending on the date and size of our initial business combination, it is possible that at least 60% of our adjusted ordinary gross income may consist of PHC income as discussed above. In addition, depending on the concentration of our stock in the hands of individuals, including the members of our sponsor and certain tax-exempt organizations, pension funds, and charitable trusts, it is possible that more than 50% of our stock will be owned or deemed owned (pursuant to the constructive ownership rules) by such persons during the last half of a taxable year. Thus, no assurance can be given that we will not become a PHC following this offering or in the future. If we are or were to become a PHC in a given taxable year, we would be subject to an additional PHC tax, currently 20%, on our undistributed taxable income, subject to certain adjustments.

U.S. holders

This section is addressed to U.S. holders of our securities. For purposes of this discussion, you are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a security that is:

 

 

an individual citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

 

 

a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in, or under the laws of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; or

 

 

an estate or trust the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source.

Dividends and distributions

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. In the event that we do make distributions on our common stock, such distributions generally will be treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Distributions in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits generally will first reduce your basis in the common stock (but not below zero) and then will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the common stock (as described in the first paragraph under “ Sale or Other Disposition or Conversion of Common Stock ” below).

The conversion feature of the common stock described under “ Proposed Business—Effecting a Business Combination—Conversion Rights ” may be viewed as a position with respect to substantially similar or related property which diminishes your risk of loss and thereby affects your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

Sale or other disposition or conversion of common stock

Gain or loss you realize on the sale or other disposition of our common stock (other than conversion into cash but including a liquidation in the event we do not consummate a business combination within the required time) will be capital gain or loss. The amount of your gain or loss will be equal to the difference between your tax

 

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basis in the common stock disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any capital gain or loss you realize on a sale or other disposition of our common stock will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if your holding period for the common stock is more than one year. However, the conversion feature of the common stock described under “ Proposed Business —Effecting a Business Combination—Conversion Rights ” could affect your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the long-term capital gain tax rate with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

If you convert your common stock into a right to receive cash as described in “ Proposed Business—Effecting a Business Combination—Conversion Rights ,” the conversion generally will be treated as a sale of common stock described in the preceding paragraph (rather than as a dividend or distribution). The conversion will, however, be treated as a dividend or distribution and taxed as described in “—Dividends and Distributions” above if your percentage ownership in us (including shares that you are deemed to own under certain attribution rules, such as the shares into which the warrants are exercisable) after the conversion is not meaningfully reduced from what your percentage ownership was prior to the conversion. If you have a relatively minimal stock interest and, taking into account the effect of conversion by other stockholders, your percentage ownership in us is reduced as a result of the conversion, you may be regarded as having suffered a meaningful reduction in interest. For example, the IRS has ruled that any reduction in the stockholder’s proportionate interest will constitute a “meaningful reduction” in a transaction in which a holder held less than 1% of the shares of a corporation and did not have management control over the corporation. You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether conversion of your common stock will be treated as a sale or as a dividend under the Code and, if you actually or constructively own 5% (or, if our stock is not then publicly traded, 1%) or more of our common stock before conversion, whether you are subject to special reporting requirements with respect to such conversion.

Sale or other disposition, exercise or expiration of warrants

Upon the sale or other disposition of a warrant (other than by exercise), you will generally recognize capital gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized on the sale or other disposition and your tax basis in the warrant. This capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if, at the time of the sale or other disposition, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

With respect to the warrants, in general, you will not be required to recognize income, gain or loss upon exercise of a warrant for its exercise price. Your basis in a share of common stock received upon exercise will be equal to the sum of (1) your basis in the warrant and (2) the exercise price of the warrant. Your holding period in the shares received upon exercise will commence on the day after you exercise the warrants. Although there is no direct legal authority as to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an exercise of a warrant on a cashless basis, we intend to take the position that such exercise will not be taxable, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because it qualifies as a tax-free recapitalization. In the former case, the holding period of the common stock should commence on the day after the warrant is exercised. In the latter case, the holding period of the common stock would include the holding period of the exercised warrants. However, our position is not binding on the IRS and the IRS may treat a cashless exercise of a warrant as a taxable exchange. You are urged to consult your own tax advisor as to the consequences of an exercise of a warrant on a cashless basis.

If a warrant expires without being exercised, you will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to your basis in the warrant. Such loss will be long-term capital loss if, at the time of the expiration, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

 

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Constructive dividends on warrants

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If at any time during the period you hold warrants, however, we were to pay a taxable dividend to our stockholders and, in accordance with the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, the conversion rate of the warrants were increased, that increase would be deemed to be the payment of a taxable dividend to you to the extent of our earnings and profits, notwithstanding the fact that you will not receive a cash payment. If the conversion rate is adjusted in certain other circumstances (or in certain circumstances, there is a failure to make adjustments), such adjustments may also result in the deemed payment of a taxable dividend to you. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the warrants.

Unearned income medicare tax

A 3.8% Medicare contribution tax will generally apply to all or some portion of the net investment income of a U.S. holder that is an individual with adjusted gross income that exceeds a threshold amount ($250,000 if married filing jointly or if considered a “surviving spouse” for federal income tax purposes, $125,000 if married filing separately, and $200,000 in other cases). This 3.8% tax will also apply to all or some portion of the undistributed net investment income of certain U.S. holders that are estates and trusts. For these purposes, dividends and gains from the taxable dispositions of the common stock, rights and warrants will generally be taken into account in computing such a U.S. holder’s net investment income.

Information reporting and backup withholding

Information returns may be filed with the IRS with respect to dividends or other distributions we may pay to you and proceeds from the sale of your shares of common stock, rights or warrants. You will be subject to backup withholding on these payments if you fail to provide your taxpayer identification number to the paying agent and comply with certain certification procedures or otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld with respect to your shares of common stock or warrants under the backup withholding rules will be refunded to you or credited against your United States federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS provided that certain required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Non-U.S. holders

This section is addressed to non-U.S. holders of the securities. For purposes of this discussion, a “non-U.S. holder” is a beneficial owner of a security (other than an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes) that is not a U.S. holder.

Dividends and distributions

As discussed under “ Dividend Policy ” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If, however, we were to pay taxable dividends to you with respect to your shares of common stock (including any deemed distributions treated as a dividend on the warrants, as described in “ Constructive Dividends on Warrants ” below), those dividends would generally be subject to United States withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount, unless you are eligible for a reduced rate of withholding tax under an applicable income tax treaty and you provide proper certification of your eligibility for such reduced rate (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E). A distribution generally will constitute a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits as determined under the Code. Any distribution not constituting a dividend generally will be treated first as reducing your

 

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basis in your shares of common stock and, to the extent it exceeds your basis, as gain from the disposition of your shares of common stock treated as described under “ Sale or Other Disposition of Common Stock or Warrants ” below. The full amount of any distributions to you may, however, be subject to United States withholding tax unless the applicable withholding agent elects to withhold a lesser amount based on a reasonable estimate of the amount of the distribution that would be treated as a dividend. In addition, if we determine that we are likely to be classified as a “United States real property holding corporation” (see “ Sale or Other Disposition of Common Stock or Warrants ” below), we will withhold at least 15% of any distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits as provided by the Code.

Dividends we pay to you that are effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if certain income tax treaties apply, are attributable to a United States permanent establishment maintained by you) generally will not be subject to United States withholding tax if you comply with applicable certification and disclosure requirements (usually by providing an IRS Form W-8ECI). Instead, such dividends generally will be subject to United States federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same graduated individual or corporate rates applicable to United States persons. If you are a corporation, effectively connected income may also be subject to a “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty).

Exercise of warrants

You generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the exercise of the warrants into shares of common stock. However, if a cashless exercise of warrants results in a taxable exchange, as described in “ U.S. Holders—Sale or Other Disposition, Exercise or Expiration of Warrants ,” the rules described below under “ Sale or Other Disposition of Common Stock or Warrants ” would apply.

Sale or other disposition of common stock or warrants

You generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax on any gain realized upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of our common stock (which would include a dissolution and liquidation in the event we do not consummate an initial business combination within the required timeframe) or warrants (including an expiration or redemption of our warrants), unless:

 

 

the gain is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, under certain income tax treaties, is attributable to a United States permanent establishment you maintain);

 

 

you are an individual, you hold your shares of common stock or warrants as capital assets, you are present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of disposition and you meet other conditions, and you are not eligible for relief under an applicable income tax treaty; or

 

 

we are or have been a “United States real property holding corporation” for United States federal income tax purposes and, in the case where the shares of our common stock are regularly traded on an established securities market, you hold or have held, directly or indirectly, at any time within the shorter of the five-year period preceding disposition or your holding period for your shares of common stock or warrants, more than 5% of our common stock. Special rules may apply to the determination of the 5% threshold in the case of a holder of a warrant. You are urged to consult your own tax advisors regarding the effect of holding the warrants on the calculation of such 5% threshold. We will be classified as a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of our “United States real property interests” equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of (1) the fair market value of our United States real property interests, (2) the fair market value of our non-United States real property interests and (3) the fair market value of any other of our assets which are used or held for use in our trade or business. Although we currently are not a United States real property holding corporation, we cannot determine whether we will be a United States real property holding corporation in the future until we consummate an initial business combination.

 

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Gain that is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business within the United States generally will be subject to United States federal income tax, net of certain deductions, at the same rates applicable to United States persons. If you are a corporation, the branch profits tax also may apply to such effectively connected gain. If the gain from the sale or disposition of your shares of common stock or warrants is effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the United States but under an applicable income tax treaty is not attributable to a permanent establishment you maintain in the United States, your gain may be exempt from United States tax under the treaty. If you are described in the second bullet point above, you generally will be subject to United States federal income tax at a rate of 30% on the gain realized, although the gain may be offset by some United States source capital losses realized during the same taxable year. If you are described in the third bullet point above, gain recognized by you on the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares of common stock or warrants will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at normal graduated U.S. federal income tax rates. In addition, a buyer of your shares of common stock or warrants may be required to withhold United States income tax at a rate of 15% of the amount realized upon such disposition.

If you convert your common stock into a right to receive cash as described in “ Proposed Business—Effecting a Business Combination—Conversion Rights ,” the conversion generally will be treated as a sale of common stock rather than as a dividend or distribution. The conversion will, however, be treated as a dividend or distribution and taxed as described in “ Dividends and Distributions ” if your percentage ownership in us (including shares that you are deemed to own under certain attribution rules, such as the shares into which the warrants are exercisable) after the conversion is not meaningfully reduced from what your percentage ownership was prior to the conversion. See the discussion in “ U.S. Holders—Sale or Other Disposition or Conversion of Common Stock .” You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether conversion of your common stock will be treated as a sale or as a dividend under the Code.

Constructive dividends on warrants

As discussed under “ Dividend Policy ” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If at any time during the period you hold warrants, however, we were to pay a taxable dividend to our stockholders and, in accordance with the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, the conversion rate of the warrants were increased, that increase would be deemed to be the payment of a taxable dividend to you to the extent of our earnings and profits, notwithstanding the fact that you will not receive a cash payment. If the conversion rate is adjusted in certain other circumstances (or in certain circumstances, there is a failure to make adjustments), such adjustments may also result in the deemed payment of a taxable dividend to you. Any resulting withholding tax attributable to deemed dividends would be collected from other amounts payable or distributable to you. You should consult your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of any adjustments to the warrants.

Information reporting and backup withholding

We must report annually to the IRS the amount of dividends or other distributions we may pay to you on your shares of common stock and the amount of tax we withhold on any such distributions regardless of whether withholding is required. The IRS may make copies of the information returns reporting those dividends and amounts withheld available to the tax authorities in the country in which you reside pursuant to the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty or exchange of information treaty.

The United States imposes backup withholding on dividends and certain other types of payments to United States persons. You will not be subject to backup withholding on dividends you receive on your shares of common stock if you provide proper certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) of your status as a non-United States person or you are a corporation or one of several types of entities and organizations that qualify for exemption (an “exempt recipient”).

 

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Information reporting and backup withholding generally are not required with respect to the amount of any proceeds from the sale of your shares of common stock or warrants outside the United States through a foreign office of a foreign broker that does not have certain specified connections to the United States. However, if you sell your shares of common stock or warrants through a United States broker or the United States office of a foreign broker, the broker will be required to report to the IRS the amount of proceeds paid to you unless you provide appropriate certification (usually on an IRS Form W-8BEN or Form W-8BEN-E) to the broker of your status as a non-United States person or you are an exempt recipient. Information reporting also would apply if you sell your shares of common stock or warrants through a foreign broker deriving more than a specified percentage of its income from United States sources or having certain other connections to the United States.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld with respect to your shares of common stock or warrants under the backup withholding rules will be refunded to you or credited against your United States federal income tax liability, if any, by the IRS provided that certain required information is furnished to the IRS in a timely manner.

Estate tax

Common stock owned or treated as owned by an individual who is not a citizen or resident (as defined for United States federal estate tax purposes) of the United States at the time of his or her death, or by an entity the property of which is potentially includible in such an individual’s gross estate, will be included in the individual’s gross estate for United States federal estate tax purposes and therefore may be subject to United States federal estate tax unless an applicable estate tax treaty provides otherwise. The foregoing may also apply to warrants.

Unearned income medicare tax

If you are a foreign estate or trust, you may be subject to the Medicare contribution tax described under “ U.S. Holders—Unearned Income Medicare Tax ” above. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of the Medicare contribution tax on their investments in the units.

FATCA

A 30% withholding tax will be imposed on payments to certain foreign entities of U.S.-source dividends and after December 31, 2018, the gross proceeds of dispositions of stock (including our securities) that can produce U.S.-source dividends, unless various U.S. information reporting and due diligence requirements (generally relating to ownership by U.S. persons of interests in or accounts with those entities) have been satisfied or an exemption has otherwise been established. Potential investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of this withholding tax on their investment in the units.

 

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Underwriting

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. is acting as sole book-running manager of the offering and as representative of the underwriters named below. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus, the underwriters named below have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the following respective number of units set forth opposite each underwriters’ name.

 

Underwriters    Number of Units  

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

  
  

 

 

 

BTIG, LLC

  
  

 

 

 

Total

     20,000,000  

 

 

The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the underwriters to purchase the units included in this offering are subject to approval of legal matters by counsel and to other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units (other than those covered by the option to purchase additional units described below) if they purchase any of the units.

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial public offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount from the initial public offering price not to exceed $[ · ] per unit. If all of the units are not sold at the initial offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and the other selling terms. The underwriters have advised us that they do not intend to make sales to discretionary accounts.

If the underwriters sell more units than the total number set forth in the table above, we have granted to the underwriters an option, exercisable for 45 days from the date of this prospectus, to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional units at the public offering price less the underwriting discount. The underwriters may exercise this option solely for the purpose of covering over-allotments, if any, in connection with this offering. Any units issued or sold under the option will be issued and sold on the same terms and conditions as the other units that are the subject of this offering.

We, our sponsor and our officers and directors have agreed that, for a period of 180 days from the date of this prospectus, we and they will not, without the prior written consent of the underwriters, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge or otherwise dispose of, directly or indirectly, any units, warrants, shares of Class A common stock or any other securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Class A common stock, subject to certain exceptions. The underwriters in their sole discretion may release any of the securities subject to these lock-up agreements at any time without notice, other than in the case of the officers and directors, which shall be with notice. Our sponsor, officers and directors are also subject to separate transfer restrictions on their founder shares and private placement warrants.

Our initial stockholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property (except with respect to permitted transferees as described herein under the section of this prospectus entitled “Principal stockholders—Transfers of founder shares and private placement warrants”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lockup. The private placement warrants will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business

 

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combination. Because each of our executive officers and directors will own common stock 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.

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 representative of the underwriters. Among the factors considered in determining the initial public offering price were the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies, prior offerings of those companies, our management, our capital structure, and currently prevailing general conditions in the equity securities markets, including current market valuations of publicly traded companies considered comparable to our company. We cannot assure you, however, that the price at which the units, Class A common stock or warrants will sell in the public market after this offering will not be lower than the initial public offering price or that an active trading market in our units, Class A common stock or warrants will develop and continue after this offering.

We have applied to have our units listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PVT.U” and our Class A common stock and warrants under the symbols “PVT” and “PVT WS,” respectively.

The following table shows the underwriting discounts and commissions that we are to pay to the underwriters in connection with this offering. These amounts are shown assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

 

       Payable by Pivotal Acquisition Corp.  
               No Exercise              Full Exercise  

Per Unit(1)

   $ 0.55      $ 0.55  

Total(1)

   $ 11,000,000      $ 12,650,000  

 

 

 

(1)   Includes $0.35 per unit, or $7,000,000 (or $8,050,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) in the aggregate payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States as described herein. The deferred commissions will be released to the underwriters only on completion of an initial business combination, in an amount equal to $0.35 multiplied by the number of shares of Class A common stock sold as part of the units in this offering, as described in this prospectus.

If we do not complete our initial business combination and subsequently liquidate, the trustee and the underwriters have agreed that (i) they will forfeit any rights or claims to its deferred underwriting discounts and commissions, including any accrued interest thereon, then in the trust account upon liquidation, and (ii) that the deferred underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be distributed on a pro rata basis, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes to the public stockholders.

In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell units in the open market. Purchases and sales in the open market may include short sales, purchases to cover short positions, which may include purchases pursuant to the option to purchase additional units and stabilizing purchases, in accordance with Regulation M under the Exchange Act.

 

 

Short sales involve secondary market sales by the underwriters of a greater number of units than it is required to purchase in the offering.

 

 

“Covered” short sales are sales of units in an amount up to the number of units represented by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

 

 

“Naked” short sales are sales of units in an amount in excess of the number of units represented by the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units.

 

 

Covering transactions involve purchases of units either pursuant to the option to purchase additional units or in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover short positions.

 

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To close a naked short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

 

 

To close a covered short position, the underwriters must purchase units in the open market after the distribution has been completed or must exercise the option to purchase additional units. In determining the source of units to close the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the option to purchase additional units.

 

 

Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase units so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum.

Purchases to cover short positions and stabilizing purchases, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own account, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the units. They may also cause the price of the units to be higher than the price that would otherwise exist in the open market in the absence of these transactions. The underwriters may conduct these transactions in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. If the underwriters commence any of these transactions, it may discontinue them at any time.

We estimate that our portion of the total expenses of this offering payable by us will be $750,000, excluding underwriting discounts and commissions. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for all expenses and fees related to the review by FINRA, which will not exceed $15,000, and the expenses of investigations and background checks of our principals not to exceed $5,000 per principal.

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make because of any of those liabilities.

We are not under any contractual obligation to engage the underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering, and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriters 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 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering and we may pay the underwriters of this offering or any entity with which it is affiliated a finder’s fee or other compensation for services rendered to us in connection with the completion of an initial business combination.

The underwriters and their affiliates may in the future engage in, investment banking and other commercial dealings in the ordinary course of business with us or our affiliates, for which it may in the future receive, customary fees and commissions for any such transactions.

In addition, in the ordinary course of their business activities, the underwriters and their affiliates may make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers. Such investments and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of ours or our affiliates. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that relevant member state (the “relevant implementation date”), an offer of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member state at any time:

 

 

to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Directive;

 

 

to fewer than 100, or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provisions of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Directive), as permitted under the Prospectus Directive, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the issuer for any such offer; or natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters for any such offer; or

 

 

in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

Each purchaser of units described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer of units to the public” in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Directive” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the 2010 PD Amending Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state. The expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of units through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (each such person being referred to as a “relevant person”). The units are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in France

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or of the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:

 

 

released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

 

 

used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France.

Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:

 

 

To qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, articles L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

 

 

to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

 

 

in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1° -or-2° -or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).

The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), or (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The units offered in this prospectus have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the account of any resident of Japan (including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), except (i) pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law and (ii) in compliance with any other applicable requirements of Japanese law.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for

 

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subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is

 

 

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

 

 

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

 

 

to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than $200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;

 

 

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

 

 

where the transfer is by operation of law.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada

The units may be sold in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106  Prospectus Exemptions  or subsection 73.3(1) of the  Securities Act  (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103  Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations . Any resale of the units must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.

Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchaser’s province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.

Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105  Underwriting Conflicts  (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.

 

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Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The securities to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”), and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act. Any offer in Australia of the securities may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the securities without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The securities applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring securities must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions. This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The securities may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the securities or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the company, the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of securities will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of securities has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of securities.

 

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Legal matters

Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this prospectus. In connection with this offering, Ellenoff Grossman and Schole LLP, New York, New York, advised the underwriters in connection with the offering of the securities.

Experts

The financial statements of Pivotal Acquisition Corp. as of August 25, 2018 and for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) through August 25, 2018 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 Pivotal 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.

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Index to financial statements

 

     Page  

Report of independent registered public accounting firm

     F-2  

Balance sheet s

     F-3  

Statements of operations

     F-4  

Statement of changes in stockholder’s equity

     F-5  

Statements of cash flows

     F-6  

Notes to financial statements

     F-7  

 

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Report of independent registered public accounting firm

To the Shareholder and the Board of Directors of

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Opinion on the financial statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of August 25, 2018 and the related statements of operations, changes in stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) through August 25, 2018 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 August 25, 2018 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) through August 25, 2018, 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 discussed in Note 1 to the financial statements, its business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the Company’s cash and working capital as of August 25, 2018 are not sufficient to complete its planned activities. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans in regard to these matters are also described in Note 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 2018.

New York, NY

September 14, 2018

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Balance sheets

 

      

September 30,

2018

(unaudited)

    August 25,
2018
 

ASSETS

    

Current asset—cash

   $ 82,476     $ 125,000  

Deferred offering costs

     70,000       27,500  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Assets

   $ 152,476     $ 152,500  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

    

Current liabilities

    

Accrued expenses

   $ 969     $ 369  

Accrued offering costs

     2,500       2,500  

Promissory note—related party

     125,000       125,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

   $ 128,469     $ 127,869  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Commitments

    

Stockholder’s Equity

    

Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

   $     $  

Class A Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 75,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding

            

Class B Common stock, $0.0001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 shares issued and outstanding(1)

     575       575  

Additional paid-in capital

     24,425       24,425  

Accumulated deficit

     (993     (369
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Stockholder’s Equity

   $ 24,007     $ 24,631  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY

   $ 152,476     $ 152,500  

 

 

 

(1)   Includes up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part.

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

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Statements of operations

 

      

For the period
from August 2, 2018
(inception) to
September 30, 2018

(unaudited)

    For the period
from August 2, 2018
(inception) to
August 25, 2018
 

Formation and operating costs

   $ 993     $ 369  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Loss

   $ (993   $ (369
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Weighted average shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)

     5,000,000       5,000,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per common share

   $ (0.00   $ (0.00

 

 

 

(1)   Excludes an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part.

 

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

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Statement of changes in stockholder’s equity

 

       Common stock(1)     

Additional
paid-in

capital

    

Accumulated

deficit

   

Total
stockholder’s

equity

 
       Shares      Amount  

Balance—August 2, 2018 (inception)

          $      $      $     $  

Issuance of Class B common stock to Sponsor(1)

     5,750,000        575        24,425              25,000  

Net loss

                          (369     (369
  

 

 

 

Balance—August 25, 2018

     5,750,000      $ 575      $ 24,425      $ (369   $ 24,631  

Net loss (unaudited)

                          (624     (624

Balance-September 30, 2018

     5,750,000      $ 575      $ 24,425      $ (993   $ 24,007  

 

 

 

(1)   Includes 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part.

 

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

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Statements of cash flows

 

      

For the period

from August 2, 2018

(inception) to

September 30, 2018

(unaudited)

    For the period
from August 2, 2018
(inception) to
August 25, 2018
 

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

    

Net loss

   $ (993   $ (369

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

    

Accounts payable

     969       369  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

   $ (24   $  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities:

    

Proceeds from issuance of common stock to Sponsor

   $ 25,000     $ 25,000  

Proceeds from promissory note—related party

     125,000       125,000  

Payment of offering costs

     (67,500     (25,000
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by financing activities

   $ 82,500     $ 125,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net Change in Cash

     82,476       125,000  

Cash—Beginning

            
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash—Ending

   $ 82,476     $ 125,000  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Non-cash investing and financing activities:

    

Deferred offering costs included in accrued offering costs

   $ 2,500     $ 2,500  

 

 

 

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

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 1—Description of organization and business operations

Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) was incorporated in Delaware on August 2, 2018. The Company was formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “Business Combination”).

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or sector for purposes of consummating a Business Combination although it intends to focus on target businesses in the sports, logistics, e-commerce and consumer technology industries. 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 September 30, 2018, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity through September 30, 2018 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of its initial Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income on cash and cash equivalents in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 20,000,000 units (each a “Unit” and collectively the “Units” and, with respect to the shares of Class A common stock included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 23,000,000 units if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of 5,750,000 warrants (or 6,350,000 warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) (each, a “Private Warrant” and collectively, the “Private Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement to Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (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 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 its initial Business Combination having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into an initial Business Combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company is not then listed on the NYSE for whatever reason, it would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).

Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.00 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds of the Private 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 180 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraph (d) of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act,

 

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Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 1—Description of organization and business operations—(Continued)

 

as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the assets held in the Trust Account, as described below.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public stockholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a stockholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek stockholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public stockholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.00 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest 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 conversion rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to conversion will be recorded at conversion value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering in accordance with the Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.” The Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon the consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a stockholder vote is not required by law and the Company does not decide to hold a stockholder vote for business or other legal reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or legal reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks stockholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Company’s Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined below in Note 5) and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public stockholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction.

If the Company seeks stockholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public stockholder, together with any affiliate of such stockholder or any other person with whom such stockholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its conversion 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) that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to stockholders’ rights or pre-business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public stockholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 1—Description of organization and business operations—(Continued)

 

If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering (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 franchise and income taxes (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

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 underwriter has agreed to waive its rights to its deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within in 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 (i) $10.00 per share or (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.00 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets. This liability will not apply with respect to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account or to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriter 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, prospective target businesses or 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.

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 1—Description of organization and business operations—(Continued)

 

Going concern consideration

At September 30, 2018, the Company had $82,476 in cash and working capital deficit of $45,993. 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 within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through a 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 within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Note 2—Summary of significant accounting policies

Basis of presentation

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging growth company

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

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

Use of estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 2—Summary of significant accounting policies—(Continued)

 

contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.

Deferred offering costs

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, underwriting fees and other costs incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to stockholder’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.

Income taxes

The Company follows the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes under ASC 740, “Income Taxes.” Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized.

ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of August 2, 2018 (inception) to August 25, 2018 and for the period from September 30, 2018. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) to August 25, 2018 and for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) to September 30, 2018.

Net loss per common share

Net loss per share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding during the period, excluding shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 750,000 shares of common stock that

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 2—Summary of significant accounting policies—(Continued)

 

are subject to forfeiture if the option to purchase additional units is not exercised by the underwriter (see Note 7). At August 25, 2018 and September 30, 2018, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into shares of common stock and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per share is the same as basic loss per share for the period presented.

Concentration of credit risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. At August 25, 2018 and September 30, 2018, the Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

Fair value of financial instruments

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

Recent accounting pronouncements

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

Note 3—Public offering

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company intends to offer for sale 20,000,000 units at a price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock and one redeemable warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).

Note 4—Private placement

The Sponsor has agreed to purchase an aggregate of 5,750,000 Private Warrants (or 6,350,000 Private Warrants if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,750,000, or $6,350,000 if the option to purchase additional units is exercised in full, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.

Each Private Warrant is exercisable to purchase one share of Class A common stock at an exercise price of $11.50. The proceeds from the sale of Private 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 of the sale of the Private Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), and the Private Warrants will expire worthless.

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

 

Note 5—Related party transactions

Founder shares

On August 2, 2018, the Sponsor purchased 5,750,000 shares (the “Founder Shares”) of the Company’s Class B common stock for an aggregate price of $25,000. The Founder Shares will automatically convert into Class A common stock upon the consummation of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustments as described in Note 7.

The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

The Sponsor has agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, not to transfer, assign or sell any of its Founder Shares until the earlier to occur of: (A) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (B) subsequent to a Business Combination, (x) if the last sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after a Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property.

Related party loans

On August 24, 2018, an affiliate of the Sponsor loaned the Company an aggregate of $125,000 to cover expenses related to the Proposed Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of September 30, 2019, the date on which the Proposed Public Offering is completed or the date on which the Company determines not to proceed with the Proposed Public Offering.

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds 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 is not completed, the Company may use a portion of the proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the Private Warrants.

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

 

Note 6—Commitments

Registration rights

The holders of the Founder Shares (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of the Founder Shares), Private Warrants (and any shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants), and securities that may be issued pursuant to the forward purchase contract described below and upon conversion of Working Capital Loans will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of 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 common stock). The holders of the majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting agreement

The Company will grant the underwriter a 45-day option from the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 3,000,000 additional Units, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriter will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate (or $4,600,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. In addition, the underwriter will be entitled to a deferred fee of $0.35 per Unit, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $8,050,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full). The deferred fee will be forfeited by the underwriter solely in the event that the Company fails to complete a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

Forward purchase agreement

It is anticipated that a managing member of the Sponsor will enter into a forward purchase contract with the Company to purchase, in a private placement to occur concurrently with the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, up to $150,000,000 of the Company’s securities. The type and amount of securities to be purchased by the managing member of the Sponsor will be determined by the Company and the managing member of the Sponsor at the time the Company enters into the definitive agreement for the proposed Business Combination. This agreement would be independent of the percentage of stockholders electing to convert their public shares and may provide the Company with an increased minimum funding level for the initial Business Combination. The agreement is also conditioned on the Company’s board of directors, including an affiliate of the managing member of the Sponsor, having unanimously approved the proposed initial Business Combination. Additionally, the managing member of the Sponsor has no assets other than its interest in the Sponsor and the Company has not required it to reserve the assets necessary to satisfy any obligations under the agreement. Accordingly, the managing member of the Sponsor may not agree to purchase any securities, in which case the Company may need to arrange alternate financing to complete the Business Combination.

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

 

Note 7—Stockholder’s equity

Preferred Stock —The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At September 30, 2018 and August 25, 2018, there were no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

Common stock

Class  A common stock —The Company is authorized to issue 75,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At September 30, 2018, there were no shares of Class A common stock issued or outstanding.

Class  B common stock —The Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B common stock are entitled to one vote for each share. At September 30, 2018 and August 25, 2018, there were 5,750,000 shares of Class B common stock issued and outstanding, of which an aggregate of up to 750,000 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will collectively own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common stock after the Proposed Public Offering (assuming the Sponsor does not purchase any Public Shares in the Proposed Public Offering).

Prior to an initial Business Combination, only holders of Class B common stock vote on the election of directors. Holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of stockholders except as required by law.

The shares of Class B common stock will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock at the time of a Business Combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional shares of Class A common stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the Proposed Public Offering and related to the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which shares of Class B common stock shall convert into shares of Class A common stock will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B common stock agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon conversion of all shares of Class B common stock will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all shares of common stock outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering, net of conversions, plus all shares of Class A common stock and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination, any private placement-equivalent securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination, any private placement equivalent securities issued to the Sponsor or its affiliates upon conversion of loans made to the Company). Holders of Founder Shares may also elect to convert their shares of Class B common stock into an equal number of shares of Class A common stock, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time.

Warrants —The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination or (b) 12 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering; provided in each case that the Company has an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available. The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days after

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 7—Stockholder’s equity—(Continued)

 

the closing of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those shares of Class A common stock until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60 th  business day after the closing of a Business Combination, warrantholders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.

The Public Warrants will expire five years after the completion of a Business Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the Public Warrants:

 

 

in whole and not in part;

 

 

at a price of $0.01 per warrant;

 

 

upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption; and

 

 

if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Company’s Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends the notice of redemption to the warrantholders.

 

 

If, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying such warrants.

If the Company calls the Public Warrants for redemption, management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise the Public Warrants to do so on a “cashless basis,” as described in the warrant agreement. The exercise price and number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuance of Class A common stock at a price below its exercise price. Additionally, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the warrants. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and the Company liquidates the funds held in the Trust Account, holders of warrants will not receive any of such funds with respect to their warrants, nor will they receive any distribution from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account with the respect to such warrants. Accordingly, the warrants may expire worthless.

The Private Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering, except that the Private Warrants and the Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of the Placement Warrants will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally, the Private Warrants will be exercisable on a cashless basis and be non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or

 

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Table of Contents

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Notes to financial statements

Note 7—Stockholder’s equity—(Continued)

 

their permitted transferees. If the Private Warrants are held by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

Note 8—Subsequent events

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statements were issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

 

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Table of Contents

 

20,000,000 Units

 

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

Preliminary prospectus

Sole Book-Running Manager

Cantor

Lead Manager

BTIG

Until [ · ] , 2019, all dealers that buy, sell or trade our common stock, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.

We have not, and the underwriter has not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information or to make any representatives other than contained in this prospectus. We and the underwriter take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may provide you. We are not, and the underwriter is 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.

No dealer, salesperson or any other person is authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained in this prospectus and, if given or made, the information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. This prospectus does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security other than the securities offered by this prospectus, or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities by anyone in any jurisdiction in which the offer or solicitation is not authorized or is unlawful.

 

 


Table of Contents

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

   $ 27,876  

FINRA expenses

     35,000  

Accounting fees and expenses

     40,000  

Printing and engraving expenses

     40,000  

Travel and road show expenses

     25,000  

Legal fees and expenses

     300,000  

Stock exchange listing and filing fees

     85,000  

Director & Officer liability insurance premiums(1)

     100,000  

Miscellaneous

     97,124  
  

 

 

 

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.

Our certificate of incorporation provides that all directors, officers, employees and agents of the registrant shall be entitled to be indemnified by us to the fullest extent permitted by Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law.

Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law concerning indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents is set forth below.

“Section 145. Indemnification of officers, directors, employees and agents; insurance.

 

(a)   A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful. The termination of any action, suit or proceeding by judgment, order, settlement, conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not, of itself, create a presumption that the person did not act in good faith and in a manner which the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had reasonable cause to believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.

 

(b)  

A corporation shall have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to

 

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procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation and except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

 

(c)   To the extent that a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith.

 

(d)   Any indemnification under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as authorized in the specific case upon a determination that indemnification of the present or former director, officer, employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer at the time of such determination, (1) by a majority vote of the directors who are not parties to such action, suit or proceeding, even though less than a quorum, or (2) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, even though less than a quorum, or (3) if there are no such directors, or if such directors so direct, by independent legal counsel in a written opinion, or (4) by the stockholders.

 

(e)   Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative or investigative action, suit or proceeding may be paid by the corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such person is not entitled to be indemnified by the corporation as authorized in this section. Such expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by former directors and officers or other employees and agents may be so paid upon such terms and conditions, if any, as the corporation deems appropriate.

 

(f)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, the other subsections of this section shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which those seeking indemnification or advancement of expenses may be entitled under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors or otherwise, both as to action in such person’s official capacity and as to action in another capacity while holding such office.

 

(g)   A corporation shall have power to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of such person’s status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability under this section.

 

(h)  

For purposes of this section, references to “the corporation” shall include, in addition to the resulting corporation, any constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a

 

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consolidation or merger which, if its separate existence had continued, would have had power and authority to indemnify its directors, officers, and employees or agents, so that any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of such constituent corporation, or is or was serving at the request of such constituent corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, shall stand in the same position under this section with respect to the resulting or surviving corporation as such person would have with respect to such constituent corporation if its separate existence had continued.

 

(i)   For purposes of this section, references to “other enterprises” shall include employee benefit plans; references to “fines” shall include any excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to any employee benefit plan; and references to “serving at the request of the corporation” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee or agent with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the corporation” as referred to in this section.

 

(j)   The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided by, or granted pursuant to, this section shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs, executors and administrators of such a person.

 

(k)   The Court of Chancery is hereby vested with exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine all actions for advancement of expenses or indemnification brought under this section or under any bylaw, agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or otherwise. The Court of Chancery may summarily determine a corporation’s obligation to advance expenses (including attorneys’ fees).”

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to our directors, officers, and controlling persons pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, we have been advised that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person in a successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, we will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to the court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Paragraph B of Article Eighth of our certificate of incorporation provides:

“The Corporation, to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the GCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby.”

Pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the Underwriter and the Underwriter has agreed to indemnify us against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

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Item 15. recent sales of unregistered securities.

 

(a)   During the past three years, we sold the following shares of Class B common stock without registration under the Securities Act:

 

Shareholders    Number of
shares
 

Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC

     5,750,000  

 

 

Such shares were issued in August 2018 in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as the shares were sold to an accredited investor. The shares issued were sold for an aggregate offering price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.004 per share.

The Company’s sponsor has also committed to purchase 5,750,000 warrants at $1.00 per private warrant (for an aggregate purchase price of $5,750,000), or 6,350,000 (for $6,350,000) if the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units is exercised in full. This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering. These issuances will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

No underwriting discounts or commissions were paid with respect to such sales.

 

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Item 16. exhibits and financial statement schedules.

(a) The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

 

Exhibit no.    Description
  1.1   

Form of Underwriting Agreement.

  3.1   

Certificate of Incorporation.**

  3.2   

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

  3.3   

Bylaws.**

  4.1   

Specimen Unit Certificate.

  4.2   

Specimen Common Stock 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 Graubard Miller.

10.1.1   

Form of Letter Agreement from each of the Registrant’s officers and directors.

10.1.2   

Form of Letter Agreement from the Registrant’s Sponsor.

10.2    Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.
10.3   

Promissory Note.**

10.4   

Form of Registration Rights Agreement

10.5   

Form of subscription agreement for private warrants**

10.6   

Forward purchase contract

14   

Code of Ethics**

23.1   

Consent of Marcum LLP.

23.2   

Consent of Graubard Miller (included in Exhibit 5.1).

24   

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration Statement).

 

**   Previously filed.

Item 17. undertakings.

 

(a)   The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (1)   To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

 

  i.   To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

 

  ii.  

To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the

 

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aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

 

  iii.   To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

 

  (2)   That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

  (3)   To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

 

  (4)   That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

  (i)   Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

  (ii)   Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

 

  (iii)   The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

 

  (iv)   Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

 

(b)   The undersigned hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

 

(c)   Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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(d)   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.

 

 

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Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in New York, New York, on the 11 th day of January, 2019.

 

  PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

/s/ J ONATHAN J. L EDECKY

Name:    J ONATHAN J. L EDECKY
Title:   Chief Executive Officer

Power of attorney

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Jonathan J. Ledecky his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Name    Position   Date


/ S /    J ONATHAN J. L EDECKY        

J ONATHAN J. L EDECKY

   Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)   January 11, 2019

/ S /    J AMES H.R. B RADY        

J AMES H.R. B RADY

  

Chief Financial Officer

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

  January 11, 2019

*

K EVIN G RIFFIN

   Director   January 11, 2019

*

E VAN B. M ORGAN

   Director   January 11, 2019

*

E FRAT E PSTEIN

   Director   January 11, 2019

*

K ATRINA A DAMS

   Director   January 11, 2019

*By    /s/    Jonathan J. Ledecky

   Attorney-in-fact   January 11, 2019

 

 

Exhibit 1.1

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

between

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

and

CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.

Dated: January [    ], 2019


PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

New York, New York

January [    ], 2019

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

As Representative of the several Underwriters

named on  Schedule A  hereto

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned, Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), hereby confirms its agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“ Cantor ” or the “ Representative ”) and with the other underwriters named on Schedule A  hereto (if any), for which the Representative is acting as representative (the Representative and such other underwriters being collectively referred to herein as the “ Underwriters ” or, each underwriter individually, an “ Underwriter ”), as follows.

1. Purchase and Sale of Securities .

1.1 Firm Securities.

1.1.1 Purchase of Firm Units . On the basis of the representations and warranties contained herein, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of 20,000,000 units (the “ Firm Units ”) of the Company, at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions and excluding the Deferred Underwriting Commission described in Section 1.3 below) of $9.80 per Firm Unit. The Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Units set forth opposite their respective names on   Schedule A  hereto at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions and excluding the Deferred Underwriting Commission) of $9.80 per Firm Unit. The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (the “ Offering ”) at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one share of Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value, of the Company (the “ Common Stock ”), and one redeemable warrant (the “ Warrants ”). The Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Firm Units will trade separately on the fifty second (52 nd ) day following the date hereof unless the Representative determines to allow earlier separate trading. Notwithstanding the immediately preceding sentence, in no event will the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Firm Units trade separately prior to (i) the Company having filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ Commission ”) a Current Report on Form 8-K that includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the proceeds of the Offering and the Warrant Private Placement (as defined in Section 1.4.2) and updated financial information with respect to any proceeds the Company receives from the exercise of the Over-allotment Option (defined below) if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company having filed with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Each Warrant entitles its holder to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment, commencing on the later of twelve months from the Closing Date (defined below) or 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (the “ Business Combination ”) and expiring on the five year anniversary of the consummation by the Company of its initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption of the Warrants or liquidation of the Company.

1.1.2 Payment and Delivery . Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second (2 nd ) Business Day (as defined below) following the commencement of trading of the Units, or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company, at the offices of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, counsel to the Underwriters (“ EG&S ”), or at such other place as shall


be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company. The hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units is called the “ Closing Date .” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $200,000,000 of the proceeds received by the Company for the Firm Units and the Warrant Private Placement (as defined in Section  1.4.2 ) shall be deposited in the trust account (the “ Trust Account ”) established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Stockholders (as defined below), as described in the Registration Statement (as defined in Section  2.1.1 ) pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “ Trust Agreement ”) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“ CST ”). The funds deposited in the Trust Account shall include an aggregate of $7,000,000 ($0.35 per Firm Unit), payable to the Underwriters as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The remaining proceeds (less commissions and actual expense payments or other fees payable pursuant to this Agreement), if any, shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the Depository Trust Company (“ DTC ”)) for the account of the Underwriters. The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) full Business Days prior to the Closing Date. The Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery, at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver any of the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term “ Public Stockholders ” means the holders of shares of Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including the Sponsor (as defined below) to the extent it acquires such shares of Common Stock in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such shares of Common Stock). “ Business Day ” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorized or obligated by law to close in New York City.

1.2 Over-Allotment Option.

1.2.1 Option Units . The Representative is hereby granted an option (the “ Over-allotment Option ”) to purchase up to an additional 3,000,000 units (the “ Option Units ”), the gross proceeds of which will be deposited in the Trust Account, for the purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall be identical in all respects to the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall be purchased for each account of the several Underwriters in the same proportion as the number of Firm Units, set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name on   Schedule A  hereto, bears to the total number of Firm Units (subject to adjustment by the Representative to eliminate fractions). The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Units ,” and the Units, the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Units and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants (the “ Warrant Shares ”) are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “ Public Securities .” No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representative to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit will be the same price per Firm Unit set forth in Section 1.1.1 hereof.

1.2.2 Exercise of Option . The Over-allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option Units within 45 days after the effective date (“ Effective Date ”) of the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 hereof). The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units prior to the exercise of the Over-allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company by the Representative, which must be confirmed in accordance with Section 10.1 herein setting forth the number of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units (the “ Option Closing Date ”), which will not be later than five (5) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time and in such other manner as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of EG&S or at such other place (including remotely by facsimile or other electronic transmission) as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. If such delivery and payment for the Option Units does not occur on the Closing Date, the Option Closing Date will be as set forth in the notice. Upon exercise of the Over-allotment Option, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Underwriters, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.


1.2.3 Payment and Delivery . Payment for the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds, payable as follows: $9.80 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery to the Representative of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Representative. The amount to be deposited in the Trust Account will include $0.35 per Option Unit (up to $1,050,000), payable to the Underwriters, as Deferred Underwriting Commission, in accordance with Section 1.3 hereof. The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative requests in writing not less than two full Business Days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and will be made available to the Representative for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full Business Day prior to such Closing Date. The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Option Units except upon tender of payment by the Underwriters for applicable Option Units.

1.3 Deferred Underwriting Commission . The Underwriters agree that 3.5% of the gross proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units ($7,000,000) and the Option Units (up to $1,050,000) (collectively, the “ Deferred Underwriting Commission ”) will be deposited and held in the Trust Account and payable directly from the Trust Account, without accrued interest, to the Underwriters for their own accounts upon consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. In the event that the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination and CST, as the trustee of the Trust Account (in this context, the “ Trustee ”), commences liquidation of the Trust Account as provided in the Trust Agreement, the Underwriters agree that: (i) the Underwriters shall forfeit any rights or claims to the Deferred Underwriting Commission; and (ii) the Deferred Underwriting Commission, together with all other amounts on deposit in the Trust Account, shall be distributed on a pro-rata basis among the Public Stockholders.

1.4 Private Placements.

1.4.1 In August 2018, the Company issued to Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC (the “ Sponsor ”), for an aggregate consideration of $25,000, 5,750,000 shares of the Company’s Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 (the “ Founder Shares ”) (up to 750,000 of which are subject to forfeiture to the extent the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full), in a private placement (the “ Insider Private Placement ”) exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Act ”). The Sponsor transferred 50,000 Founder Shares to each of the Company’s independent directors in December 2018 and transferred 100,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s chief financial officer in December 2018, in each case at the same per-share purchase price paid by the Sponsor. No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Insider Private Placement. Except as described in the Registration Statement, none of the Founder Shares may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor until the earlier of: (i) one year following the consummation of the Business Combination; or (ii) subsequent to the consummation of a Business Combination, (x) when the closing price of the Common Stock exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing 150 days after the consummation of the Business Combination; or (y) the date on which the Company consummates a transaction which results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property. The holders of Founder Shares shall have no right to any liquidation distributions with respect to any portion of the Founder Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination. The holders of Founder Shares shall not have redemption rights with respect to the Founder Shares. In the event that the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Sponsor will be required to forfeit such number of Founder Shares (up to 750,000 Founder Shares) such that the Founder Shares then outstanding will comprise 20% of the issued and outstanding shares of the Company after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Over-allotment Option.

1.4.2 Simultaneously with the Closing Date, pursuant to the Warrants Purchase Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.2 hereof), the Sponsor will purchase from the Company an aggregate of 5,750,000 warrants (or 6,350,000 warrants if the Over-allotment Option is exercised in full) that are identical to the Warrants included in the Firm Units, subject to certain exceptions (the “ Placement Warrants ”), at a purchase price of $1.00 per Placement Warrant in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration under the Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Act. The private placement of the Placement Warrants is referred to herein as the “ Warrant Private Placement .” The Placement Warrants and the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the


Placement Warrants are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “ Placement Securities .” No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Placement Warrants sold in the Warrant Private Placement. The Placement Warrants are identical to the Warrants except that (i) the Placement Warrants will be non-redeemable by the Company, (ii) the Placement Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis so long as they are held by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees and (iii) none of the Placement Securities may be sold, assigned or transferred by the Sponsor or its permitted transferees until thirty (30) days after consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination. The proceeds from the sale of the Placement Warrants shall be deposited into the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement on the Closing Date and Option Closing Date (if any) as provided for in the Warrants Purchase Agreement.

1.4.3 Pursuant to the Forward Purchase Contract (as defined below), Pivotal Spac Funding LLC (“ PSF ”), a member of the Sponsor, has agreed to purchase from the Company up to $150,000,000 of securities of the Company (the “ Forward Purchase Securities ”, which term shall include all equity, debt and other securities included therein, and any shares of Common Stock issuable upon conversion or exercise thereof), in a private placement transaction intended to be exempt from registration under the Act pursuant to Section 4(a)(2) of the Act, to close simultaneously with the closing of the initial Business Combination.” The type and amount of Forward Purchase Securities to be purchased will be determined by the Company and PSF at the time of the entry by the Company into a definitive business combination agreement with respect to the initial Business Combination. The private placement of the Forward Purchase Securities is referred to herein as the “ Forward Private Placement .” No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Forward Purchase Securities or the Forward Private Placement. The Public Securities, the Placement Securities, the Founder Shares and the Forward Purchase Securities are hereinafter referred to collectively as the “ Securities .”

1.5 Working Capital; Interest on Trust.

1.5.1 Working Capital . Upon consummation of the Offering, it is intended that approximately $1,000,000 of the Offering proceeds will be released to the Company and held outside of the Trust Account to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.

1.5.2 Interest Income . Prior to the Company’s consummation of a Business Combination or the Company’s liquidation, interest earned on the Trust Account may be released to the Company from the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement to pay any taxes incurred by the Company and up to $100,000 for liquidation expenses, all as more fully described in the Prospectus (as defined below).

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:

2.1 Filing of Registration Statement.

2.1.1 Pursuant to the Act . The Company has filed with the Commission a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-229027), including any related preliminary prospectus (“ Preliminary Prospectus ”), including any prospectus that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement), for the registration of the Units under the Act, which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and regulations (the “ Regulations ”) of the Commission under the Act. The conditions for use of Form S-1 to register the Offering under the Act, as set forth in the General Instructions to such Form, have been satisfied. Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement becomes effective (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “ Registration Statement ,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “ Prospectus .” For purposes of this Agreement, “ Time of Sale ,” as used in the Act, means [5:00] p.m. New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. Prior to


the Time of Sale, the Company prepared a Preliminary Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on [December 25], 2018, for distribution by the Underwriters (such Preliminary Prospectus used most recently prior to the Time of Sale, the “ Sale Preliminary Prospectus ”). If the Company has filed, or is required pursuant to the terms hereof to file, a Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering additional securities of any type or an amendment to a Registration Statement (a “ Rule 462(b) Registration Statement ”), then, unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to the term “ Registration Statement ” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. Other than a Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, which, if filed, becomes effective upon filing, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has heretofore been filed with the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been registered for public sale under the Act pursuant to the Registration Statement or, if any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement is filed, will be duly registered for public sale under the Act with the filing of such Rule 462(b) Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof. If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representative determines that at the Time of Sale, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the Company and the Representative agree to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then the Sale Preliminary Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.

2.1.2 Pursuant to the Exchange Act . The Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File Number 001-[        ]) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”), of the Units, the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants. The registration of the Units, shares of Common Stock and Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof and the Units, the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants have been registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

2.1.3 No Stop Orders, Etc . Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any federal, state or other regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus or any part thereof, or has instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

2.2 Disclosures in Registration Statement.

2.2.1 10b-5 Representation . At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the time of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do and will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations. The Registration Statement, as of the effective date, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein, or necessary to make the statements therein, not misleading. The Prospectus, as of its date and the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, did not, and the amendments and supplements thereto, as of their respective dates, will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The Sale Preliminary Prospectus, as of the Time of Sale (or such subsequent Time of Sale pursuant to Section 2.1.1), did not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. When any Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus was first filed with the Commission (whether filed as part of the Registration Statement for the registration of the Public Securities or any amendment thereto or pursuant to Rule 424(a) of the Regulations) and when any amendment thereof or supplement thereto was first filed with the Commission, such Preliminary Prospectus or the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and any amendments thereof and supplements thereto complied or will have been corrected in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus to comply in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Act and the Regulations and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they


were made, not misleading. The representation and warranty made in this Section 2.2.1 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Underwriters expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto. The parties acknowledge and agree that such information provided by or on behalf of the Underwriters consists solely of the following: the names of the Underwriters, the information with respect to dealers’ concessions and reallowances contained in the second sentence of the third paragraph of the section entitled “Underwriting,” the information with respect to short positions and stabilizing transactions contained in the tenth paragraph, the subsequent bullets and eleventh paragraph of the section entitled “Underwriting” and the identity of counsel to the Underwriters contained in the section entitled “Legal Matters” (such information, collectively, the “ Underwriters’ Information ”).

2.2.2 Disclosure of Agreements . The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein in all material respects and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed. Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement, Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or attached as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) that is material to the Company’s business, has been duly authorized and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the other parties thereto, in accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought, and no such agreement or instrument has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any other party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder. To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, the performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.

2.2.3 Prior Securities Transactions . No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

2.2.4 Regulations . The disclosures in the Registration Statement and the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus concerning the effects of federal, foreign, state and local regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.

2.3 Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.

2.3.1 No Material Adverse Change . Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein, (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company, (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement, (iii) no member of the Company’s board of directors (the “ Board of Directors ”) or management has resigned from any position with the Company and (iv) no event or occurrence has taken place which materially impairs, or would likely materially impair, with the passage of time, the ability of the members of the Board of Directors or management to act in their capacities with the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.


2.3.2 Recent Securities Transactions . Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its share capital.

2.4 Independent Accountants . To the Company’s knowledge, Marcum LLP (“ Marcum ”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Act, the Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “ PCAOB ”), including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity. To the Company’s knowledge, Marcum is currently registered with the PCAOB. Marcum has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.

2.5 Financial Statements; Statistical Data.

2.5.1 Financial Statements . The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules (if any) included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly present the financial position, the results of operations and the cash flows of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“ GAAP ”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly the information required to be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations. No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. The Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements that are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X or Form 10 that have not been included as required.

2.5.2 Statistical Data . The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data materially agree with the sources from which they are derived.

2.6 Authorized Capital; Options . The Company had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date or on the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the adjusted stock capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date or on the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock or any security convertible into shares of Common Stock, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell shares of Common Stock or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.


2.7 Valid Issuance of Securities.

2.7.1 Outstanding Securities . All issued and outstanding securities of the Company issued prior to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities was issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The authorized and outstanding securities of the Company conform in all material respects to all statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. All offers and sales and any transfers of the outstanding securities of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws or, based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of such securities, exempt from such registration requirements.

2.7.2 Securities Sold Pursuant to this Agreement . The Public Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Public Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Public Securities has been duly and validly taken. The form of certificates for the Public Securities conform to the corporate law of the jurisdiction of the Company’s incorporation and applicable securities laws. The Public Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. When paid for and issued, the Warrants will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such Warrants are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The Warrant Shares have been reserved for issuance and upon the exercise of such Warrants and upon payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, such Warrant Shares will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.

2.7.3 Placement Warrants . The Placement Warrants constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company to issue the number and type of securities of the Company called for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof, and such Placement Warrants are enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. The shares of Common Stock underlying the Placement Warrants have been reserved for issuance and upon the exercise of such Placement Warrants and upon payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, such shares of Common Stock will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable, and the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders.

2.7.4 Forward Purchase Securities . The holders of the Forward Purchase Securities are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Forward Purchase Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Forward Purchase Securities has been duly and validly taken. The Forward Purchase Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. When paid for and issued, all warrants or debt obligations of the Company forming all or a portion of the Forward Placement Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, and shall be enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought. All equity securities of the Company forming all or a portion of the Forward Purchase Securities, including shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise or conversion of any Forward Purchase Securities, have been reserved for issuance and upon the exercise or conversion of such Forward Purchase Securities, and payment of the consideration therefor, and when issued in accordance with the terms thereof, such Forward Purchase Securities and shares of Common Stock will be duly and validly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.


2.7.5 No Integration . Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be or may be “integrated” pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Public Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.

2.8 Registration Rights of Third Parties . Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

2.9 Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements . This Agreement, the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.23), the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.21.4), the Warrants Purchase Agreement and the Forward Purchase Contract have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered, will constitute the valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

2.10 No Conflicts, Etc . The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Warrants Purchase Agreement and the Forward Purchase Contract, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject except pursuant to the Trust Agreement; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company, each as may be amended (collectively, the “ Charter Documents ”); or (iii) violate any existing applicable statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, assets or business constituted as of the date hereof.

2.11 No Defaults; Violations . No default or violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter Documents or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.


2.12 Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.

2.12.1 Conduct of Business . The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business for the purposes as described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on this Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Since its formation, the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with its formation and in furtherance of this Offering.

2.12.2 Transactions Contemplated Herein . The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Warrants Purchase Agreement and the Forward Purchase Contract and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof and thereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection herewith and therewith have been obtained. No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic, is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery, of the Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by this Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Warrants Purchase Agreement and the Forward Purchase Contract and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws, the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“ NYSE ”) and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“ FINRA ”).

2.13 D&O and FINRA Questionnaires . To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, all information contained in the questionnaires (“ Questionnaires ”) completed by each of the Company’s officers, directors and stockholders (“ Insiders ”) and provided to the Representative and its counsel and the biographies of the Insiders contained in the Registration Statement, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus (to the extent a biography is included) is true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires completed by each Insider to become inaccurate, incorrect or incomplete.

2.14 Litigation; Governmental Proceedings . There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened against or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider or any stockholder or member of an Insider that has not been disclosed, or that is required to be disclosed, in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or the Questionnaires.

2.15 Good Standing . The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of incorporation. The Company is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, assets, prospects, business, operations or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business (a “ Material Adverse Effect ”).

2.16 No Contemplation of a Business Combination . The Company has not selected any Business Combination target (each a “ Target Business ”) and it has not, nor has anyone on its behalf, initiated any substantive discussions with any Target Business.

2.17 Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA.

2.17.1 Finder’s Fees . There are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Insider with respect to the sale of the Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.


2.17.2 Payments Within 180 Days . The Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) any FINRA member; or (iii) any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement, other than the prior payments to the Representative in connection with the Offering. The Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement. No person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement has any relationship or affiliation or association with any member of FINRA. Except with respect to the Representative in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of any item of value and/or the transfer or issuance of any warrants, options, or other securities from the Company to a FINRA member, any person associated with a member (as defined by FINRA rules), any potential underwriters in the Offering and/or any related persons.

2.17.3 FINRA Affiliation . No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA). The Company will advise the Representative and EG&S if it learns that any officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) is or becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the Offering.

2.17.4 Share Ownership . No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities is an owner of stock or other securities of any member of FINRA (other than securities purchased on the open market).

2.17.5 Loans . No officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner (including the Insiders) of any class of the Company’s unregistered securities has made a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA.

2.17.6 Proceeds of the Offering . No proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities (excluding underwriting compensation) or the Placement Warrants, will be paid to any FINRA member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA, except as specifically authorized herein.

2.17.7 Conflicts of Interest . To the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, no FINRA member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest with the Company. For this purpose, a “ conflict of interest ” exists when a member of FINRA and/or its associated persons, parent or affiliates in the aggregate beneficially own 10% or more of the Company’s outstanding subordinated debt or common equity, or 10% or more of the Company’s preferred equity. “ Members participating in the Offering ” include managing agents, syndicate group members and all dealers which are members of FINRA.

2.18 Taxes.

2.18.1 There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision of the United States, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities.

2.18.2 The Company has filed all U.S. federal, state and local tax returns required to be filed with taxing authorities prior to the date hereof in a timely manner or has duly obtained extensions of time for the filing thereof. The Company has paid all taxes shown as due on such returns that were filed and has paid all taxes imposed on it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing is due and payable. The Company has made appropriate provisions in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 2.5.1 above in respect of all federal, state, local and foreign income and franchise taxes for all current or prior periods as to which the tax liability of the Company has not been finally determined.


2.19 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; Anti-Money Laundering; Patriot Act .

2.19.1 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act . Neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of the Insiders or any other person acting on behalf of the Company has, directly or indirectly, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction) that (i) might subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding, (ii) if not given in the past, might have had a Material Adverse Effect, or (iii) if not continued in the future, might adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company. The Company has taken reasonable steps to ensure that its accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply in all material respects with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended.

2.19.2 Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act . The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with (i) applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, including the Money Laundering Control Act of 1986, as amended, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar money laundering statutes, rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any Federal governmental agency (collectively, the “ Money Laundering Laws ”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened, and (ii) the requirements of the U.S. Treasury Department Office of Foreign Asset Control.

2.19.3 Patriot Act . Neither the Company nor to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any Insider has violated the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended, or Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.

2.20 Officers’ Certificate . Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer or officers of the Company in connection with the Offering and delivered to the Representative or to EG&S shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

2.21 Agreements With Insiders.

2.21.1 Insider Letter . The Company has caused to be duly executed a legally binding and enforceable agreement (except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification, contribution or non-compete provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought), a form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ Insider Letter ”), pursuant to which each of the Insiders of the Company agree to certain matters. The Insider Letter shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed without the prior written consent of the Representative.

2.21.2 Warrants Purchase Agreement . The Sponsor has executed and delivered a private placement warrants agreement, which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “ Warrants Purchase Agreement ”), pursuant to which the Sponsor will, among other things, on the Closing Date, consummate the purchase of and deliver the purchase price for the Placement Warrants purchased in the Warrant Private Placement. Pursuant to the Warrants Purchase Agreement, (i) the Sponsor has waived any and all rights and claims it may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Placement Securities, and (ii) the proceeds from the sale of the Placement Warrants will be deposited by the Company in the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement on the Closing Date and Option Closing Date (if any) as provided for in the Warrants Purchase Agreement.


2.21.3 Forward Purchase Contract . PSF has executed and delivered a forward purchase contract (the “ Forward Purchase Contract ”), the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which PSF will, among other things, simultaneously with the closing of the initial Business Combination, consummate the purchase of and deliver the purchase price for the Forward Purchase Securities purchased in the Forward Private Placement.

2.21.4 Registration Rights Agreement . The Company, the Sponsor, PSF and the Company’s officers and directors entered into a Registration Rights Agreement (“ Registration Rights Agreement ”) substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, whereby such parties will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to the securities they hold or may hold, as set forth in such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus.

2.21.5 Loans . PSF has made loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of $150,000 (the “ Insider Loans ”) pursuant to a promissory note substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The Insider Loans do not bear any interest and are repayable by the Company on the earlier of September 30, 2019 or the consummation of the Offering.

2.22 Investment Management Trust Agreement . The Company has entered into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the Offering and the Warrant Private Placement substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement.

2.23 Warrant Agreement . The Company has entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants underlying the Units, the Placement Warrants and, if applicable, the warrants included in the Forward Purchase Securities, and certain other warrants that may be issued by the Company, with CST substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“ Warrant Agreement ”).

2.24 No Existing Non-Competition Agreements . No Insider is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect his ability to be an employee, officer and/or director of the Company, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

2.25 Investments . No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“ Investment Company Act ”)) of the Company’s total assets consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is derived from, securities other than “Government Securities” (as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) or money market funds meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act.

2.26 Investment Company Act . The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act.

2.27 Subsidiaries . The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.

2.28 Related Party Transactions . No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company, on the one hand, and any Insider, on the other hand, which is required by the Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances (except normal advances for business expenses in the ordinary course of business) or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.


2.29 No Influence . The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.

2.30 Sarbanes-Oxley . The Company is, or on the Closing Date will be, in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (“ Sarbanes-Oxley ”) and related or similar rules or regulations promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.

2.31 Distribution of Offering Material by the Company . The Company has not distributed and will not distribute, prior to the later of the Closing Date and the completion of the distribution of the Units, any offering material in connection with the offering and sale of the Units other than the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, in each case as supplemented and amended.

2.32 NYSE . The Public Securities have been authorized for listing, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, on the NYSE, and the Company knows of no reason or set of facts that is likely to adversely affect such authorization.

2.33 Board of Directors . As of the Effective Date, the Board of Directors of the Company will be comprised of the persons set forth under the heading of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus captioned “Management.” As of the Effective Date, the qualifications of the persons serving as board members and the overall composition of the board will comply with Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of the NYSE that are, in each case, applicable to the Company. As of the Effective Date, the Company will have an Audit Committee that satisfies the applicable requirements under Sarbanes-Oxley and the rules promulgated thereunder and the rules of the NYSE.

2.34 Emerging Growth Company . From its formation through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “ Emerging Growth Company ”).

2.35 No Disqualification Events . Neither the Company, nor any of its predecessors or any affiliated issuer, nor any director, executive officer, or other officer of the Company participating in the Offering, nor any beneficial owner of 20% or more of the Company’s outstanding voting equity securities, calculated on the basis of voting power, nor any promoter (as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Act) connected with the Company in any capacity at the time of sale (each, a “ Company Covered Person”  and, together, “ Company Covered Persons” ) is subject to any of the “Bad Actor” disqualifications described in Rule 506(d)(1)(i) to (viii) under the Act (a “ Disqualification Event” ), except for a Disqualification Event covered by Rule 506(d)(2) or (d)(3). The Company has exercised reasonable care to determine whether any Company Covered Person is subject to a Disqualification Event. The Company has complied, to the extent applicable, with its disclosure obligations under Rule 506(e), and has furnished to the Representative a copy of any disclosures provided thereunder.

2.36 Free-Writing Prospectus and Testing-the-Waters . The Company has not made any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405. The Company (a) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (b) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications other than its officers and the Representative and individuals engaged by the Representative. The Company has not distributed any written Testing-the-Waters Communications. “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.


2.37 No Fee Arrangements . As of the date hereof, the Company has not entered into any agreement, written or oral, pursuant to which the Company will be obligated to pay any Insider or an affiliate of any Insider a consulting, finder or success fees for assisting the Company in consummating a Business Combination.

3. Covenants of the Company . The Company covenants and agrees as follows:

3.1 Amendments to Registration Statement . The Company will deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and the Company shall not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object in writing.

3.2 Federal Securities Laws.

3.2.1 Compliance . During the time when a Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use its best efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, the Regulations and the Exchange Act and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus. If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Representative, the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary at any time to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment or supplement in accordance with Section 10 of the Act.

3.2.2 Filing of Final Prospectus . The Company will file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.

3.2.3 Exchange Act Registration . The Company will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Public Securities under the provisions of the Exchange Act (except in connection with a going-private transaction) for a period of five years from the Effective Date, or until the Company is required to be liquidated or is acquired, if earlier, or, in the case of the Warrants, until the Warrants expire and are no longer exercisable or have been exercised or redeemed in full. The Company will not deregister the Public Securities under the Exchange Act without the prior written consent of the Representative.

3.2.4 Exchange Act Filings . From the Effective Date until the earlier of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or its liquidation and dissolution, the Company shall timely file with the Commission via the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“ EDGAR ”) such statements and reports as are required to be filed by a company registered under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act.

3.2.5 Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance . As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance with each applicable provision of Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the rules promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the Company.

3.3 Free-Writing Prospectus . The Company agrees that it will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405, without the prior consent of the Representative.


3.4 Delivery to Underwriters of Prospectuses . The Company will deliver to the Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies of each Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus as the Underwriters may reasonably request and, as soon as the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement thereto becomes effective, deliver to the Underwriters, upon their request, two manually executed Registration Statements, including exhibits, and all post-effective amendments thereto and copies of all exhibits filed therewith or incorporated therein by reference and all manually executed consents of certified experts.

3.5 Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative . The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event that, in the reasonable judgment of the Company, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, and in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. If the Commission or any foreign or state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.

3.6 Affiliated Transactions.

3.6.1 Business Combinations . The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with any entity that is affiliated with any Insider unless (i) the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions, that the Business Combination is fair to the Company’s stockholders from a financial perspective and (ii) a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent directors (if there are any) approve such transaction.

3.6.2 Compensation to Insiders . Except as disclosed in the Prospectus, the Company shall not pay any of the Insiders or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation from the Company, for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination.

3.7 Financial Public Relations Firm . Promptly after the execution of a definitive agreement for a Business Combination, the Company shall retain a financial public relations firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative for a term to be agreed on by the Company and the Representative.

3.8 Reports to the Representative.  For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated or is no longer required to file reports under the Exchange Act, the Company will furnish to the Representative and its counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Representative (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission, (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs that was released by the Company, (iii) a copy of each current Report on Form 8-K or Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company, (iv) two (2) copies of each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Act, and (v) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided  that the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this Section.


3.9 Transfer Agent . For a period of five years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and warrant agent acceptable to the Representative. CST is acceptable to the Representative.

3.10 Payment of Expenses . The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at or prior to the Closing Date, all Company expenses incidental to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including but not limited to (i) the Company’s legal and accounting fees and disbursements, (ii) the preparation, printing, filing, mailing and delivery (including the payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Sale Prospectus and the Prospectus, including any pre or post effective amendments or supplements thereto, and the printing and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be required by the Underwriters, (iii) fees incurred in connection with conducting background checks of the Company’s management team, up to $5,000 per person, (iv) the preparation, printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, the shares of Common Stock and the Warrants included in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (v) filing fees incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA and the reasonable fees of counsel of the Underwriters not to exceed $15,000 in connection therewith, (vi) fees, costs and expenses incurred in listing the Securities on NYSE or such other stock exchanges as the Company and the Representative together determine, (vii) all fees and disbursements of the transfer and warrant agent, (viii) all of the Company’s expenses associated with “due diligence” and “road show” meetings arranged by the Representative and any presentations made available by way of a net road show, including, without limitation, trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, all travel, food and lodging expenses associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management; and (ix) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by an issuer incidental to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.10. If the Offering is consummated, the Representative may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date the expenses set forth above (which shall be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the Representative prior to Closing) to be paid by the Company to the Representative and others. If the Offering is not consummated for any reason (other than a breach by the Representative of any of its obligations hereunder), then the Company shall reimburse the Representative in full for its out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred through such date, including, without limitation, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Representative

3.11 Application of Net Proceeds . The Company will apply the net proceeds from the Offering and Warrant Private Placement received by it in a manner consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.

3.12 Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders . The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the fifteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.

3.13 Notice to FINRA.

3.13.1 Notice to FINRA . For a period of ninety (90) days after the date of the Prospectus, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged, in writing, to assist the Company in its search for a Target Business or to provide any other services in connection therewith, the Company will provide the following to FINRA and the Representative prior to the consummation of the Business Combination: (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services; and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the merger and acquisition services should not be considered an “underwriter and related person” with respect to the Offering, as such term is defined in Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual. The Company also agrees that, if required by law, proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the tender offer documents or proxy statement which the Company will file with the Commission in connection with the Business Combination.


3.13.2 FINRA . The Company shall advise the Representative (who shall make an appropriate filing with FINRA) if it is aware that any 5% or greater stockholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Public Securities.

3.13.3 Broker/Dealer . In the event the Company intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall promptly notify FINRA.

3.14 Stabilization . Neither the Company nor to its knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, any of its employees, directors or stockholders has taken and the Company will not take, and has caused its employees, directors or stockholders not to take, directly or indirectly, any action without the consent of the Representative that is designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.

3.15 Intentionally Omitted .

3.16 Payment of Deferred Underwriting Commission on Business Combination . Upon the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company agrees that it will cause the Trustee to pay the Deferred Underwriting Commission directly from the Trust Account to the underwriters, in accordance with Section 1.3.

3.17 Internal Controls . The Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

3.18 Accountants . Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain Marcum or another independent registered public accounting firm reasonably acceptable to the Representative.

3.19 Form 8-K . The Company shall, on or prior to the date hereof, retain its independent registered public accounting firm to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (“ Audited Financial Statements ”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering and the Warrant Private Placement. Within four (4) Business Days after the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Financial Statements. Promptly after the Option Closing Date, if the Over-allotment Option is exercised after the Closing Date, the Company shall file with the Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K or an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of such option.

3.20 Corporate Proceedings . All corporate proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been done to the reasonable satisfaction of EG&S.

3.21 Investment Company . The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as provided for in the Trust Agreement and disclosed in the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it shall be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.

3.22 Amendments to Certificate of Incorporation.  The Company covenants and agrees, that prior to its initial Business Combination it will not seek to amend or modify its Certificate of Incorporation, except as set forth in the Certificate of Incorporation. The Company acknowledges that the purchasers of the Public Securities in the Offering shall be deemed to be third party beneficiaries of this Agreement and specifically this Section  3.22 .


3.23 Press Releases . The Company agrees that it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity, without the Representative’s prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), for a period of twenty-five (25) days after the Closing Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Company be prohibited from issuing any press releases or engaging in any other publicity required by law, except that including the name of any Underwriter therein shall require the prior written consent of such Underwriter.

3.24 Insurance . The Company will maintain directors’ and officers’ insurance (including, without limitation, insurance covering the Company, its directors and officers for liabilities or losses arising in connection with this Offering, including, without limitation, liabilities or losses arising under the Act, the Exchange Act, the Regulations and any applicable foreign securities laws).

3.25 Electronic Prospectus . The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Underwriters, at the Company’s expense, promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days from the effective date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. As used herein, the term “ Electronic Prospectus ” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Units for at least the period during which a prospectus relating to the Units is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time).

3.26 Warrant Private Placement Proceeds . On or prior to the Effective Date, the Sponsor shall have deposited the proceeds from the Warrant Private Placement in the Trust Account or to a separate escrow account and shall provide the Representative with evidence of the same. On or prior to the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Company shall have caused the applicable proceeds from the Warrant Private Placement to be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms of the Warrants Purchase Agreement.

3.27 Future Financings . The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims against the Trust Account.

3.28 Amendments to Agreements . The Company shall not amend, modify or otherwise change the Warrant Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Insider Letter or the Forward Purchase Contract without the prior written consent of the Representative, which will not be unreasonably withheld. The Trust Agreement shall provide that the trustee is required to obtain a joint written instruction signed by both the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account from the Trust Account, prior to commencing any liquidation of the assets of the Trust Account in connection with the consummation of any Business Combination, and such provision of the Trust Agreement shall not be permitted to be amended without the prior written consent of the Representative.

3.29 NYSE . Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to maintain the listing of the Public Securities on the NYSE or a national securities exchange acceptable to the Representative.

3.30 Reservation of Shares . The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable upon (1) exercise of the Warrants included in the Units, the Placement Warrants and, if applicable, the warrants included in the Forward Purchase Securities, outstanding from time to time and (2) the closing of the Forward Private Placement.


3.31 Notice of Disqualification Events . The Company will notify the Representative in writing, prior to the Closing Date, of (i) any Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person and (ii) any event that would, with the passage of time, become a Disqualification Event relating to any Company Covered Person.

3.32 Disqualification of S-1 . Until the earlier of  seven years from the date hereof or until the Warrants have either expired and are no longer exercisable or have all been exercised, the Company will not take any action or actions that prevent or disqualify the Company’s use of Form S-1 (or other appropriate form) for the registration of the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants under the Act.

4. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations . The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Units, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:

4.1 Regulatory Matters.

4.1.1 Effectiveness of Registration Statement . The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representative.

4.1.2 FINRA Clearance . By the Effective Date, the Underwriters shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.

4.1.3 No Blue Sky Stop Orders . No order suspending the sale of the Units in any jurisdiction designated by the Underwriters pursuant to Section 3.5 hereof shall have been issued on either of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, shall be contemplated.

4.1.4 No Commission Stop Order . At the Closing Date and each Option Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

4.1.5 NYSE . The Securities shall have been approved for listing on the NYSE, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution, satisfactory evidence of which shall have been provided to the Representative.

4.2 Company Counsel Matters.

4.2.1 Closing Date and Option Closing Date Opinions of Counsel . On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinion and negative assurance statement of Graubard Miller, dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative and EG&S.

4.2.2 Reliance . In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdictions having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Representative’s counsel if requested. The opinion of counsel for the Company shall include a statement to the effect that it may be relied upon by counsel for the Underwriters in its opinion delivered to the Underwriters.


4.3 Comfort Letter . At the time this Agreement is executed, and at the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a letter, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in clause (iii) below) to the Representative from Marcum dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any:

 

  (i)

Confirming that they are independent accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;

 

  (ii)

Stating that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published Regulations thereunder;

 

  (iii)

Stating that, on the basis of their review, which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the stockholders and Board of Directors and the various committees of the Board of Directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention that would lead them to believe that (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or (b) at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the stockholders’ equity of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the September 30, 2018 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from September 30, 2018 to a specified date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any decrease in revenues, net earnings or net earnings per share of Common Stock, in each case as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding year and as compared with the corresponding period in the preceding quarter, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, or, if there was any such decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease;

 

  (iv)

Setting forth, at a date not later than five days prior to the Effective Date, the amount of liabilities of the Company (including a break-down of commercial papers and notes payable to banks);

 

  (v)

Stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement;


  (vi)

Stating that they have not, since the Company’s incorporation, brought to the attention of the Company’s management any reportable condition related to internal structure, design or operation as defined in the Statement on Auditing Standards No. 60 “Communication of Internal Control Structure Related Matters Noted in an Audit,” in the Company’s internal controls; and

 

  (vii)

Statements as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representative or EG&S may reasonably request, including:

 

  1.

that Marcum is registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board;

 

  2.

that Marcum has sufficient assets and insurance to pay for any liability incurred by it relating to providing the letter; and

 

  3.

that Marcum is not insolvent.

4.4 Officers’ Certificates.

4.4.1 Officers’ Certificate . At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board or the Chief Executive Officer and the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company (in their capacities as such), dated the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date, or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and that the conditions set forth in Section 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct. In addition, the Representative will have received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company (in their capacities as such) as the Representative may reasonably request.

4.4.2 Secretary’s Certificate . At each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company, dated the Closing Date or the Option Date, as the case may be, respectively, certifying (i) that the Charter Documents are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect, (ii) that the resolutions of the Company’s Board of Directors relating to the public offering contemplated by this Agreement are in full force and effect and have not been modified, (iii) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission, (iv) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the NYSE and (v) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.

4.5 No Material Changes . Prior to and on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a prospective material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Insider before or by any court or federal, foreign or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Act and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, assuming reasonable inquiry, threatened by the Commission, and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations, and neither the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus nor the Prospectus nor any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.


4.6 Delivery of Agreements . On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Trust Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants Purchase Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement, the Insider Letter and the Forward Purchase Contract.

4.7 Private Placements . On the Closing Date, the Insider Private Placement and Warrant Private Placement shall have been completed in accordance with Section 1.4 and Section 3.26 of this Agreement.

5. Indemnification .

5.1 Indemnification of the Underwriters.

5.1.1 General . Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Underwriters and their affiliates, and each dealer selected by the Underwriters that participates in the offer and sale of the Public Securities (each a “ Selected Dealer ”) and each of their respective directors, officers, agents, partners, members and employees and each person, if any, who controls within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act (“ Controlling Person ”) any Underwriter, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever as incurred to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any other statute or at common law or otherwise or under the laws of foreign countries, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (i) the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented, including, but not limited to any information deemed to be a part thereof pursuant to Rule 430A, Rule 430B or Rule 430C); (ii) any materials or information provided to investors by, or with the approval of, the Company in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including any “ road show ” or investor presentations made to investors by the Company (whether in person or electronically); (iii) any application or other document or written communication (in this Section 5, collectively called “ application ”) executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by the Company in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Public Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, any foreign or state securities commission or agency, the NYSE, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Capital Market, any other securities exchange or the OTCBB or (iv) any post-effective amendments to the Registration Statement or Prospectus or new Registration Statement or Prospectus filed by the Company with the Commission, any state securities commission or agency, OTCBB, the NYSE or any other securities exchange, or the omission or alleged omission from the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or subsequent filing by the Company under clause (iv) of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and to reimburse each Underwriter, its affiliates, each Selected Dealer and each of their respective directors, officers, partners, agents, members and employees and each Controlling Person, if any, for any and all expenses (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Underwriters) as such expenses are incurred by each Underwriter, its affiliates, such Selected Dealer or each of their respective directors, officers, partners, agents, members and employees or such Controlling Person in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action, whether or not any such person is a party to any such claim or action and including any and all reasonable legal and other expenses incurred in giving testimony or furnishing documents in response to a subpoena or otherwise; provided however, that the foregoing agreement shall not apply to any loss, claim, damage, liability or expenses to the extent, but only to the extent, arising out of or based upon (x) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to an Underwriter by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof, or in any application, as the case may be, or the jurisdictions listed in the section entitled “Notices to Non-United States Investors” in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereof, as the case may be; (y) the use of the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or Prospectus in violation of any stop order or other notice received by the Underwriters indicating the then current Prospectus is not to be used in connection with the sale of any Securities or (z) the Underwriters otherwise failing in their prospectus delivery obligations. The Company


agrees promptly to notify the Representative of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or any of its officers, directors or Controlling Persons in connection with the issue and sale of the Securities or in connection with the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.1 shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Company may otherwise have.

5.2 Indemnification of the Company . Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors and its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each Controlling Person of the Company, if any, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Underwriters, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with, written information furnished to the Company with respect to, such Underwriter by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in, the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any such application, and to reimburse the Company or any such director, officer or Controlling Person, if any, for any and all expenses as such expenses are reasonably incurred, in connection with investigating, defending, settling, compromising or paying any such loss, claim, damage, liability, expense or action; provided, however, that the obligation of each Underwriter to indemnify the Company (including any director, officer or Controlling Person thereof), shall be limited to the amount of the commissions actually received by such Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement in connection with the Public Securities underwritten by it. The Company hereby acknowledges that the only information that the Underwriters have furnished to the Company expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus including the Sale Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, shall consist solely of the Underwriters’ Information. The indemnity agreement set forth in this Section 5.2 shall be in addition to any liabilities that the Underwriters may otherwise have.

5.3 Notifications and Other Indemnification Procedures . Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 5 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against an indemnifying party under this Section 5, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof, but the failure to so notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under Sections 5.1 or 5.2 above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in Sections 5.1 or 5.2 above. In case any such action is brought against any indemnified party and such indemnified party seeks or intends to seek indemnity from an indemnifying party, the indemnifying party will be entitled to participate in, and, to the extent that it shall elect, jointly with all other indemnifying parties similarly notified, by written notice delivered to the indemnified party promptly after receiving the aforesaid notice from such indemnified party, to assume the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to such indemnified party; provided, however, (a) if the defendants in any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that a conflict may arise between the positions of the indemnifying party and the indemnified party in conducting the defense of any such action or that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties that are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, or (b) the indemnifying party agrees to such separate representation, then, in each case, the indemnified party or parties shall have the right to select separate counsel to assume such legal defenses and to otherwise participate in the defense of such action on behalf of such indemnified party or parties. Upon receipt of notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of such indemnifying party’s election so to assume the defense of such action and approval by the indemnified party of counsel, the indemnifying party will not be liable to such indemnified party under this Section 5 for any legal expenses subsequently incurred by such indemnified party in connection with the defense thereof unless (i) the indemnified party shall have employed separate counsel in accordance with the provision to the preceding sentence reasonably approved by the indemnifying party (or by any Underwriter in the case of Section 5.2), representing the indemnified parties who are parties to such action), (ii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of commencement of the action, or (iii) the indemnifying party is not defending such action in good faith, in each of which cases the fees and expenses of counsel (plus local counsel) shall be at the expense of the indemnifying party.


5.4 Settlements . The indemnifying party under this Section 5 shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, which shall not be withheld, delayed or conditioned unreasonably, but if settled with such consent or if there is a final judgment for the plaintiff, the indemnifying party agrees to indemnify the indemnified party against any loss, claim, damage, liability or expense by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an indemnified party shall have requested an indemnifying party to reimburse the indemnified party for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by Section 5.3 hereof, the indemnifying party agrees that it shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by such indemnifying party of the aforesaid request and (ii) such indemnifying party shall not have reimbursed the indemnified party in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified party, effect any settlement, compromise or consent to the entry of judgment in any pending or threatened action, suit or proceeding in respect of which any indemnified party is or could have been a party and indemnity was or could have been sought hereunder by such indemnified party, unless such settlement, compromise or consent (x) includes an unconditional written release of such indemnified party from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such action, suit or proceeding and (y) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

5.5 Contribution.

5.5.1 Contribution Rights . In order to provide for just and equitable contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 5 makes a claim for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be required on the part of any such person in circumstances for which indemnification is provided under this Section 5, then, and in each such case, each Underwriter shall contribute to the aggregate losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and each Underwriter, as incurred, in such proportion as is represented by the percentage of the underwriting discount appearing on the cover page of the Prospectus as compared to the offering price per Unit and the Company shall be responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person guilty of a fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) with respect to any action or claim shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation with respect to such claim or action. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters in connection with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of the Company and the Underwriters shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information furnished by the Company or the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.5.1, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount of the underwriting commissions actually received by such Underwriter pursuant to this Agreement in connection with the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public. For purposes of this Section, each director, officer, agent, partner, member, employee and Controlling Person of an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter or the Company, as applicable.

5.5.2 Contribution Procedure . Within fifteen days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or its representative) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“ Contributing Party ”), notify the Contributing Party of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the Contributing Party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder. In case any such action, suit or proceeding is brought against any party, and such party notifies a Contributing Party or its representative of the commencement thereof within the aforesaid fifteen days, the Contributing Party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other Contributing Party similarly notified. Any such Contributing Party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution without the written consent of such Contributing Party. The contribution provisions contained in this Section are intended to supersede, to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5.5 are several and not joint.


6. Default by an Underwriter .

6.1 Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units . If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units and if the number of the Firm Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.

6.2 Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units . In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units, the Representative may, in its discretion, arrange for it or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units to which such default relates on the terms contained herein. If within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representative does not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm Units on such terms. In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.10, 5 and 9.3 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof);  provided  that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.

6.3 Postponement of Closing Date . In the event that the Firm Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such securities.

7. Additional Covenants .

7.1 Additional Shares or Options . The Company hereby agrees that until the consummation of a Business Combination, it shall not issue any shares of Common Stock or any options or other securities convertible into shares of Common Stock, or any preferred shares or other securities of the Company which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the shares of Common Stock on a proposed Business Combination.

7.2 Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments . The Company hereby agrees that it will use its reasonable best efforts prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any prospective Target Business or prior to obtaining the services of any vendor to have such Target Business and/or vendor acknowledge in writing whether through a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledges the same in any definitive document replacing any of the foregoing), that (a) it has read the Prospectus and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of $200,000,000 (without giving effect to any exercise of the Over-allotment Option) for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their IPO Shares (as defined below) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Charter Documents, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination and (b) for and in consideration of the Company (i) agreeing to evaluate such Target Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination


with it or (ii) agreeing to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target Business or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (“ Claim ”) and waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The foregoing letters shall substantially be in the form attached hereto as   Exhibit A  and   Exhibit B , respectively. The Company may forego obtaining such waivers only if the Company shall have received the approval of its Chief Executive Officer and the approving vote or written consent of at least a majority of its Board of Directors. The term “ IPO Shares ” means the shares of Common Stock initially contained in the Public Securities.

7.3 Insider Letter . The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of the Insider Letter and will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, the Insider Letter without the prior written consent of the Representative, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

7.4 Rule 419 . The Company agrees that it will use its best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including but not limited to using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.

7.5 Tender Offer Documents, Proxy Materials and Other Information . The Company shall provide to the Representative or its counsel (if so instructed by the Representative) with 10 copies of all tender offer documents or proxy information and all related material filed with the Commission in connection with a Business Combination concurrently with such filing with the Commission. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to its EDGAR system shall be deemed to have been provided to the Representative pursuant to this Section. In addition, the Company shall furnish any other state in which its initial public offering was registered, such information as may be requested by such state.

7.6 Emerging Growth Company . The Company shall promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities within the meaning of the Act.

7.7 Target Net Assets . The Company agrees that the Target Business that it acquires must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business (excluding taxes payable and the Deferred Underwriting Commissions). The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value. If the Board of Directors is not able to independently determine that the Target Business meets such fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another valuation or appraisal firm that commonly renders fairness opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. The Company is not required to obtain an opinion as to the fair market value if the Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value, provided that the Target Business is not affiliated with an Insider.

8. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery . Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements as of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, and such representations, warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and the Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Underwriters, the Company or any Controlling Person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th) anniversary of the later of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.

9. Effective Date of This Agreement and Termination Thereof .


9.1 Effective Date . This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the Commission.

9.2 Termination . The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to the Closing Date, (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted, or in the Representative’s opinion will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States; or (ii) if trading on the NYSE, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Global Select Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, or the Nasdaq Capital Market or quoted on the OTCBB shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required by FINRA or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a new war or an increase in existing major hostilities, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or Federal authority, or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities market, or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representative’s sole opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Units, or (vii) if the Company is in material breach of any of its representations, warranties or covenants hereunder, or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of such a material adverse change in the conditions of the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including without limitation as a result of terrorist activities after the date hereof, as in the Representative’s sole judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the Offering, sale and/or delivery of the Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Public Securities.

9.3 Expenses . In the event that this Agreement shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, (i) the obligations of the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be governed by Section 3.10 hereof and (ii) the Company shall reimburse the Representative for any costs and expenses incurred in connection with enforcing any provisions of this Agreement.

9.4 Indemnification . Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way affected by such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

10. Miscellaneous .

10.1 Notices . All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed, delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier or delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed and shall be deemed given when so mailed, delivered or faxed or if mailed, two days after such mailing.

If to the Representative:

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Attn: General Counsel

Facsimile: (212) 829-4708

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10105

Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.

Facsimile: (212) 370-7889


If to the Company:

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: Jonathan J. Ledecky

Facsimile: (212) 818-8881

Copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.

Facsimile: (888) 225-0104

Email: dmiller@graubard.com

10.2 Headings . The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

10.3 Amendment . This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

10.4 Entire Agreement . This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

10.5 Binding Effect . This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the Selected Dealers, the Company and the Controlling Persons, directors, agents, partners, members, employees and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained. The term “successors and assigns” shall not include a purchaser, in its capacity as such, of securities from the Underwriters.

10.6 Waiver of Immunity . To the extent that the Company may be entitled in any jurisdiction in which judicial proceedings may at any time be commenced hereunder, to claim for itself or its revenues or assets any immunity, including sovereign immunity, from suit, jurisdiction, attachment in aid of execution of a judgment or prior to a judgment, execution of a judgment or any other legal process with respect to its obligations hereunder and to the extent that in any such jurisdiction there may be attributed to the Company such an immunity (whether or not claimed), the Company hereby irrevocably agrees not to claim and irrevocably waives such immunity to the maximum extent permitted by law.

10.7 Submission to Jurisdiction . Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, the Registration Statement, the Sale Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus or the offering of the Securities. Each of the Company and the Representative irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company or the Representative may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 10.1 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company or the Representative in any action, proceeding or claim. Each of the Company and the Representative


waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any other requirements of or objections to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any action based on this Agreement may be instituted by the Underwriters in any competent court. The Company agrees that the Underwriters shall be entitled to recover all of their reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to any action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor if any of them are the prevailing party in such action or proceeding. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY

10.8 Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction.

10.9 Execution in Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

10.10 Waiver . The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

10.11 No Fiduciary Relationship . The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Units pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction pursuant to a contractual relationship between the Company and the Underwriters, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction, each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) the Underwriters have not assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether the Underwriters have advised or are currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (iv) in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of this offering of the Company’s securities, either before or after the date hereof and (v) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters have rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgment with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Company’s securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.

10.12 Recognition Of The U.S. Special Resolution Regimes .


10.12.1 In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

10.12.2 In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

10.12.3 For purposes of this Section 15: (A) a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k); (B) “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b); (C) “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable; and (D) “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

[ Remainder of page intentionally left blank ]


If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.

 

Very truly yours,
PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

 

  Name: Jonathan J. Ledecky
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

Accepted on the date first above written.

CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.,

as Representative of the several Underwriters

By:  

 

Name:  
Title:  

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


SCHEDULE A

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

20,000,000 Units

 

Underwriter   

Number of Firm Units

to be Purchased

 

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

  

BTIG, LLC

  
  

 

 

 

TOTAL

     20,000,000  


EXHIBIT A

FORM OF TARGET BUSINESS LETTER

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “ Company ”), dated                     , 2019 (the “ Prospectus ”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $200,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in its Certificate of Incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “ Claim ”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

 

Print Name of Target Business

 

Authorized Signature of Target Business


EXHIBIT B

FORM OF VENDOR LETTER

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “ Company ”), dated                     , 2019 (the “ Prospectus ”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in Prospectus.

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $200,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and the Underwriters of the Company’s initial public offering and that, except for a portion of the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event they elect to redeem their public shares in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to the Public Stockholders if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period set forth in its Certificate of Incorporation as the same may be amended from time to time, or (iii) to the Company after or concurrently with the consummation of a Business Combination.

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to engage the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “ Claim ”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

 

Print Name of Vendor

 

Authorized Signature of Vendor

Exhibit 3.2

AMENDED AND RESTATED

CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION

OF

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

 

 

Pursuant to Section 245 of the

Delaware General Corporation Law

 

 

Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a corporation existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the “Corporation”), by its Chief Executive Officer, hereby certifies as follows:

1.    The name of the Corporation is “Pivotal Acquisition Corp.”

2.    The Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation was filed in the office of the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 2, 2018.

3.    This Amended Restated Certificate of Incorporation restates, integrates and amends the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation.

4.    This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation was duly adopted by joint written consent of the directors and stockholders of the Corporation in accordance with the applicable provisions of Sections 141(f), 228, 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“GCL”).

5.    The text of the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended and restated to read in full as follows:

FIRST: The name of the corporation is Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the “Corporation”).

SECOND: The registered office of the Corporation is to be located at c/o Vcorp Services, LLC, 1013 Centre Road, Suite 403-B, Wilmington, Delaware 19805. The name of its registered agent at that address is Vcorp Services, LLC.

THIRD: The purpose of the Corporation shall be to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the GCL. In addition to the powers and privileges

 

1


conferred upon the Corporation by law and those incidental thereto, the Corporation shall possess and may exercise all the powers and privileges that are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment of the business or purposes of the Corporation including, but not limited to, a Business Combination (as defined below).

FOURTH: The total number of shares of all classes of capital stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 86,000,000 of which 85,000,000 shares shall be Common Stock of the par value of $.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), representing (a) 75,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (“Class A Common Stock”) and (b) 10,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock (“Class B Common Stock”), and 1,000,000 shares shall be Preferred Stock of the par value of $.0001 per share.

A.     Preferred Stock . The Board of Directors is expressly granted authority to issue shares of the Preferred Stock, in one or more series, and to fix for each such series such voting powers, full or limited, and such designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and such qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof as shall be stated and expressed in the resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors providing for the issue of such series (a “Preferred Stock Designation”) and as may be permitted by the GCL. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all of the then outstanding shares of the capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, without a separate vote of the holders of the Preferred Stock, or any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required pursuant to any Preferred Stock Designation.

B.     Common Stock .

 

  (1)

Voting.

(i)    Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of the Common Stock shall exclusively possess all voting power with respect to the Corporation.

(ii)     Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for each such share on each matter properly submitted to the stockholders on which the holders of the Common Stock are entitled to vote.

(iii)    Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation, holders of the Class A Common Stock and

 

2


holders of the Class B Common Stock, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other matters properly submitted to a vote of the stockholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), holders of shares of any series of Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment to this Certificate (including any amendment to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the terms of one or more outstanding series of Preferred Stock or other series of Common Stock if the holders of such affected series of Preferred Stock or Common Stock, as applicable, are entitled, either separately or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to vote thereon pursuant to this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the DGCL.

 

  (2)

Class  B Common Stock.

(i)    Shares of Class B Common Stock shall be convertible into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial Conversion Ratio”) (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof and (B) automatically on the business day following the closing of the Business Combination (as defined below).

(ii)    Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional shares of Class A Common Stock, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts sold in the Corporation’s initial public offering of securities and related to the closing of the initial Business Combination, all issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall automatically convert into shares of Class A Common Stock at the time of the closing of the Corporation’s initial merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “Business Combination”) at a ratio for which:

 

   

the numerator shall be equal to the sum of (A) 25% of all shares of Class A Common Stock issued or issuable (upon the conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or otherwise) by the Corporation (net of redemptions), related to or in connection with the consummation of the initial Business Combination (excluding any securities issued or issuable to any seller in the initial Business Combination or to any of the Corporation’s initial officers, directors, stockholders or their affiliates) plus (B) the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination; and

 

3


   

the denominator shall be the number of shares of Class B Common Stock issued and outstanding prior to the closing of the initial Business Combination.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, (i) the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or equity-linked securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the shares of Class B Common Stock then outstanding consenting or agreeing separately as a single class, and (ii) in no event shall the Class B Common Stock convert into Class A Common Stock at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.

The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by stock split, subdivision, exchange, stock dividend, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or combination (by reverse stock split, exchange, reclassification, recapitalization or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of this Certificate without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalization of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock.

Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into its  pro rata  number of shares of Class A Common Stock pursuant to this section. The  pro rata  share for each holder of Class B Common Stock will be determined as follows: Each share of Class B Common Stock shall convert into such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as is equal to the product of one (1) multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Class A Common Stock into which all of the issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be converted pursuant to this section and the denominator of which shall be the total number of issued and outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock at the time of conversion.

(iii)     Voting.  Except as otherwise required by law or this Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), for so long as any shares of Class B Common Stock shall remain outstanding, the Corporation shall not, without the prior vote or written consent of the holders of a majority of the shares of Class B

 

4


Common Stock then outstanding, voting separately as a single class, amend, alter or repeal any provision of this Certificate, whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise, if such amendment, alteration or repeal would alter or change the powers, preferences or relative, participating, optional or other or special rights of the Class B Common Stock. Any action required or permitted to be taken at any meeting of the holders of Class B Common Stock may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice and without a vote, if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, shall be signed by the holders of the outstanding Class B Common Stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of Class B Common Stock were present and voted and shall be delivered to the Corporation by delivery to its registered office in the State of Delaware, its principal place of business, or an officer or agent of the Corporation having custody of the book in which minutes of proceedings of stockholders are recorded. Delivery made to the Corporation’s registered office shall be by hand or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested. Prompt written notice of the taking of corporate action without a meeting by less than unanimous written consent of the holders of Class B Common Stock shall, to the extent required by law, be given to those holders of Class B Common Stock who have not consented in writing and who, if the action had been taken at a meeting, would have been entitled to notice of the meeting if the record date for notice of such meeting had been the date that written consents signed by a sufficient number of holders of Class B Common Stock to take the action were delivered to the Corporation.

(3)     Dividends.  Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor and shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and distributions.

(4)     Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up of the Corporation.  Subject to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, after payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities of the Corporation, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to receive all the remaining assets of the Corporation available for distribution to its stockholders, ratably in proportion to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock (on an as converted basis with respect to the Class B Common Stock) held by them.

FIFTH: Intentionally Omitted.

 

5


SIXTH: The introduction and the following provisions (A) through (J) of this Article Sixth shall apply during the period commencing upon the filing of this Certificate of Incorporation and terminating upon the consummation of any “Business Combination” and no amendment to this Article Sixth shall be effective during the “Target Business Acquisition Period” unless approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least sixty-five percent (65%) of all then outstanding shares of the Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Corporation seeks to amend any of the foregoing provisions other than in connection with a Business Combination, the Corporation will provide holders of IPO Shares (defined below) with the opportunity to convert their IPO Shares in connection with any such vote as described below. The “Target Business Acquisition Period” shall mean the period from the effectiveness of the registration statement on Form S-1 (“Registration Statement”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) in connection with the Corporation’s initial public offering (“IPO”) up to and including the first to occur of (a) a Business Combination or (b) the Termination Date (defined below).

A “Business Combination” shall mean any merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination involving the Corporation and one or more businesses or entities (“Target Business” or “Target Businesses”). The Target Business or Target Businesses acquired in the Business Combination must together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (defined below), net of amounts previously disbursed to the Corporation’s management for tax and working capital purposes (if any) and excluding the amount of Deferred Underwriting Compensation (defined below), at the time of the signing of the definitive agreement governing the terms of the initial Business Combination. If the Corporation acquires less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a Target Business, the portion of such Target Business that the Corporation acquires is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test.

The “fair market value” for purposes of this Article Sixth will be determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). If the Board of Directors is unable to independently determine the fair market value of the Target Business, the Corporation 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.

A.    Prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, the Corporation shall either (i) submit such Business Combination to its stockholders for approval (“Proxy Solicitation”) pursuant to the proxy rules promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”) or (ii) provide all holders of its Common Stock with the opportunity to sell their shares to the Corporation, effective upon consummation of such Business Combination, for cash through a tender offer (“Tender Offer”) pursuant to the tender offer rules promulgated under the Exchange Act.

 

6


B.    If the Corporation engages in a Proxy Solicitation in connection with any proposed Business Combination, the Corporation will consummate such Business Combination only if a majority of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock present and entitled to vote at the meeting to approve the Business Combination are voted for the approval of such Business Combination.

C.    In the event that a Business Combination is approved in accordance with the above paragraph (B) and is consummated by the Corporation, any holder of shares of Common Stock sold in the IPO (the “IPO Shares”) who voted on the proposal to approve such Business Combination, whether such holder voted in favor or against such Business Combination, may, contemporaneously with such vote, demand that the Corporation convert his IPO Shares into cash. If so demanded, the Corporation shall, promptly after consummation of the Business Combination, convert such shares into cash at a per share price equal to the quotient determined by dividing (i) the amount then held in the Trust Account including any interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account net of interest that may be used by the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes payable, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, by (ii) the total number of IPO Shares then outstanding (such price being referred to as the “Conversion Price”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, except as otherwise agreed to by the Corporation, a holder of IPO Shares, together with any affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a “group” (within the meaning of Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act (“Group”) with, will be restricted from demanding conversion with respect to 20% or more of the IPO Shares. Accordingly, all IPO Shares beneficially owned by such holder or any other person with whom such holder is acting in concert or as a Group with in excess of approximately 19.99% of the IPO Shares will remain outstanding following consummation of such Business Combination in the name of the stockholder and not be converted. “Trust Account” shall mean the trust account established by the Corporation at the consummation of its IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the IPO and simultaneous private placement is deposited, all as described in the Registration Statement. The Corporation may require any holder of IPO Shares who demands that the Corporation convert such IPO Shares into cash to either tender such holder’s certificates to the Corporation’s transfer agent at any time prior to the vote taken at the stockholder meeting relating to such Business Combination or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System at any time prior to the vote taken at the stockholder meeting relating to such Business Combination, with the exact timing of the delivery of the IPO Shares to be set forth in the proxy materials relating to such Business Combination.

 

7


D.    If the Corporation engages in a Tender Offer, the Corporation shall file tender offer documents with the Commission which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the Business Combination as is required under the proxy rules promulgated under the Exchange Act and that would have been included in any proxy statement filed with the Commission in connection with a Proxy Solicitation, even if such information is not required under the tender offer rules promulgated under the Exchange Act. The per-share price at which the Corporation will repurchase the IPO Shares in any such Tender Offer shall be equal to the Conversion Price. The Corporation shall not purchase any shares of Common Stock other than IPO Shares in any such Tender Offer.

E.    The Corporation will not consummate any Business Combination unless it has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such Business Combination.

F.    In the event that the Corporation does not consummate a Business Combination by 18 months from the consummation of the IPO or, if such date is not a date on which government offices in Delaware are open, the next date on which such offices are open (such date being referred to as the “Termination Date”), the Corporation shall (i) cease all operations except for the purposes of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten (10) business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the IPO Shares for cash for a redemption price per share equal to the amount then held in the Trust Account, including the interest earned thereon, less up to $100,000 of interest for the Corporation’s liquidation expenses and any interest for income or franchise taxes payable, divided by the total number of IPO Shares then outstanding (which redemption will completely extinguish such holders’ rights as stockholders, 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 approval of the Corporation’s then stockholders and subject to the requirements of the GCL, including the adoption of a resolution by the Board pursuant to Section 275(a) of the GCL finding the dissolution of the Corporation advisable and the provision of such notices as are required by said Section 275(a) of the GCL, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above) to the Corporation’s obligations under the GCL to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law.

G.    A holder of IPO Shares shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Fund only in the event (i) he demands conversion of his shares in accordance with paragraph C above in connection with any Proxy Solicitation, (ii) he sells his shares to the Corporation in accordance with paragraph D above in connection with any Tender Offer, (iii) that the Corporation has not consummated a Business Combination by the Termination Date or (iv) the Corporation seeks to amend the provisions of this Article Sixth prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. In no other circumstances shall a holder of IPO Shares have any right or interest of any kind in or to the Trust Fund.

 

8


H.    Unless and until the Corporation has consummated its initial Business Combination as permitted under this Article Sixth, the Corporation may not consummate any other business combination transaction, whether by merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or other similar business combination, transaction or otherwise. The Corporation shall not consummate a Business Combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of the Corporation’s officers, directors or sponsors unless the Corporation has obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that such a Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view and a majority of the Corporation’s disinterested independent directors approve such Business Combination.

I.    Prior to a Business Combination, the Board of Directors may not issue (i) any shares of Common Stock or any securities convertible into Common Stock; or (ii) any securities which participate in or are otherwise entitled in any manner to any of the proceeds in the Trust Account or which vote as a class with the Common Stock on any matter.

J.    The Board of Directors shall be divided into three classes: Class A, Class B and Class C. The number of directors in each class shall be fixed exclusively by the Board of Directors and shall be as nearly equal as possible. At the first election of directors by the incorporator, the incorporator shall elect a Class C director for a term expiring at the Corporation’s third Annual Meeting of Stockholders. The Class C director shall then appoint additional Class A, Class B and Class C directors, as necessary. The directors in Class A shall be elected for a term expiring at the first Annual Meeting of Stockholders, the directors in Class B shall be elected for a term expiring at the second Annual Meeting of Stockholders and the directors in Class C shall be elected for a term expiring at the third Annual Meeting of Stockholders. Commencing at the first Annual Meeting of Stockholders, and at each annual meeting thereafter, directors elected to succeed those directors whose terms expire shall be elected for a term of office to expire at the third succeeding annual meeting of stockholders after their election. Except as the GCL may otherwise require, in the interim between annual meetings of stockholders or special meetings of stockholders called for the election of directors and/or the removal of one or more directors and the filling of any vacancy in that connection, newly created directorships and any vacancies in the Board of Directors, including unfilled vacancies resulting from the removal of directors for cause, may be filled only by the vote of a majority of the remaining directors then in office, although less than a quorum (as defined in the Corporation’s Bylaws), or by the sole remaining director. All directors shall hold office until the expiration of their respective terms of office and until their successors shall have been elected and qualified. A director elected to fill a vacancy resulting from the death, resignation or removal of a director shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the director whose death, resignation or removal shall have created such vacancy and until his successor shall have been elected and qualified. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination:

 

9


  1.

One member of the Board (the “Designated Director”) shall be designated by Pivotal Spac Funding LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a member of Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Sponsor”), as of the date this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation becomes effective (the “Designating Entity”), and shall be a Class C director.

 

  2.

Newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board resulting from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or other cause may be filled solely and exclusively by a majority vote of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a quorum (including, prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the affirmative vote of the Designated Director) or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders), and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of the full term of the class of directors to which the new directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject, however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification or removal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, if the office of Designated Director becomes vacant by reason of the previous incumbent ceasing to be a director or for any other reason, then a replacement Designated Director shall be designated or appointed by the Designating Entity, by providing notice in writing to the Corporation of such designation or appointment. Until the vacancy is filled, the Board shall not transact any business or exercise any of its powers or functions save and except as may be necessary to preserve the business and assets held by the Corporation or otherwise to comply with the Board’s fiduciary duties. If a replacement Designated Director is not designated or appointed within ten days of the occurrence of the vacancy, then the remaining directors shall be entitled to transact business and exercise all of the powers and functions of the Corporation.

 

  3.

The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board (including, prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the Designated Director) shall be required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The Bylaws also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the Corporation required by law or by this Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws; and provided further, however, that no Bylaws hereafter adopted by the stockholders shall invalidate any prior act of the Board that would have been valid if such Bylaws had not been adopted.

 

10


  4.

A quorum for the transaction of business by the directors shall be set forth in the By-Laws, provided that, prior to the consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business Combination, the quorum shall require the participation (in person or by any other means permitted by law or the By-Laws) of the Designated Director.

 

  5.

The Corporation shall not recommend for approval by the stockholders or undertake any proxy solicitation with respect to any initial Business Combination unless such proposed initial Business Combination has, prior thereto, been approved by the Designated Director.

 

  6.

Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, prior to the consummation by the Corporation of its initial Business Combination, the consent of the Designated Director shall be required for the Board to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.

SEVENTH: The following provisions are inserted for the management of the business and for the conduct of the affairs of the Corporation, and for further definition, limitation and regulation of the powers of the Corporation and of its directors and stockholders:

A.    Election of directors need not be by ballot unless the by-laws of the Corporation so provide.

B.    In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by the laws of the State of Delaware, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized to make, alter and repeal the by-laws of the Corporation, subject to the power of the stockholders of the Corporation to alter or repeal any by-law whether adopted by them or otherwise.

C.    The directors in their discretion may submit any contract or act for approval or ratification at any annual meeting of the stockholders or at any special meeting of the stockholders called for the purpose of considering any such act or contract, and any contract or act that shall be approved or be ratified by the vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation which is represented in person or by proxy at such meeting and entitled to vote thereat (provided that a lawful quorum of stockholders be there represented in person or by proxy), unless a higher vote is required by applicable law, shall be as valid and binding upon the Corporation and upon all the stockholders as though it had been approved or ratified by every stockholder of the Corporation, whether or not the contract or act would otherwise be open to legal attack because of directors’ interests, or for any other reason.

 

11


D.    In addition to the powers and authorities hereinbefore or by statute expressly conferred upon them, the directors are hereby empowered to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may be exercised or done by the Corporation; subject, nevertheless, to the provisions of the statutes of Delaware, of this Certificate of Incorporation, and to any by-laws from time to time made by the stockholders; provided, however, that no by-law so made shall invalidate any prior act of the directors which would have been valid if such by-law had not been made.

EIGHTH:    A.    A director of the Corporation shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the GCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. If the GCL is amended to authorize corporate action further eliminating or limiting the personal liability of directors, then the liability of a director of the Corporation shall be eliminated or limited to the fullest extent permitted by the GCL, as so amended. Any repeal or modification of this paragraph A by the stockholders of the Corporation shall not adversely affect any right or protection of a director of the Corporation with respect to events occurring prior to the time of such repeal or modification.

B.    The Corporation, to the full extent permitted by Section 145 of the GCL, as amended from time to time, shall indemnify all persons whom it may indemnify pursuant thereto. Expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by an officer or director in defending any civil, criminal, administrative, or investigative action, suit or proceeding for which such officer or director may be entitled to indemnification hereunder shall be paid by the Corporation in advance of the final disposition of such action, suit or proceeding upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such director or officer to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that he or she is not entitled to be indemnified by the Corporation as authorized hereby.

NINTH: Whenever a compromise or arrangement is proposed between this Corporation and its creditors or any class of them and/or between this Corporation and its stockholders or any class of them, any court of equitable jurisdiction within the State of Delaware may, on the application in a summary way of this Corporation or of any creditor or stockholder thereof or on the application of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under Section 291 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code or on the application of trustees in dissolution or of any receiver or receivers appointed for this Corporation under Section 279 of Title 8 of the Delaware Code order a meeting of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may be, to be summoned in such manner as the said court directs. If a majority in number representing three fourths in value of the creditors or class of creditors, and/or of the stockholders or class of stockholders of this Corporation, as the case may be, agree

 

12


to any compromise or arrangement and to any reorganization of this Corporation as a consequence of such compromise or arrangement, the said compromise or arrangement and the said reorganization shall, if sanctioned by the court to which the said application has been made, be binding on all the creditors or class of creditors, and/or on all the stockholders or class of stockholders, of this Corporation, as the case may be, and also on this Corporation.

TENTH: A. Unless the Corporation consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for any stockholder (including a beneficial owner) to bring (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Corporation, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Corporation to the Corporation or the Corporation’s stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the GCL, this Certificate of Incorporation or the Corporation’s Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, another state court located within the State of Delaware, or if no state court located within the State of Delaware has jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) in all cases subject to the court’s having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants.

B.    If any action the subject matter of which is within the scope of Section A immediately above is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of Delaware (a “Foreign Action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce paragraph A immediately above (an “FSC Enforcement Action”) and (ii) having service of process made upon such stockholder in any such FSC Enforcement Action by service upon such stockholder’s counsel in the Foreign Action as agent for such stockholder.

C.    If any provision or provisions of this Article TENTH shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any person or entity or circumstance for any reason whatsoever, then, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Article TENTH (including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of this Article TENTH containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) and the application of such provision to other persons or entities and circumstances shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of the Corporation shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the provisions of this Article TENTH.

ELEVENTH: The doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine, shall not apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its officers or directors in circumstances

 

13


where the application of any such doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations they may have as of the date of this Certificate of Incorporation or in the future. In addition to the foregoing, the doctrine of corporate opportunity shall not apply to any other corporate opportunity with respect to any of the directors or officers of the Corporation unless such corporate opportunity is offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation and such opportunity is one the Corporation is legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for the Corporation to pursue.

TWELFTH: The Corporation elects not to be governed by Section 203 of the GCL.

 

14


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused this Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to be signed by Jonathan J. Ledecky, its Chief Executive Officer, as of the [          ] day of                                  , 2019.

 

     

Jonathan J. Ledecky
Chief Executive Officer

 

15

Exhibit 4.1

 

        NUMBER

U-__________

   UNITS            

 

    SEE REVERSE FOR

CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

   PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.   

CUSIP 72583A 200

UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE SHARE OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK AND

ONE WARRANT

THIS CERTIFIES THAT ____________________________________________________________________________

is the owner of _____________________________________________________________________________________ Units.

Each Unit (“ Unit ”) consists of one (1) share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“ Common Stock ”), of Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and one warrant (“ Warrant ”). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Each Warrant will become exercisable on the later of (i) 30 days after the Company’s completion of an initial merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “ Business Combination ”) and (ii) 12 months from the closing of the Company’s initial public offering (“ IPO ”), and will expire unless exercised before 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on the fifth anniversary of the completion of an initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The Common Stock and Warrant(s) comprising the Unit(s) represented by this certificate are not transferable separately until fifty-two days following the IPO, unless Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, except that in no event will the Common Stock and Warrants be separately tradeable until the Company has filed an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of its initial public offering and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. The terms of the Warrants are governed by a Warrant Agreement, dated as of ______ ___, 2019, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and provisions the holder of this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Warrant Agreement are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at 1 State Street, 30 th Floor, New York, New York 10004, and are available to any Warrant holder on written request and without cost.

This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and Registrar of the Company.

Witness the facsimile seal of the Company and the facsimile signatures of its duly authorized officers.

 

By       
 

 

  LOGO   

 

  Chairman    Secretary
    
    
    
    
    


Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

The Company will furnish without charge to each shareholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.

The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:

 

TEN COM –    as tenants in common    UNIF GIFT MIN ACT - _____ Custodian ______
TEN ENT –    as tenants by the entireties                                (Cust)                          (Minor)
JT TEN –    as joint tenants with right of survivorship   

under Uniform Gifts to Minors

   and not as tenants in common   

Act ______________

     

                  (State)

Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.

For value received, ___________________________ hereby sell, assign, and transfer unto

PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER

        IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE

 

          

 

 

(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE)

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Units

represented by the within Certificate, and do hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint

 

 

  Attorney

to transfer the said Units on the books of the within named Company will full power of substitution in the premises.

Dated                                         

 

 

Notice:   The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

Signature(s) Guaranteed:

 

 

 

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION

(BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH

MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM,

PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15).

 

The holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of the funds from the trust account with respect to the common stock underlying this certificate only in the event that (i) the Corporation is forced to liquidate because it does not consummate an initial business combination within the period of time set forth in the Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Charter”) or (ii) if the holder seeks to convert his shares upon consummation of, or sell his shares in a tender offer in connection with, an initial business combination or in connection with certain amendments to the Charter. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.

Exhibit 4.2

 

            NUMBER       SHARES
______C      

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF DELAWARE

COMMON STOCK

SEE REVERSE FOR

CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

 

This Certifies that    CUSIP 72583A 101

is the owner of

FULLY PAID AND NON-ASSESSABLE SHARES OF CLASS A COMMON STOCK OF THE PAR VALUE OF $0.0001 EACH OF

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

transferable on the books of the Company in person or by duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly endorsed.

The Company will be forced to liquidate if it is unable to complete an initial business combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time.

This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar.

Witness the facsimile seal of the Company and the facsimile signatures of its duly authorized officers.

Dated:

 

  LOGO   

 

  

 

CHAIRMAN    SECRETARY
  
  
  
  
  


The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:

 

TEN COM –    as tenants in common    UNIF GIFT MIN ACT - _____ Custodian ______
TEN ENT –    as tenants by the entireties                                (Cust)                          (Minor)
JT TEN –    as joint tenants with right of survivorship   

under Uniform Gifts to Minors

   and not as tenants in common   

Act ______________

     

                  (State)

Additional Abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

The Company will furnish without charge to each shareholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences, and/or rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby are issued and shall be held subject to all the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation and all amendments thereto and resolutions of the Board of Directors (copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Company), to all of which the holder of this certificate by acceptance hereof assents.

For value received, ___________________________ hereby sell, assign and transfer unto

PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER

        IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE

 

          

 

 

(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE)

 

 

 

 

 

  shares

of the capital stock represented by the within Certificate, and do hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint

 

 

  Attorney

to transfer the said stock on the books of the within named Company will full power of substitution in the premises.

Dated                                         

 

 

Notice:   The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

Signature(s) Guaranteed:

 

 

 

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION

(BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH

MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM,

PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15).

 

The holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of the funds from the trust account only in the event that (i) the Corporation is forced to liquidate because it does not consummate an initial business combination within the period of time set forth in the Corporation’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Charter”) or (ii) if the holder seeks to convert his shares upon consummation of, or sell his shares in a tender offer in connection with, an initial business combination or in connection with certain amendments to the Charter. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.

Exhibit 4.3

 

NUMBER

_________-

  

(SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR LEGEND)

 

THIS WARRANT WILL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO

THE EXPIRATION DATE (DEFINED BELOW)

   WARRANTS

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.

CUSIP 72583A 119                    

WARRANT

THIS CERTIFIES THAT, for value received is the registered holder of a warrant or warrants (the “ Warrant(s) ”) of Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), expiring at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the five year anniversary of the Company’s completion of an initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “ Business Combination ”), to purchase one fully paid and non-assessable share of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“ Shares ”), of the Company for each Warrant evidenced by this Warrant Certificate. The Warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase from the Company, commencing on the later of (a)                     , 2020 and (b) 30 days after the Company’s completion of an initial Business Combination, such number of Shares of the Company at the Warrant Price (as defined below), upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Warrant Price at the office or agency of Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (the “ Warrant Agent ”), but only subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant exercise. The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the Warrant Price and the number of Shares purchasable hereunder, set forth on the face hereof, may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. The term “ Warrant Price ” as used in this Warrant Certificate refers to the price per Share at which Shares may be purchased at the time the Warrant is exercised. The initial Warrant Price per Share is equal to $11.50 per share.

No fraction of a Share will be issued upon any exercise of a Warrant. If the holder of a Warrant would be entitled to receive a fraction of a Share upon any exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of Shares to be issued to such holder.

Upon any exercise of the Warrant for less than the total number of full Shares provided for herein, there shall be issued to the registered holder hereof or the registered holder’s assignee a new Warrant Certificate covering the number of Shares for which the Warrant has not been exercised.

Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent by the registered holder in person or by attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.

Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of the Warrant Certificate at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent, a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any applicable tax or other governmental charge.

The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the registered holder as the absolute owner of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the registered holder, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

This Warrant does not entitle the registered holder to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company.

The Company reserves the right to call the Warrant at any time prior to its exercise with a notice of call in writing to the holders of record of the Warrant, giving at least 30 days’ notice of such call, at any time while the Warrant is exercisable, if the last sale price of the Shares has been at least $18.00 per share on each of 20 trading days within any 30 trading day period (the “ 30-day trading period ”) ending on the third business day prior to the date on which notice of such call is given and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the Shares underlying the Warrants commencing five business days prior to the 30-day trading period and continuing each day thereafter until the date of redemption. The call price of the Warrants is to be $0.01 per Warrant. Any Warrant either not exercised or tendered back to the Company by the end of the date specified in the notice of call shall be canceled on the books of the Company and have no further value except for the $0.01 call price.

By

 

 

President

   

 

Secretary


SUBSCRIPTION FORM

To Be Executed by the Registered Holder in Order to Exercise Warrants

The undersigned Registered Holder irrevocably elects to exercise                      Warrants represented by this Warrant Certificate, and to purchase the Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of such Warrants, and requests that Certificates for such shares shall be issued in the name of

 

 

(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME AND ADDRESS)

 

 

 

(SOCIAL SECURITY OR TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)

 

and be delivered to  

 

(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE NAME AND ADDRESS)

 

 

and, if such number of Warrants shall not be all the Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate, that a new Warrant Certificate for the balance of such Warrants be registered in the name of, and delivered to, the Registered Holder at the address stated below:

 

Dated: _____________________      

 

      (SIGNATURE)
     

 

      (ADDRESS)
     

 

     

 

      (TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)

ASSIGNMENT

To Be Executed by the Registered Holder in Order to Assign Warrants

For Value Received, _______________________ hereby sell, assign, and transfer unto

 

 

(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME AND ADDRESS)

 

 

 

(SOCIAL SECURITY OR TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)

 

and be delivered to  

 

(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE NAME AND ADDRESS)

                     of the Warrants represented by this Warrant Certificate, and hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint                         Attorney to transfer this Warrant Certificate on the books of the Company, with full power of substitution in the premises.

 

Dated: _________________________    

 

    (SIGNATURE)

T HE SIGNATURE TO THE ASSIGNMENT OF THE S UBSCRIPTION F ORM MUST CORRESPOND TO THE NAME WRITTEN UPON THE FACE OF THIS W ARRANT C ERTIFICATE IN EVERY PARTICULAR , WITHOUT ALTERATION OR ENLARGEMENT OR ANY CHANGE WHATSOEVER , AND MUST BE GUARANTEED BY A COMMERCIAL BANK OR TRUST COMPANY OR A MEMBER FIRM OF THE NYSE A MERICAN , N ASDAQ , N EW  Y ORK S TOCK E XCHANGE , P ACIFIC S TOCK E XCHANGE , OR C HICAGO S TOCK E XCHANGE .

Exhibit 4.4

WARRANT AGREEMENT

This agreement is made as of [ ] , 2019 between Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation, with offices at c/o Graubard Miller, The Chrysler Building, 405 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10174 (“ Company ”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, with offices at 1 State Street, New York, New York 10004 (“ Warrant Agent ”).

WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in a public offering (“ Public Offering ”) of up to 23,000,000 units, each unit (“ Unit ”) comprised of one share of Class A common stock of the Company, par value $.0001 per share (“ Common Stock ”), and one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein, and, in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to 23,000,000 warrants (the “ Public Warrants ”) to the public investors in connection with the Public Offering; and

WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “ SEC ”) a Registration Statement on Form S-1, No. 333-229027 (“ Registration Statement ”), for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“ Act ”) of, among other securities, the Public Warrants; and

WHEREAS, the Company has received a binding commitment (“ Subscription Agreement ”) from Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC to purchase up to an aggregate of 6,350,000 Warrants (the “ Private Warrants ”) upon consummation of the Public Offering; and

WHEREAS, the Company has executed an agreement (“Forward Purchase Contract”) with Pivotal Spac Funding LLC pursuant to which Pivotal Spac Funding LLC has agreed, under certain circumstances, to purchase up to $150,000,000 worth of securities of the Company in connection with any proposed Business Combination (defined below) which may include Warrants (the “FPC Warrants”); and

WHEREAS, the Company may issue up to an additional 1,500,000 Warrants (“ Working Capital Warrants ”) in satisfaction of certain working capital loans made by the Company’s officers, directors, initial stockholders, and affiliates; and

WHEREAS, following consummation of the Public Offering, the Company may issue additional warrants (“ Post IPO Warrants ” and together with the Public Warrants, Private Warrants, FPC Warrants and Working Capital Warrants, the “ Warrants ”) in connection with, or following the consummation by the Company of, a Business Combination (defined below); and

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants; and

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and


WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding, and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. Appointment of Warrant Agent . The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

2. Warrants .

2.1. Form of Warrant . Each Warrant shall be issued in registered form only, shall be in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company and shall bear a facsimile of the Company’s seal. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.

2.2. Uncertificated Warrants . Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Warrant, or portion thereof, may be issued as part of, and be represented by, a Unit, and any Warrant may be issued in uncertificated or book-entry form through the Warrant Agent and/or the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (the “ Depositary ”) or other book-entry depositary system, in each case as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company or by an authorized committee thereof. Any Warrant so issued shall have the same terms, force and effect as a certificated Warrant that has been duly countersigned by the Warrant Agent in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

2.3. Effect of Countersignature . Except with respect to uncertificated Warrants as described above, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.

2.4. Registration .

2.4.1. Warrant Register . The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (“ Warrant Register ”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.


2.4.2. Registered Holder . Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is then registered in the Warrant Register (“ registered holder ”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Warrant certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

2.5. Detachability of Warrants . The securities comprising the Units will not be separately transferable until the 52 nd day following the date of the prospectus or, if such 52 nd day is not on a day, other than Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “ Business Day ”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier with the consent of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (“ Cantor ”), but in no event will Cantor allow separate trading of the securities comprising the Units until (i) the Company has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Public Offering including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units in the Public Offering, if such option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company has issued a press release and has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin (the “ Detachment Date ”).

2.6. Private Warrant and Working Capital Warrant Attributes . The Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants will be issued in the same form as the Public Warrants but they (i) will not be redeemable by the Company and (ii) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis at the holder’s option, in either case as long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees (as prescribed in Section 5.6 hereof). Once a Private Warrant or Working Capital Warrant is transferred to a holder other than an affiliate or permitted transferee, it shall be treated as a Public Warrant hereunder for all purposes.

2.7. FPC Warrants and Post IPO Warrants . The FPC Warrants and Post IPO Warrants, when and if issued, shall have the same terms and be in the same form as the Public Warrants except as may be agreed upon by the Company.

3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants

3.1. Warrant Price . Each Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent (except with respect to uncertificated Warrants), entitle the registered holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Common Stock stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement refers to the price per share at which the shares of Common Stock may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days; provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of such reduction to registered holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any such reduction shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.


3.2. Duration of Warrants . A Warrant may be exercised only during the period commencing on the later of 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (“ Business Combination ”) (as described more fully in the Registration Statement) or 12 months from the closing of the Public Offering, and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of (i) five years from the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) the Redemption Date as provided in Section 6.2 of this Agreement and (iii) the liquidation of the Company (“ Expiration Date ”). The period of time from the date the Warrants will first become exercisable until the expiration of the Warrants shall hereafter be referred to as the “Exercise Period.” Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as set forth in Section 6 hereunder), as applicable, each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at the close of business on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company will provide at least twenty (20) days prior written notice of any such extension to registered holders and, provided further that any such extension shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.

3.3. Exercise of Warrants .

3.3.1. Payment . Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the registered holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each share of Common Stock as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, as follows:

(a) by good certified check or good bank draft payable to the order of the Warrant Agent or wire transfer; or

(b) in the event of redemption pursuant to Section 6 hereof in which the Company’s management has elected to force all holders of Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value” (defined below) by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average last reported sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to holders of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6 hereof; or


(c) with respect to any Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, so long as such Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, by surrendering such Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the Warrants and the “Fair Market Value” by (y) the Fair Market Value; provided, however, that no cashless exercise shall be permitted unless the Fair Market Value is equal to or higher than the exercise price. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(c), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date of exercise; or

(d) in the event the registration statement required by Section 7.4 hereof is not effective and current within sixty (60) days after the closing of a Business Combination, by surrendering such Warrants for that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the Warrants and the “Fair Market Value” by (y) the Fair Market Value; provided, however, that no cashless exercise shall be permitted unless the Fair Market Value is equal to or higher than the exercise price. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(d), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the ten (10) trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise.

3.3.2. Issuance of Shares of Common Stock . As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if any), the Company shall issue to the registered holder of such Warrant a certificate or certificates, or book entry position, for the number of shares of Common Stock to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new countersigned Warrant, or book entry position, for the number of shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. No Warrant shall be exercisable for cash and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Common Stock issuable upon such Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Warrants. In the event that the condition in the immediately preceding sentence is not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant for cash and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Public Warrants shall have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the shares of Common Stock underlying such Unit. Warrants may not be exercised by, or securities issued to, any registered holder in any state in which such exercise would be unlawful.

3.3.3. Valid Issuance . All shares of Common Stock issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.


3.3.4. Date of Issuance . Each person in whose name any book entry position or certificate for shares of Common Stock is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares on the date on which the Warrant, or book entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book entry system are open.

3.3.5 Maximum Percentage . A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (as specified by the holder) (the “ Maximum Percentage ”) of the shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Common Stock that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “ Exchange Act ”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company setting forth the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Common Stock then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Common Stock was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.


4. Adjustments .

4.1. Stock Dividends; Split Ups . If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 below, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Common Stock, or by a split up of shares of Common Stock, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split up or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding shares of Common Stock. A rights offering to holders of the Common Stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Common Stock at a price less than the “Fair Market Value” (as defined below) shall be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Common Stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Common Stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for the Common Stock) and (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Common Stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the Fair Market Value. For purposes of this subsection 4.1.1, (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Common Stock, in determining the price payable for Common Stock, there shall be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) “Fair Market Value” means the volume weighted last reported average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Common Stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.

4.2. Aggregation of Shares . If after the date hereof, the number of outstanding shares of Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Common Stock issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Common Stock.

4.3 Extraordinary Dividends . If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Common Stock or other shares of the Company’s capital stock into which the Warrants are convertible (an “ Extraordinary Dividend ”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Common Stock in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend; provided, however, that none of the following shall be deemed an Extraordinary Dividend for purposes of this provision: (a) any adjustment described in subsection 4.1 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 Common Stock 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 of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Common Stock


issuable on exercise of each Warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50, (c) any payment to satisfy the conversion rights of the holders of the shares of Common Stock in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination or (d) any payment in connection with the Company’s liquidation and the distribution of its assets upon its failure to consummate a Business Combination. Solely for purposes of illustration, if the Company, at a time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pays a cash dividend of $0.35 and previously paid an aggregate of $0.40 of cash dividends and cash distributions on the Common Stock during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such $0.35 dividend, then the Warrant Price will be decreased, effectively immediately after the effective date of such $0.35 dividend, by $0.25 (the absolute value of the difference between $0.75 (the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period, including such $0.35 dividend) and $0.50 (the greater of (x) $0.50 and (y) the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period prior to such $0.35 dividend)).

4.4 Adjustments in Exercise Price . Whenever the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.

4.5. Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc . In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (other than a change covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 hereof or that solely affects the par value of the Common Stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Common Stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the Warrant holders shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Common Stock of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the Warrant holder would have received if such Warrant holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event; (the “Alternative Issuance”); provided, however, that in connection with the closing of any such consolidation, merger, sale or conveyance, the successor or purchasing entity shall execute an amendment hereto with the Warrant Agent providing for delivery of such Alternative Issuance; provided, further, that (i) if the holders of the Common Stock were entitled to exercise a right of election as to the kind or amount of securities, cash or other assets receivable upon such consolidation or merger, then the kind and amount of securities, cash or other assets constituting the Alternative Issuance for which each Warrant shall become exercisable shall be deemed to be the weighted average of the


kind and amount received per share by the holders of the Common Stock in such consolidation or merger that affirmatively make such election, and (ii) if a tender, exchange or redemption offer shall have been made to and accepted by the holders of the Common Stock (other than a tender, exchange or redemption offer made by the Company in connection with redemption rights held by stockholders of the Company as provided for in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation or as a result of the repurchase of shares of Common Stock by the Company if a proposed initial Business Combination is presented to the stockholders of the Company for approval) under circumstances in which, upon completion of such tender or exchange offer, the maker thereof, together with members of any group (within the meaning of Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act (or any successor rule)) 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 (or any successor rule)) 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 (or any successor rule)) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of Common Stock, the holder of a Warrant shall be entitled to receive as the Alternative Issuance, the highest amount of cash, securities or other property to which such holder would actually have been entitled as a stockholder 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 Common Stock held by such holder had been purchased pursuant to such tender or exchange offer, subject to adjustments (from and after the consummation of such tender or exchange offer) as nearly equivalent as possible to the adjustments provided for in this Section 4; provided, further, that if less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of the Common Stock in the applicable event is payable in the form of common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the Registered Holder properly exercises the Warrant within thirty (30) days following the public disclosure of the consummation of such applicable event by the Company pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission, the Warrant Price shall be reduced by an amount (in dollars) (but in no event less than zero) equal to the difference of (i) the Warrant Price in effect prior to such reduction minus (ii) (A) the Per Share Consideration (as defined below) minus (B) the Black-Scholes Warrant Value (as defined below). The “Black-Scholes Warrant Value” means the value of a Warrant immediately prior to the consummation of the applicable event based on the Black-Scholes Warrant Model for a Capped American Call on Bloomberg Financial Markets (“Bloomberg”). For purposes of calculating such amount, (1) Section 6 of this Agreement shall be taken into account, (2) the price of each share of Common Stock shall be the volume weighted last reported average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event, (3) the assumed volatility shall be the 90 day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg determined as of the trading day immediately prior to the day of the announcement of the applicable event, and (4) the assumed risk-free interest rate shall correspond to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the remaining term of the Warrant. “Per Share Consideration” means (i) if the consideration paid to holders of the Common Stock consists exclusively of cash, the amount of such cash per share of Common Stock, and (ii) in all other cases, the volume weighted last reported average price of the Common Stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the effective date of the applicable event. If any reclassification also results in a change in the Common Stock covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or


4.3, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.

4.6. Notices of Changes in Warrant . Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 or 4.5, then, in any such event, the Company shall give written notice to each Warrant holder, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.

4.7. No Fractional Warrants or Shares . Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round up to the nearest whole number of shares of Common Stock to be issued to the Warrant holder.

4.8. Form of Warrant . The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. However, the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.

4.9 Other Events . In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.


5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants .

5.1. Registration of Transfer . The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures, in the case of certificated Warrants, properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.

5.2. Procedure for Surrender of Warrants . Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, either in certificated form or in book entry position, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants, or book entry positions, as requested by the registered holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange therefor until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.

5.3. Fractional Warrants . The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a warrant.

5.4. Service Charges . No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.

5.5. Warrant Execution and Countersignature . The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, will supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.

5.6. Private Warrants . The Warrant Agent shall not register any transfer of Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants until 30 days after the consummation by the Company of an initial Business Combination, except for transfers (i) among the initial stockholders or to the initial stockholders’ or the Company’s officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s stockholders or members upon the holder’s liquidation, in each case if the holder is an entity, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, in each case for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (vii) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination by private sales at prices no greater than the price at which the Private Warrants were originally purchased, (viii) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to its consummation of an initial Business Combination or (ix) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which


results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their Common Stock for cash, securities or other property, in each case (except for clauses (vi), (viii) or (ix) or with the Company’s prior written consent) on the condition that prior to such registration for transfer, the Warrant Agent shall be presented with written documentation pursuant to which each transferee or the trustee or legal guardian for such transferee agrees to be bound by the terms of the Subscription Agreement and any other applicable agreement the transferor is bound by.

5.7. Transfers prior to Detachment . Prior to the Detachment Date, the Public Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.7 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on or after the Detachment Date.

6. Redemption .

6.1. Redemption . Subject to Section 6.4 hereof, not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed, at the option of the Company, at any time during the Exercise Period, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon the notice referred to in Section 6.2, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (“ Redemption Price ”), provided that the last sales price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4 hereof), on each of twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given and provided that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day redemption or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b); provided, however, that if and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise such redemption right if the issuance of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or the Company is unable to effect such registration or qualification.

6.2. Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption . In the event the Company shall elect to redeem all of the Warrants that are subject to redemption, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “ Redemption Date ”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date to the registered holders of the Warrants to be redeemed at their last addresses as they shall appear on the registration books. Any notice mailed in the manner herein provided shall be conclusively presumed to have been duly given whether or not the registered holder received such notice.

6.3. Exercise After Notice of Redemption . The Public Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event the Company determines to require all holders of Public Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 3.3.1(b), the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Common Stock to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “Fair Market Value” in such case. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.


6.4 Exclusion of Certain Warrants . The Company agrees that the redemption rights provided in this Section 6 shall not apply to (i) the Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants if at the time of the redemption such Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees or (ii) Post IPO Warrants if such warrants provide that they are non-redeemable by the Company. However, with respect to the Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants, once such Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants are transferred (other than to permitted transferees under Section 5.6), the Company may redeem the Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants in the same manner as the Public Warrants.

7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants .

7.1. No Rights as Stockholder . A Warrant does not entitle the registered holder thereof to any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as stockholders in respect of the meetings of stockholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.

7.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants . If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.

7.3. Reservation of Shares of Common Stock . The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.

7.4. Registration of Shares of Common Stock . The Company agrees that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days, after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its best efforts to file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement for the registration, under the Act, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and it shall use its best efforts to take such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale, in those states in which the Warrants were initially offered by the Company and in those states where holders of Warrants then reside, the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to the extent an exemption is not available. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, the Company agrees to use its


best efforts to register such securities under the blue sky laws of the states of residence of the existing warrant holders to the extent an exemption is not available. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th day following the closing of the Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st day after the closing of the Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” as determined in accordance with Section 3.3.1(d). The Company shall provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with this Section 7.4 is not required to be registered under the Act and (ii) the shares of Common Stock issued upon such exercise will be freely tradable under U.S. federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Act) of the Company and, accordingly, will not be required to bear a restrictive legend. For the avoidance of any doubt, except as set forth in Section 7.4.2, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised on a cashless basis, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this Add 7.4.2: Cashless Exercise at Company’s Option. If the Common Stock is at the time of any exercise of a Warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that it satisfies the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule), the Company may, at its option, (i) require holders of Public Warrants who exercise Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act (or any successor rule) as described in subsection 7.4.1 and (ii) in the event the Company so elects, the Company shall not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary. If the Company does not elect at the time of exercise to require a holder of Public Warrants who exercises Public Warrants to exercise such Public Warrants on a “cashless basis,” it agrees to use its commercially reasonable best efforts to register or qualify for sale the Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrant under the blue sky laws of the state of residence of the exercising Public Warrant holder to the extent an exemption is not available.

8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters .

8.1. Payment of Taxes . The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exercise of Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.

8.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent .

8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent . The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the


office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of the Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.

8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent . In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the transfer agent for the shares of Common Stock not later than the effective date of any such appointment.

8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent . Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

8.3. Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent .

8.3.1. Remuneration . The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and will reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.

8.3.2. Further Assurances . The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.


8.4. Liability of Warrant Agent .

8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement . Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer or Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

8.4.2. Indemnity . The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith.

8.4.3. Exclusions . The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Common Stock will, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.

8.5. Acceptance of Agency . The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Common Stock through the exercise of Warrants.

9. Miscellaneous Provisions .

9.1. Successors . All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

9.2. Notices . Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as


follows:

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

405 Lexington Avenue, 11 th Floor

New York, New York 10174

Attn: Jonathan J. Ledecky

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Compliance Department

with a copy in each case to:

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.

and

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10105

Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.

and

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Attn: General Counsel

9.3. Applicable Law . The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Warrants shall be governed in all respects by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court


for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon the Company may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, addressed to it at the address set forth in Section 9.2 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action, proceeding or claim.

9.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement . Nothing in this Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the registered holders of the Warrants and, for the purposes of Sections 9.4 and 9.8 hereof, Cantor, any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Warrant Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. Cantor shall be deemed to be a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement with respect to Sections 9.4 and 9.8 hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Warrant Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and Cantor with respect to the Sections 9.4 and 9.8 hereof) and their successors and assigns and of the registered holders of the Warrants.

9.5. Examination of the Warrant Agreement . A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.

9.6. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument.

9.7. Effect of Headings . The section headings herein are for convenience only and are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the interpretation thereof.

9.8 Amendments . This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any registered holder (i) for the purpose of curing any ambiguity, or of curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein or adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders and (ii) to provide for the delivery of Alternative Issuance pursuant to Section 4.4. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the written consent or vote of the registered holders of (i) a majority of the then outstanding Public Warrants if such modification or amendment is being undertaken prior to, or in connection with, the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) a majority of the then outstanding Warrants if such modification or amendment is being undertaken after the consummation of a Business Combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the registered holders.


9.9 Trust Account Waiver . The Warrant Agent acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the trust account established by the Company in connection with the Public Offering (as more fully described in the Registration Statement) (“ Trust Account ”), including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance. In the event that the Warrant Agent has a claim against the Company under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent will pursue such claim solely against the Company and not against the property held in the Trust Account.

9.10 Severability . This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

[signature page follows]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.

 

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER
& TRUST COMPANY

By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

Exhibit 5.1

GRAUBARD MILLER

THE CHRYSLER BUILDING

405 LEXINGTON AVENUE

NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10174

January 11, 2019

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Dear Sirs:

Reference is made to the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (“Registration Statement”) filed by Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (“Company”), a Delaware corporation, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), covering up to 23,000,000 units of the Company, including the underwriters’ over-allotment option (collectively the “Public Units”), with each Unit consisting of one share of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company and one warrant of the Company, each warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock (“Public Warrant”).

We have examined such documents and considered such legal matters as we have deemed necessary and relevant as the basis for the opinion set forth below. With respect to such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as reproduced or certified copies, and the authenticity of the originals of those latter documents. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have, to the extent deemed appropriate, relied upon certain representations of certain officers and employees of the Company.

Based upon the foregoing, we are of the opinion that:

1. Public Units . When the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Act and when the offering is completed as contemplated by the Registration Statement, such Public Units will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

2. Common Stock . When the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Act and when the offering is completed as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the shares of Common Stock underlying the Public Units will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

3. Public Warrants . When the Registration Statement becomes effective under the Act, and when the Public Warrants underlying the Public Units are issued, delivered and paid for as part of the Public Units, as contemplated by the Registration Statement, such Public Warrants will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable and will be legally binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their terms except: (a) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and by general equitable principles (regardless of whether enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); (b) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the Federal and state securities laws, and (c) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.


We are opining solely on all applicable statutory provisions of Delaware corporate law, including the rules and regulations underlying those provisions, all applicable provisions of the Delaware Constitution, all applicable judicial and regulatory determinations in connection therewith and, as to the Public Units and the Public Warrants constituting legally binding obligations of the Company, solely with respect to the laws of the State of New York. Our opinion is based on these laws as in effect on the date hereof and as of the effective date of the Registration Statement, and we assume no obligation to revise or supplement this opinion after the effective date of the Registration Statement should the law be changed by legislative action, judicial decision, or otherwise. We express no opinion as to whether the laws of any other jurisdiction are applicable to the subject matter hereof. We are not rendering any opinion as to compliance with any other Federal or state law, rule or regulation relating to securities, or to the sale or issuance thereof.

We hereby consent to the use of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, to the use of our name as your counsel and to all references made to us in the Registration Statement and in the Prospectus forming a part thereof. In giving this consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act, or the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

Very truly yours,
/s/ Graubard Miller

Exhibit 10.1.1

                      , 2019

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

 

  Re:

Initial Public Offering

Gentlemen:

This letter is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) entered into by and between Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as representative (the “ Representative ”) of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “ Underwriters ”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “ IPO ”) of the Company’s units (the “ Units ”), each comprised of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “ Common Stock ”), and one warrant, each warrant exercisable for one share of Common Stock (each, a “ Warrant ”). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.

In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the IPO, and in recognition of the benefit that such IPO will confer upon the undersigned, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees with the Company as follows:

1. If the Company solicits approval of its stockholders of a Business Combination, the undersigned will vote all shares of Common Stock (including shares of Founders’ Common Stock and those shares of Common Stock that may be issued to it upon conversion of Class B common stock) beneficially owned by him, whether acquired before, in or after the IPO, in favor of such Business Combination.


2. In the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, the undersigned will, as promptly as possible, cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the Common Stock sold as part of the Units in the IPO, 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 Trust Account net of interest released to the Company as permitted pursuant to the Trust Agreement, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the cases of clauses (ii) and (iii) to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distribution of the Trust Account (“Claim”) with respect to his shares of Founders’ Common Stock and hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that there will be no distribution from the Trust Account with respect to any Warrants, all rights of which will terminate on the Company’s liquidation.

3. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that prior to entering into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with any Insiders of the Company or their affiliates, such transaction must be approved by a majority of the Company’s disinterested independent directors and the Company must obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

4. Neither the undersigned nor any affiliate of the undersigned will be entitled to receive and will not accept any compensation or other cash payment prior to, or for services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of the Business Combination; provided that the Company shall be allowed to make the payments set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption “Prospectus Summary – The Offering – Limited payments to insiders.”

5. (a)In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, the undersigned hereby agrees that until the earliest of the Company’s initial Business Combination or liquidation, the undersigned shall present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable target business, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations the undersigned might have.

 

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(b)The undersigned has agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer or director of, any other special purpose acquisition company with a class of securities intended to be registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which has publicly filed a registration statement with the SEC until the Company has entered into a definitive agreement regarding an initial Business Combination or the Company has failed to complete an initial Business Combination within the time period required by the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time.

` (c)The undersigned hereby agrees and acknowledges that (i) each of the Underwriters and the Company may be irreparably injured in the event of a breach of any of the obligations contained in this letter, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.

6. (a)The undersigned agrees that the shares of Founders’ Common Stock may not be transferred, assigned or sold (except to certain permitted transferees as described in the Registration Statement) until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the consummation of a Business Combination and (2) the date following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, the shares of Founders’ Common Stock will be released from the lockup.

    (b)The undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, hedge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned or any person in privity with the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any other Units, Common Stock, Warrants of the Company or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, common stock or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement.

 

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7. The undersigned agrees to be an Officer and/or Director of the Company until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Company. The undersigned’s biographical information previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all respects and does not omit any material information with respect to the undersigned’s background. The undersigned’s FINRA Questionnaire previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all respects. The undersigned represents and warrants that:

 

  (a)

he/she/it has never had a petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law been filed by or against (i) him/her/it or any partnership in which he/she/it was a general partner at or within two years before the time of filing; or (ii) any corporation or business association of which he/she/it was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;

 

  (b)

he/she/it has never had a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer been appointed by a court for his/her/its business or property, or any such partnership;

 

  (c)

he/she/it has never been convicted of fraud in a civil or criminal proceeding;

 

  (d)

he/she/it/ has never been convicted in a criminal proceeding or named the subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and minor offenses);

 

  (e)

he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining or otherwise limiting him/her/it from (i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“ CFTC ”) or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity; or (ii) engaging in any type of business practice; or (iii) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities or federal commodities laws;

 

  (f)

he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days your right to engage in any activity described in 9(e)(i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;

 

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  (g)

he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

  (h)

he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the CFTC to have violated any federal commodities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the CFTC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

  (i)

he/she/it has never been the subject of, or a party to, any Federal or State judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of (i) any Federal or State securities or commodities law or regulation, (ii) any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and desist order, or removal or prohibition order or (iii) any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity;

 

  (j)

he/she/it has never been the subject of, or party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, or any self-regulatory organization, any registered entity, or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member;

 

  (k)

he/she/it has never been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment advisor or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

  (l)

he/she/it was never subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or the National Credit Union Administration that is based on a violation of any law or regulation that prohibits fraudulent, manipulative, or deceptive conduct;

 

5


  (m)

he/she/it has never been subject to any order, judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, that, at the time of such sale, restrained or enjoined him/her/it from engaging or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment adviser or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

  (n)

he/she/it has never been subject to any order of the SEC that orders him/her/it to cease and desist from committing or causing a future violation of: (i) any scienter-based anti-fraud provision of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(1) of the Advisers Act or any other rule or regulation thereunder; or (ii) Section 5 of the Securities Act;

 

  (o)

he/she/it has never been named as an underwriter in any registration statement or Regulation A offering statement filed with the SEC that was the subject of a refusal order, stop order, or order suspending the Regulation A exemption, or is, currently, the subject of an investigation or proceeding to determine whether a stop order or suspension order should be issued;

 

  (p)

he/she/it has never been subject to a United States Postal Service false representation order, or is currently subject to a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction with respect to conduct alleged by the United States Postal Service to constitute a scheme or device for obtaining money or property through the mail by means of false representations;

 

  (q)

he/she/it is not subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or the National Credit Union Administration that bars the undersigned from: (i) association with an entity regulated by such commission, authority, agency or officer; (ii) engaging in the business of securities, insurance or banking; or (iii) engaging in savings association or credit union activities;

 

  (r)

he/she/it is not subject to an order of the SEC entered pursuant to section 15(b) or 15B(c) of the Exchange Act or section 203(e) or 203(f) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 that: (i) suspends or revokes the undersigned’s registration as a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer or investment adviser; (ii) places limitations on the activities, functions or operations of, or imposes civil money penalties on, such person; or (iii) bars the undersigned from being associated with any entity or from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and

 

6


  (s)

he/she/it has never been suspended or expelled from membership in, or suspended or barred from association with a member of, a securities self-regulatory organization (e.g., a registered national securities exchange or a registered national or affiliated securities association) for any act or omission to act constituting conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

7. The undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by which he is bound, to enter into this letter agreement and to serve as an Officer and/or Director of the Company.

8. The undersigned hereby waives his right to exercise conversion rights with respect to any shares of the Company’s common stock owned or to be owned by the undersigned, directly or indirectly (or to sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer), whether such shares be part of the Founders’ Common Stock or shares purchased by the undersigned in the IPO or in the aftermarket, and agrees that he will not seek conversion with respect to such shares in connection with any vote to approve a Business Combination (or sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with such a Business Combination).

9. The undersigned hereby agrees to not propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the ability of holders of IPO Shares to convert or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the IPO Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the time period required by the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation unless the Company provides public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of Common Stock upon such approval in accordance with the charter.

10. This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The undersigned hereby (i) agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against him arising out of or relating in any way to this letter agreement (a “Proceeding”) shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive, (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum and (iii) irrevocably agrees to appoint Graubard Miller as agent for the service of process in the State of New York to receive, for the undersigned and on his behalf, service of process in any Proceeding. If for any reason such agent is unable to act as such, the undersigned will promptly notify the Company and the Representative and appoint a substitute agent acceptable to each of the Company and the Representative within 30 days and nothing in this letter will affect the right of either party to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

 

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11. As used herein, (i) a “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Insiders” shall mean all officers, directors and sponsors of the Company immediately prior to the IPO; (iii) “Founders’ Common Stock” shall mean all of the shares of Common Stock of the Company acquired by an Insider prior to the IPO; (iv) “IPO Shares” shall mean the shares of Common Stock issued in the Company’s IPO; (v) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust account into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Company’s IPO will be deposited; and (vi) “Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-229027) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission..

12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

13. The undersigned acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its stockholders or any creditor or vendor of the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof.

14. This letter agreement shall be binding on the undersigned and such person’s respective successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns. This letter agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the consummation of a Business Combination and (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided , that such termination shall not relieve the undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement prior to its termination.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

8


 

 

Print Name of Insider

 

 

Signature

  Acknowledged and Agreed:
  Pivotal Acquisition Corp.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

9

Exhibit 10.1.2

                      , 2019

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

 

  Re:

Initial Public Offering

Gentlemen:

This letter is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “ Underwriting Agreement ”) entered into by and between Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), and Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. as representative (the “ Representative ”) of the several Underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “ Underwriters ”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “ IPO ”) of the Company’s units (the “ Units ”), each comprised of one share of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “ Common Stock ”), and one warrant, each warrant exercisable for one share of Common Stock (each, a “ Warrant ”). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 11 hereof.

In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the IPO, and in recognition of the benefit that such IPO will confer upon the undersigned, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees with the Company as follows:

1. If the Company solicits approval of its stockholders of a Business Combination, the undersigned will vote all shares of Common Stock (including shares of Founders’ Common Stock and those shares of Common Stock that may be issued to it upon conversion of Class B common stock) beneficially owned by it, whether acquired before, in or after the IPO, in favor of such Business Combination.


2. In the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, each of the undersigned will, as promptly as possible, cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem the IPO 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 Trust Account net of interest released to the Company as permitted pursuant to the Trust Agreement, divided by the number of then outstanding IPO Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public stockholders’ rights as stockholders (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 the Company’s remaining stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the cases of clauses (ii) and (iii) to the Company’s obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable law. The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distribution of the Trust Account (“Claim”) with respect to the shares of Founders’ Common Stock owned by the undersigned and hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, the undersigned agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company for any debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company, but only to the extent necessary to ensure that such debt or obligation does not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account below $10.00 per share; provided that such indemnity shall not apply (i) if such vendor or prospective target business executed an agreement waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or (ii) as to any claims under the Company’s obligation to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that there will be no distribution from the Trust Account with respect to any Warrants, all rights of which will terminate on the Company’s liquidation.

3. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that prior to entering into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with any Insiders of the Company or their affiliates, such transaction must be approved by a majority of the Company’s disinterested independent directors and the Company must obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of view.

4. Neither the undersigned nor any affiliate of the undersigned will be entitled to receive and will not accept any compensation or other cash payment prior to, or for services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of the Business Combination; provided that the Company shall be allowed to make the payments set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption “Prospectus Summary – The Offering – Limited payments to insiders.”

 

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5. (a) The undersigned agrees that the shares of Founders’ Common Stock may not be transferred, assigned or sold (except to certain permitted transferees as described in the Registration Statement) until the earlier to occur of: (1) one year after the consummation of a Business Combination and (2) the date following the completion of the Company’s initial Business Combination on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of its shareholders having the right to exchange their shares of Common Stock for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of the Common Stock equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Company’s initial Business Combination, the shares of Founders’ Common Stock will be released from the lockup.

    (b) The undersigned will not, without the prior written consent of the Representative pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement, offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, hedge or otherwise dispose of (or enter into any transaction that is designed to, or might reasonably be expected to, result in the disposition (whether by actual disposition or effective economic disposition due to cash settlement or otherwise) by the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned or any person in privity with the undersigned or any affiliate of the undersigned), directly or indirectly, including the filing (or participation in the filing) of a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect of, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission promulgated thereunder with respect to, any other Units, Common Stock, Warrants of the Company or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, common stock or publicly announce an intention to effect any such transaction, for a period of 180 days after the date of the Underwriting Agreement.

    (c) The undersigned agrees that until the Company consummates a Business Combination, the undersigned’s Private Warrants will be subject to the transfer restrictions described in the subscription agreement relating to the undersigned’s purchase of Private Warrants.

6. The undersigned’s FINRA Questionnaire previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all respects. The undersigned represents and warrants that:

 

3


  (a)

he/she/it has never had a petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law been filed by or against (i) him/her/it or any partnership in which he/she/it was a general partner at or within two years before the time of filing; or (ii) any corporation or business association of which he/she/it was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;

 

  (b)

he/she/it has never had a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer been appointed by a court for his/her/its business or property, or any such partnership;

 

  (c)

he/she/it has never been convicted of fraud in a civil or criminal proceeding;

 

  (d)

he/she/it/ has never been convicted in a criminal proceeding or named the subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and minor offenses);

 

  (e)

he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining or otherwise limiting him/her/it from (i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“ CFTC ”) or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity; or (ii) engaging in any type of business practice; or (iii) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities or federal commodities laws;

 

  (f)

he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days your right to engage in any activity described in 9(e)(i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;

 

  (g)

he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

4


  (h)

he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the CFTC to have violated any federal commodities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the CFTC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

  (i)

he/she/it has never been the subject of, or a party to, any Federal or State judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of (i) any Federal or State securities or commodities law or regulation, (ii) any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and desist order, or removal or prohibition order or (iii) any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity;

 

  (j)

he/she/it has never been the subject of, or party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, or any self-regulatory organization, any registered entity, or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member;

 

  (k)

he/she/it has never been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment advisor or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

  (l)

he/she/it was never subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or the National Credit Union Administration that is based on a violation of any law or regulation that prohibits fraudulent, manipulative, or deceptive conduct;

 

  (m)

he/she/it has never been subject to any order, judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, that, at the time of such sale, restrained or enjoined him/her/it from engaging or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment adviser or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

5


  (n)

he/she/it has never been subject to any order of the SEC that orders him/her/it to cease and desist from committing or causing a future violation of: (i) any scienter-based anti-fraud provision of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(1) of the Advisers Act or any other rule or regulation thereunder; or (ii) Section 5 of the Securities Act;

 

  (o)

he/she/it has never been named as an underwriter in any registration statement or Regulation A offering statement filed with the SEC that was the subject of a refusal order, stop order, or order suspending the Regulation A exemption, or is, currently, the subject of an investigation or proceeding to determine whether a stop order or suspension order should be issued;

 

  (p)

he/she/it has never been subject to a United States Postal Service false representation order, or is currently subject to a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction with respect to conduct alleged by the United States Postal Service to constitute a scheme or device for obtaining money or property through the mail by means of false representations;

 

  (q)

he/she/it is not subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or the National Credit Union Administration that bars the undersigned from: (i) association with an entity regulated by such commission, authority, agency or officer; (ii) engaging in the business of securities, insurance or banking; or (iii) engaging in savings association or credit union activities;

 

  (r)

he/she/it is not subject to an order of the SEC entered pursuant to section 15(b) or 15B(c) of the Exchange Act or section 203(e) or 203(f) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 that: (i) suspends or revokes the undersigned’s registration as a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer or investment adviser; (ii) places limitations on the activities, functions or operations of, or imposes civil money penalties on, such person; or (iii) bars the undersigned from being associated with any entity or from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and

 

  (s)

he/she/it has never been suspended or expelled from membership in, or suspended or barred from association with a member of, a securities self-regulatory organization (e.g., a registered national securities exchange or a registered national or affiliated securities association) for any act or omission to act constituting conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

 

6


7. The undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by which it is bound, to enter into this letter agreement.

8. The undersigned hereby waives any right to exercise conversion rights with respect to any shares of the Company’s common stock owned or to be owned by the undersigned, directly or indirectly (or to sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer), whether such shares be part of the Founders’ Common Stock or shares purchased by the undersigned in the IPO or in the aftermarket, and each agrees not to seek conversion with respect to such shares in connection with any vote to approve a Business Combination (or sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with such a Business Combination).

9. The undersigned hereby agrees to not propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the ability of holders of IPO Shares to convert or sell their shares to the Company in connection with a Business Combination or affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the IPO Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the time period required by the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation unless the Company provides public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their IPO Shares upon such approval in accordance with the charter.

10. This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The undersigned hereby (i) agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against him arising out of or relating in any way to this letter agreement (a “Proceeding”) shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive, (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum and (iii) irrevocably agrees to appoint Graubard Miller as agent for the service of process in the State of New York to receive, for the undersigned and on his behalf, service of process in any Proceeding. If for any reason such agent is unable to act as such, the undersigned will promptly notify the Company and the Representative and appoint a substitute agent acceptable to each of the Company and the Representative within 30 days and nothing in this letter will affect the right of either party to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.

11. As used herein, (i) a “Business Combination” shall mean a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Insiders” shall mean all officers, directors and sponsors of the Company immediately prior to the IPO; (iii) “Founders’ Common Stock” shall mean all of the shares of Common Stock of the Company acquired by an Insider prior to the IPO; (iv) “IPO Shares” shall mean the shares of Common Stock issued in the Company’s IPO; (v) “Private Warrants” shall mean the warrants that are being sold privately by the Company simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO; (vi) “Trust Account” shall mean the trust account into which a portion of the net proceeds of the IPO will be deposited; and (vii) “Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 (SEC File No. 333-229027) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

7


12. This Letter Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This Letter Agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

13. The undersigned acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its stockholders or any creditor or vendor of the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof.

14. This letter agreement shall be binding on the undersigned and its successors and assigns. This letter agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the consummation of a Business Combination and (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided , that such termination shall not relieve the undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement prior to its termination.

[Signature Page Follows]

 

8


  Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC
  Print Name of Insider
 

 

  Signature
  Acknowledged and Agreed:
  Pivotal Acquisition Corp.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

9

Exhibit 10.2

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT

This Agreement is made as of [☐], 2019 by and between Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”).

WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, No. 333-229027 (“Registration Statement”) for its initial public offering of securities (“IPO”) has been declared effective as of the date hereof (“Effective Date”) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Registration Statement); and

WHEREAS, Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. (the “Representative”) is acting as the representative of the several underwriters in the IPO; and

WHEREAS, as described in the Registration Statement, and in accordance with the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, $200,000,000 ($230,000,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the proceeds from the IPO and a simultaneous private placement of warrants will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Company’s Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Common Stock”), issued in the IPO as hereinafter provided (the proceeds to be delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned thereon) will be referred to herein as the “Property”; the stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “Public Stockholders,” and the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “Beneficiaries”); and

WHEREAS, a portion of the Property equal to $7,000,000, or $8,050,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, is attributable to deferred underwriting discounts and commissions (the “Deferred Discount”) that shall become payable by the Company to the underwriters upon the consummation of an initial business combination (as described in the Registration Statement, a “Business Combination”); and

WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property;

IT IS AGREED:

1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:

(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee in the United States at J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;


(b) Manage, supervise, and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;

(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), having a maturity of 180 days or less, and/or in any open ended investment company registered under the Investment Company Act that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraph (d) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder and the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration during such periods;

(d) Collect and receive, when due, all principal and income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;

(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by it with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;

(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company in connection with the Company’s preparation of its tax returns;

(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as, and when instructed by the Company to do so;

(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of and amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;

(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter (“Termination Letter”), in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and, affirmed by counsel for the Company and, in the case of a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit A, jointly signed by the Representative, and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes (and in the case of a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to the attached hereto as Exhibit B, less up to $100,000 of interest that may be released to the Company to pay dissolution expenses), only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein; provided, however, that in the event that a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee within the period of time provided in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time (“Last Date”), the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B hereto and distributed to the Public Stockholders as of the Last Date. The provisions of this Section 1(i) may not be modified, amended or deleted under any circumstances;


(j) Upon receipt of a letter (an “Amendment Notification Letter”) in the form of Exhibit C, signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and, distribute to Public Stockholders who exercised their conversion rights in connection with an amendment to Article Sixth of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (an “Amendment”) an amount equal to the pro rata share of the Property relating to the Common Stock for which such Public Stockholders have exercised conversion rights in connection with such Amendment.

2. Limited Distributions of Income from Trust Account.

(a) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D, the Trustee shall distribute to the Company the amount of interest income earned on the Trust Account requested by the Company to cover any income or other tax obligation owed by the Company.

(b) The limited distributions referred to in Section 2(a) above shall be made only from income collected on the Property. Except as provided in Section 2(a) above, no other distributions from the Trust Account shall be permitted except in accordance with Sections 1(i) or 1(j) hereof.

(d) The Company shall provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter, Amendment Notification Letter, and/or any other correspondence that it issues to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after such issuance.

3. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company agrees and covenants to:

(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(j) and 2(a) above, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it in good faith and with reasonable care believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any claim, potential claim, action, suit, or other proceeding brought against the Trustee which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any income earned from investment of the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit, or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this paragraph, it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim, provided, that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;


(c) Pay the Trustee an initial acceptance fee, an annual fee, and a transaction processing fee for each disbursement made pursuant to Section 2(a) as set forth on Schedule A hereto, which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless such payment is in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and first year’s fee at the consummation of the IPO and thereafter on the anniversary of the Effective Date;

(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding a Business Combination, provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of a firm regularly engaged in the business of soliciting proxies and/or tabulating stockholder votes verifying the vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding such Business Combination;

(e) In the event that the Company directs the Trustee to commence liquidation of the Trust Account pursuant to Section 1(i), the Company agrees that it will not direct the Trustee to make any payments that are not specifically authorized by this Agreement;

(f) If the Company’s stockholders approve an Amendment, provide the Trustee with an Amendment Notification Letter in the form of Exhibit C providing instructions for the distribution of funds to Public Stockholders who exercise their conversion option in connection with such Amendment; and

(g) Within five business days after the Representative, on behalf of the underwriters in the IPO, exercises the over-allotment option (or any unexercised portion thereof) or such over-allotment option expires, provide the Trustee with a notice in writing (with a copy to the Representative) of the total amount of the Deferred Discount, which shall in no event be less than $7,000,000.

4. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:

(a) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Sections 1 and 2 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except for liability arising out of its own gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;

(b) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in, or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;


(c) Change the investment of any Property, other than in compliance with Section 1(c);

(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;

(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;

(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment, except for its gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion, or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee), statement, instrument, report, or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which is believed by the Trustee, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination, or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;

(g) Verify the correctness of the information set forth in the Registration Statement or to confirm or assure that any business combination consummated by the Company or any other action taken by it is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;

(h) File local, state, and/or federal tax returns or information returns with any taxing authority on behalf of the Trust Account or deliver payee statements to the Company documenting the taxes, if any, payable by the Company or the Trust Account, relating to the income earned on the Property;

(i) Pay any taxes on behalf of the Trust Account (it being expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay any such taxes and that such taxes, if any, shall be paid by the Company from funds not held in the Trust Account or released to it under Section 2(a) hereof);

(j) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire, or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein; or

(k) Verify calculations, qualify, or otherwise approve Company requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1 (j) or 2(a) above.


5. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.

6. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:

(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee during which time the Trustee shall act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that, in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or

(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof, and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 3(b) and Section 5.

(c) If the Offering is not consummated within ten business days of the date of this Agreement, in which case any funds received by the Trustee from the Company or its sponsor, as applicable, shall be returned promptly following the receipt by the Trustee of written instructions from the Company.

7. Miscellaneous.

(a) The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to funds being transferred to or from the Trust Account to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee will rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a beneficiary, beneficiary’s bank, or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability, or expense resulting from any error in the information supplied to it or funds transferred based on such information.

(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. As to any claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim in any way relating to this Agreement, each party waives the right to trial by jury.


(c) This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.

(d) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Sections 1(i) and 1(j) (which may not be amended under any circumstances), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended, or modified by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto; provided, however, that no such change, amendment or modification may be made without the prior written consent of the Representative. The Trustee may require from Company counsel an opinion as to the propriety of any proposed amendment.

(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery, by email or by facsimile transmission:

if to the Trustee, to:

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Sharmin Carter

Email: scarter@continentalstock.com

Fax No.: (212) 509-5150

if to the Company, to:

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: Jonathan J. Ledecky

Fax No.: (212) 818-8881

in either case with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

499 Park Avenue

New York, New York 10022

Attn: General Counsel

Fax No.: (212) 829-4708


and

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.

Fax No.: (212) 818-8881

and

Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP

1345 Avenue of the Americas, 11 th Floor

New York, New York 10105

Attn: Stuart Neuhauser, Esq.

(f) This Agreement may not be assigned by the Trustee without the prior consent of the Company.

(g) Each of the Trustee and the Company hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder.

(h) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledges that the Representatives, on behalf of the several underwriters, are third party beneficiaries of this Agreement (including Section 7(d) and the Trustee’s obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto with the same right and power to enforce these provisions as either of the parties hereto) acknowledge that the Representative is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.

[Signature Page Follows]

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.


CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee

 

By:  

                                                  

  Name:
  Title:
PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

SCHEDULE A

Fee Item Time and method of payment             Amount

Initial acceptance fee             Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer                     $

Annual fee             First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check             $

Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 2         Billed to Company upon disbursement                 $250.00

Paying Agent services as required pursuant to section 1(i)                     Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to section 1(i)

Prevailing rates


EXHIBIT A

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

Continental Stock Transfer

& Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Fran Wolf and Sharmin Carter

 

  Re:

Trust Account No. [☐] - Termination Letter

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [☐], 2019 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [                    ] to consummate a business combination (“Business Combination”) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least 48 hours in advance of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (“Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate the Trust Account investments on [                    ] and to transfer the proceeds to the above-referenced account at [                 ] to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of funds held in the Trust Account will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the trust account awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.

On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) [an affidavit] [a certificate] of [                    ], which verifies the vote of the Company’s stockholders in connection with the Business Combination if a vote is held and (b) joint written instructions from the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account (“Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the counsel’s letter and the Instruction Letter, (x) to the underwriters in an amount equal to the Deferred Discount as directed by the Representative and (y) the remainder in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account pursuant to the terms hereof, the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.


In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the you of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in the notice.

 

Very truly yours,
PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

                                                      

  Name:
  Title:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

 

AGREED TO AND
ACKNOWLEDGED BY
CANTOR FITZGERALD & CO.
By:  

                                              

  Name:
  Title:


EXHIBIT B

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

Continental Stock Transfer

& Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Fran Wolf and Sharmin Carter

 

  Re:

Trust Account No. [☐] - Termination Letter

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [☐], 2019 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a Target Company within the time frame specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Company’s prospectus relating to its IPO. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all the Trust Account investments on [                    ] and to transfer the total proceeds to the Trust Checking Account at [                 ] to await distribution to the Public Stockholders. The Company has selected [                    , 20    ] as the record date for the purpose of determining the Public Stockholders entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. It is acknowledged that no interest will be earned by the Company on the liquidation proceeds while on deposit in the Trust Checking Account. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, to distribute said funds directly to the Public Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.

 

Very truly yours,
PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

                                                  

  Name:
  Title:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

cc: Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.


EXHIBIT C

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

Continental Stock Transfer

& Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Fran Wolf and Sharmin Carter

 

  Re:

Trust Account No. [☐] – Amendment Notification Letter

Gentlemen:

Reference is made to the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [☐], 2019 (“Trust Agreement”). Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.


Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement, this is to advise you that the Company has sought an Amendment. Accordingly, in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate the Trust Account on [     ] and to transfer $             of the proceeds of the Trust to the checking account at [                ] for distribution to the stockholders that have requested conversion of their shares in connection with such Amendment. The remaining funds shall be reinvested by you as previously instructed.

Very truly yours,

 

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

                                          

  Name:
  Title:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

cc: Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.


EXHIBIT D

[Letterhead of Company]

[Insert date]

Continental Stock Transfer

& Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Fran Wolf and Sharmin Carter

 

  Re:

Trust Account No. [☐]

Gentlemen:

Pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [☐], 2019 (“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company [$            ] of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. The Company needs such funds to pay for its tax obligations. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:

[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]

 

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

                                                      

  Name:
  Title:
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:

cc: Cantor Fitzgerald & Co.

Exhibit 10.4

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is entered into as of the      day of                 , 2019, by and among Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”) and the undersigned parties listed under Investors on the signature page hereto (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “ Investors ”).

WHEREAS, the Investors and the Company desire to enter into this Agreement to provide the Investors with certain rights relating to the registration of the securities held by them as of the date hereof or that may be held by them upon consummation of a Business Combination (defined below);

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

1. DEFINITIONS . The following capitalized terms used herein have the following meanings:

Agreement ” means this Agreement, as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time.

Business Combination ” means the acquisition of direct or indirect ownership through a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar type of transaction, of one or more businesses or entities.

Commission ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other Federal agency then administering the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

Common Stock ” means the Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company.

Company ” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

Demand Registration ” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

Demanding Holder ” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

Exchange Act ” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

Form S-3 ” is defined in Section 2.3.


Forward Purchase Agreement ” means the agreement pursuant to which one of the Investors has committed to purchase up to $150,000,000 of Forward Purchase Securities upon consummation of a Business Combination.

Forward Purchase Securities ” means the securities that may be sold to pursuant to the Forward Purchase Agreement.

Founder Shares ” means all of the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company issued prior to the consummation of its initial public offering.

Indemnified Party ” is defined in Section 4.3.

Indemnifying Party ” is defined in Section 4.3.

Investor ” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

Investor Indemnified Party ” is defined in Section 4.1.

Maximum Number of Shares ” is defined in Section 2.1.4.

Notices ” is defined in Section 6.3.

Piggy-Back Registration ” is defined in Section 2.2.1.

Private Warrants ” means the Warrants the Investors are privately purchasing simultaneously with the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

Pro Rata ” is defined in Section 2.1.4.

Register ,” “ Registered ” and “ Registration ” mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.

Registrable Securities ” means (i) the Founder Shares, (ii) the Private Warrants (and underlying securities), (iii) the Working Capital Warrants (and underlying securities), if any, and (iv) the Forward Purchase Securities, if any. Registrable Securities include any warrants, shares of capital stock or other securities of the Company underlying or issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect to or in exchange for or in replacement of or upon conversion of such Founder Shares, Private Warrants (and underlying securities), Working Capital Warrants (and underlying securities) and Forward Purchase Securities. As to any particular Registrable Securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (a) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (b) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for them not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have


been delivered by the Company and subsequent public distribution of them shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (c) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding, or (d) the Registrable Securities are freely saleable under Rule 144 under the Securities Act without volume limitations.

Registration Statement ” means a registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission in compliance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder for a public offering and sale of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities (other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8, or their successors, or any registration statement covering only securities proposed to be issued in exchange for securities or assets of another entity).

Securities Act ” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

Underwriter ” means a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an underwritten offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.

Units ” means the units of the Company, each comprised of one share of Common Stock and one warrant, each whole warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock.

Working Capital Warrants ” means any Warrants held by Investors, officers or directors of the Company or their affiliates which may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company.

2. REGISTRATION RIGHTS .

2.1  Demand Registration .

2.1.1.  Request for Registration . At any time and from time to time on or after the date that the Company consummates a Business Combination, the Investors may make a written demand for registration under the Securities Act of all or part of their Registrable Securities (a “ Demand Registration ”). Any demand for a Demand Registration shall specify the number of shares of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. The Company will within 10 days of the Company’s receipt of the Demand Registration notify all holders of Registrable Securities of the demand, and each holder of Registrable Securities who wishes to include all or a portion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the Demand Registration (each such holder including shares of Registrable Securities in such registration, a “ Demanding Holder ”) shall so notify the Company within ten (10) days after the receipt by the holder of the notice from the Company. Upon any such request, the Demanding Holders shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in the Demand Registration, subject to Section 2.1.4 and the provisos set forth in Section 3.1.1. The Company shall not be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of three (3) Demand Registrations under this Section 2.1.1 in respect of all Registrable Securities.


2.1.2 Effective Registration . A registration will not count as a Demand Registration until the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration has been declared effective and the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, however, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, the offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Demand Registration is interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission or any other governmental agency or court, the Registration Statement with respect to such Demand Registration will be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders thereafter elect to continue the offering; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated to file a second Registration Statement until a Registration Statement that has been filed is counted as a Demand Registration or is terminated.

2.1.3 Underwritten Offering . If a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so elect and such holders so advise the Company as part of their written demand for a Demand Registration, the offering of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an underwritten offering. In such event, the right of any holder to include its Registrable Securities in such registration shall be conditioned upon such holder’s participation in such underwriting and the inclusion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the underwriting to the extent provided herein. All Demanding Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through such underwriting shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such underwriting by a majority-in-interest of the holders initiating the Demand Registration.

2.1.4 Reduction of Offering . If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters for a Demand Registration that is to be an underwritten offering, in good faith, advises the Company and the Demanding Holders in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Registrable Securities which the Demanding Holders desire to sell, taken together with all other shares of Common Stock or other securities which the Company desires to sell and the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by other stockholders of the Company who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares that can be sold in such offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares, as applicable, the “ Maximum Number of Shares ”), then the Company shall include in such registration: (i) first, the Registrable Securities as to which Demand Registration has been requested by the Demanding Holders (pro rata in accordance with the number of shares that each such Person has requested be included in such registration, regardless of the number of shares held by each such Person (such proportion is referred to herein as “ Pro Rata ”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the Registrable Securities of holders exercising their rights to register their Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2.2; and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.


2.1.5 Withdrawal . If a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders disapprove of the terms of any underwriting or are not entitled to include all of their Registrable Securities in any offering, such majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders may elect to withdraw from such offering by giving written notice to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters of their request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration. If the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders withdraws from a proposed offering relating to a Demand Registration, then such registration shall not count as a Demand Registration provided for in Section 2.1.

2.2 Piggy-Back Registration .

2.2.1 Piggy-Back Rights . If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities, by the Company for its own account or for shareholders of the Company for their account (or by the Company and by shareholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall (x) give written notice of such proposed filing to the holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but in no event less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date, which notice shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, of the offering, and (y) offer to the holders of Registrable Securities in such notice the opportunity to register the sale of such number of shares of Registrable Securities as such holders may request in writing within five (5) days following receipt of such notice (a “ Piggy-Back Registration ”). The Company shall, in good faith, cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed underwritten offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested to be included in a Piggy-Back Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All holders of Registrable Securities proposing to distribute their securities through a Piggy-Back Registration that involves an Underwriter or Underwriters shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such Piggy-Back Registration.


2.2.2 Reduction of Offering . If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters for a Piggy-Back Registration that is to be an underwritten offering advises the Company and the holders of Registrable Securities in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Common Stock which the Company desires to sell, taken together with shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested under this Section 2.2, and the shares of Common Stock, if any, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other stockholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Shares, then the Company shall include in any such registration:

a) If the registration is undertaken for the Company’s account: (A) the shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the shares of Common Stock or other securities, if any, comprised of Registrable Securities, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the applicable written contractual piggy-back registration rights of such security holders, Pro Rata, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (C) to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and

b) If the registration is a “demand” registration undertaken at the demand of persons or entities other than either the holders of Registrable Securities, (A) first, the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of the demanding persons that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), collectively the Common Stock or other securities comprised of Registrable Securities, Pro Rata, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the terms hereof, as applicable, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the shares of Common Stock or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.


2.2.3 Withdrawal . Any holder of Registrable Securities may elect to withdraw such holder’s request for inclusion of Registrable Securities in any Piggy-Back Registration by giving written notice to the Company of such request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. The Company (whether on its own determination or as the result of a withdrawal by persons making a demand pursuant to written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding any such withdrawal, the Company shall pay all expenses incurred by the holders of Registrable Securities in connection with such Piggy-Back Registration as provided in Section 3.3.

2.2.4  Unlimited Piggy-Back Registration Rights . For purposes of clarity, any registration effected pursuant to Section 2.2 hereof shall not be counted as a registration pursuant to a Demand Registration effected under Section 2.1 hereof.

2.2.5 Registrations on Form S-3 . The holders of Registrable Securities may at any time and from time to time request in writing that the Company register the resale of any or all of such Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration which may be available at such time (“ Form S-3 ”); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an underwritten offering. Upon receipt of such written request, the Company will promptly give written notice of the proposed registration to all other holders of Registrable Securities, and each holder of Registrable Securities who thereafter wishes to include all or a portion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in such registration shall so notify the Company, in writing, within ten (10) days after the receipt by the holder of the notice from the Company, and, as soon as practicable thereafter but not more than twelve (12) days after the Company’s initial receipt of such written request for a registration, effect the registration of all or such portion of such holder’s or holders’ Registrable Securities as are specified in such request, together with all or such portion of the Registrable Securities or other securities of the Company, if any, of any other holder or holders joining in such request; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such registration pursuant to this Section 2.3: (i) if Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) if the holders of the Registrable Securities, together with the holders of any other securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such registration, propose to sell Registrable Securities and such other securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $500,000. Registrations effected pursuant to this Section 2.3 shall not be counted as Demand Registrations effected pursuant to Section 2.1.

3. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES .

3.1 Filings; Information . Whenever the Company is required to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect the registration and sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof as expeditiously as practicable, and in connection with any such request:

3.1.1 Filing Registration Statement . The Company shall, as expeditiously as possible and in any event within sixty (60) days after receipt of a request for a Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement on any form for which the Company then qualifies or which counsel for the Company shall deem appropriate and which form shall be available for the sale of all Registrable Securities to be registered thereunder in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof, and shall use its best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and use its best


efforts to keep it effective for the period required by Section 3.1.3; provided, however, that the Company shall have the right to defer any Demand Registration for up to thirty (30) days, and any Piggy-Back Registration for such period as may be applicable to deferment of any demand registration to which such Piggy-Back Registration relates, in each case if the Company shall furnish to the holders a certificate signed by the President or Chairman of the Company stating that, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, it would be materially detrimental to the Company and its shareholders for such Registration Statement to be effected at such time; provided further, however, that the Company shall not have the right to exercise the right set forth in the immediately preceding proviso more than once in any 365-day period in respect of a Demand Registration hereunder.

3.1.2 Copies . The Company shall, prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration, and such holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary prospectus), and such other documents as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration or legal counsel for any such holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such holders.

3.1.3 Amendments and Supplements . The Company shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, and supplements to such Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until all Registrable Securities and other securities covered by such Registration Statement have been disposed of in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or such securities have been withdrawn.

3.1.4 Notification . After the filing of a Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly, and in no event more than two (2) business days after such filing, notify the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement of such filing, and shall further notify such holders promptly and confirm such advice in writing in all events within two (2) business days of the occurrence of any of the following: (i) when such Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) when any post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement becomes effective; (iii) the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order (and the Company shall take all actions required to prevent the entry of such stop order or to remove it if entered); and (iv) any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or any prospectus relating thereto or for additional information or of the occurrence of an event requiring the preparation of a supplement or amendment to such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of the securities covered by such Registration Statement, such prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and promptly make available to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement any such supplement or amendment; except that before filing with the Commission a Registration Statement or prospectus or any amendment or


supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, the Company shall furnish to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement and to the legal counsel for any such holders, copies of all such documents proposed to be filed sufficiently in advance of filing to provide such holders and legal counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review such documents and comment thereon, and the Company shall not file any Registration Statement or prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, to which such holders or their legal counsel shall object.

3.1.5 State Securities Laws Compliance . The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this paragraph or subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction.

3.1.6 Agreements for Disposition . The Company shall enter into customary agreements (including, if applicable, an underwriting agreement in customary form) and take such other actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities. The representations, warranties and covenants of the Company in any underwriting agreement which are made to or for the benefit of any Underwriters, to the extent applicable, shall also be made to and for the benefit of the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration statement. No holder of Registrable Securities included in such registration statement shall be required to make any representations or warranties in the underwriting agreement except, if applicable, with respect to such holder’s organization, good standing, authority, title to Registrable Securities, lack of conflict of such sale with such holder’s material agreements and organizational documents, and with respect to written information relating to such holder that such holder has furnished in writing expressly for inclusion in such Registration Statement.

3.1.7 Cooperation . The principal executive officer of the Company, the principal financial officer of the Company, the principal accounting officer of the Company and all other officers and members of the management of the Company shall cooperate fully in any offering of Registrable Securities hereunder, which cooperation shall include, without limitation, the preparation of the Registration Statement with respect to such offering and all other offering materials and related documents, and participation in meetings with Underwriters, attorneys, accountants and potential investors.


3.1.8 Records . The Company shall make available for inspection by the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such registration statement and any attorney, accountant or other professional retained by any holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement or any Underwriter, all financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company, as shall be necessary to enable them to exercise their due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information requested by any of them in connection with such Registration Statement.

3.1.9 Opinions and Comfort Letters . The Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in any Registration Statement a signed counterpart, addressed to such holder, of (i) any opinion of counsel to the Company delivered to any Underwriter and (ii) any comfort letter from the Company’s independent public accountants delivered to any Underwriter. In the event no legal opinion is delivered to any Underwriter, the Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, at any time that such holder elects to use a prospectus, an opinion of counsel to the Company to the effect that the Registration Statement containing such prospectus has been declared effective and that no stop order is in effect.

3.1.10 Earnings Statement . The Company shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission and the Securities Act, and make available to its shareholders, as soon as practicable, an earnings statement covering a period of twelve (12) months, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder.

3.1.11 Listing . The Company shall use its best efforts to cause all Registrable Securities included in any registration to be listed on such exchanges or otherwise designated for trading in the same manner as similar securities issued by the Company are then listed or designated or, if no such similar securities are then listed or designated, in a manner satisfactory to the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities included in such registration.

3.1.12.  Transfer Agent . The Company shall provide a transfer agent or warrant agent, as applicable, and registrar for all such Registrable Securities no later than the effective date of the registration statement.

3.1.13.  Misstatements . The Company shall notify the holders at any time when a prospectus relating to such registration statement is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the prospectus included in such registration statement, as then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or an omission to state a material fact required to be stated in a registration statement or prospectus, or necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading (a “Misstatement”), and then to correct such Misstatement.

3.1.14  Road Show . If the registration involves the registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any underwritten offering.


3.2 Obligation to Suspend Distribution . Upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3.1.4(iv), or, in the case of a resale registration on Form S-3 pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof, upon any suspension by the Company, pursuant to a written insider trading compliance program adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, of the ability of all “insiders” covered by such program to transact in the Company’s securities because of the existence of material non-public information, each holder of Registrable Securities included in any registration shall immediately discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement covering such Registrable Securities until such holder receives the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3.1.4(iv) or the restriction on the ability of “insiders” to transact in the Company’s securities is removed, as applicable, and, if so directed by the Company, each such holder will deliver to the Company all written copies, other than permanent file copies then in such holder’s possession, of the most recent prospectus covering such Registrable Securities at the time of receipt of such notice.

3.3 Registration Expenses . The Company shall bear all costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, any Piggy-Back Registration pursuant to Section 2.2, and any registration on Form S-3 effected pursuant to Section 2.3, and all expenses incurred in performing or complying with its other obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the Registration Statement becomes effective, including, without limitation: (i) all registration and filing fees and fees of any securities exchange on which the Common Stock is then listed; (ii) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or “blue sky” laws (including fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with blue sky qualifications of the Registrable Securities); (iii) printing, messenger, telephone and delivery expenses; (iv) the Company’s internal expenses (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees); (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Registrable Securities as required by Section 3.1.11; (vi) Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fees; (vii) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and fees and expenses for independent certified public accountants retained by the Company (including the expenses or costs associated with the delivery of any opinions or comfort letters requested pursuant to Section 3.1.9); (viii) the fees and expenses of any special experts retained by the Company in connection with such registration and (ix) the fees and expenses of one legal counsel selected by the holders of a majority-in-interest of the Registrable Securities included in such registration. The Company shall have no obligation to pay any underwriting discounts or selling commissions attributable to the Registrable Securities being sold by the holders thereof, which underwriting discounts or selling commissions shall be borne by such holders. Additionally, in an underwritten offering, all selling shareholders and the Company shall bear the expenses of the Underwriter pro rata in proportion to the respective amount of shares each is selling in such offering.

3.4 Information . The holders of Registrable Securities shall provide such information as may reasonably be requested by the Company, or the managing Underwriter, if any, in connection with the preparation of any Registration Statement, including amendments and supplements thereto, in order to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 2 and in connection with the Company’s obligation to comply with federal and applicable state securities laws.


3.5  Suspension of Sales; Adverse Disclosure . Upon receipt of written notice from the Company that a registration statement or prospectus contains a Misstatement, each of the Holders shall forthwith discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities until it has received copies of a supplemented or amended prospectus correcting the Misstatement (it being understood that the Company hereby covenants to prepare and file such supplement or amendment as soon as practicable after the time of such notice), or until it is advised in writing by the Company that the use of the prospectus may be resumed. If the filing, initial effectiveness or continued use of a registration statement in respect of any registration at any time would require the Company to make an Adverse Disclosure (as defined below) or would require the inclusion in such registration statement of financial statements that are unavailable to the Company for reasons beyond the Company’s control, the Company may, upon giving prompt written notice of such action to the holders, delay the filing or initial effectiveness of, or suspend use of, such registration statement for the shortest period of time, but in no event more than thirty (30) days, determined in good faith by the Company to be necessary for such purpose. In the event the Company exercises its rights under the preceding sentence, the holders agree to suspend, immediately upon their receipt of the notice referred to above, their use of the prospectus relating to any registration in connection with any sale or offer to sell Registrable Securities. The Company shall immediately notify the Holders of the expiration of any period during which it exercised its rights under this Section 3.5. “Adverse Disclosure” shall mean any public disclosure of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good faith judgment of the Chief Executive Officer or principal financial officer of the Company, after consultation with counsel to the Company, (i) would be required to be made in any registration statement or prospectus in order for the applicable registration statement or prospectus not to contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements contained therein (in the case of any prospectus and any preliminary prospectus, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made) not misleading, (ii) would not be required to be made at such time if the registration statement were not being filed, and (iii) the Company has a bona fide business purpose for not making such information public.

3.6  Reporting Obligations . As long as any holder shall own Registrable Securities, the Company, at all times while it shall be reporting under the Exchange Act, covenants to file timely (or obtain extensions in respect thereof and file within the applicable grace period) all reports required to be filed by the Company after the date hereof pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and to promptly furnish the holders with true and complete copies of all such filings. The Company further covenants that it shall take such further action as any holder may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such holder to sell Common Stock held by such holder without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act, including providing any legal opinions. Upon the request of any holder, the Company shall deliver to such holder a written certification of a duly authorized officer as to whether it has complied with such requirements.


4. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION .

4.1 Indemnification by the Company . The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities, and each of their respective officers, employees, affiliates, directors, partners, members, attorneys and agents, and each person, if any, who controls an Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) (each, an “ Investor Indemnified Party ”), from and against any expenses, losses, judgments, claims, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement (or allegedly untrue statement) of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement, or arising out of or based upon any omission (or alleged omission) to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or any violation by the Company of the Securities Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any such registration; and the Company shall promptly reimburse the Investor Indemnified Party for any legal and any other expenses reasonably incurred by such Investor Indemnified Party in connection with investigating and defending any such expense, loss, judgment, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such expense, loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus, or summary prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company, in writing, by such selling holder expressly for use therein. The Company also shall indemnify any Underwriter of the Registrable Securities, their officers, affiliates, directors, partners, members and agents and each person who controls such Underwriter on substantially the same basis as that of the indemnification provided above in this Section 4.1.

4.2 Indemnification by Holders of Registrable Securities . Each selling holder of Registrable Securities will, in the event that any registration is being effected under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement of any Registrable Securities held by such selling holder, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and officers and each Underwriter (if any), and each other selling holder and each other person, if any, who controls another selling holder or such Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, insofar as such losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or the alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statement therein not


misleading, if the statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such selling holder expressly for use therein, and shall reimburse the Company, its directors and officers, and each other selling holder or controlling person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by any of them in connection with investigation or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action. Each selling holder’s indemnification obligations hereunder shall be several and not joint and shall be limited to the amount of any net proceeds actually received by such selling holder.

4.3 Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings . Promptly after receipt by any person of any notice of any loss, claim, damage or liability or any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 4.1 or 4.2, such person (the “ Indemnified Party ”) shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against any other person for indemnification hereunder, notify such other person (the “ Indemnifying Party ”) in writing of the loss, claim, judgment, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the failure by the Indemnified Party to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party from any liability which the Indemnifying Party may have to such Indemnified Party hereunder, except and solely to the extent the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced by such failure. If the Indemnified Party is seeking indemnification with respect to any claim or action brought against the Indemnified Party, then the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to participate in such claim or action, and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with all other Indemnifying Parties, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Party. After notice from the Indemnifying Party to the Indemnified Party of its election to assume control of the defense of such claim or action, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to the Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that in any action in which both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party are named as defendants, the Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (but no more than one such separate counsel) to represent the Indemnified Party and its controlling persons who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought by the Indemnified Party against the Indemnifying Party, with the fees and expenses of such counsel to be paid by such Indemnifying Party if, based upon the written advice of counsel of such Indemnified Party, representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, consent to entry of judgment or effect any settlement of any claim or pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which the Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party, unless such judgment or settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability arising out of such claim or proceeding.

4.4 Contribution .

4.4.1 If the indemnification provided for in the foregoing Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 is unavailable to any Indemnified Party in respect of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to herein, then each such Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, liability or action in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the


relative fault of the Indemnified Parties and the Indemnifying Parties in connection with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of any Indemnified Party and any Indemnifying Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by such Indemnified Party or such Indemnifying Party and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

4.4.2 The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 4.4 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding Section 4.4.1.

4.4.3 The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 4.4, no holder of Registrable Securities shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the dollar amount of the net proceeds (after payment of any underwriting fees, discounts, commissions or taxes) actually received by such holder from the sale of Registrable Securities which gave rise to such contribution obligation. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) with respect to any action shall be entitled to contribution in such action from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

4.5  Survival . The indemnification provided for under this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the Indemnified Party or any officer, director or controlling person of such Indemnified Party and shall survive the transfer of securities.

5. UNDERWRITING AND DISTRIBUTION .

5.1 Rule 144 . The Company covenants that it shall file any reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and shall take such further action as the holders of Registrable Securities may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such holders to sell Registrable Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as such Rules may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission.

 


6. MISCELLANEOUS .

6.1 Other Registration Rights . The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than the holders of the Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any shares of the Company’s capital stock for sale or to include shares of the Company’s capital stock in any registration filed by the Company for the sale of shares of capital stock for its own account or for the account of any other person. Further, the Company represents and warrants that this Agreement supersedes any other registration rights agreement or agreement with similar terms and conditions and in the event of a conflict between any such agreement or agreements and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.

6.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries . This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part. Prior to the expiration of the Founder Shares Lock-up Period or the Private Placement Lock-up Period, as the case may be, no Investor may assign or delegate such Investor’s rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement, in whole or in part, except in connection with transfer of Registrable Securities by such Investor to a Permitted Transferee but only if such Permitted Transferee agrees to become bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in this Agreement. This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties, to the permitted assigns of the Investors or holder of Registrable Securities or of any assignee of the Investors or holder of Registrable Securities. This Agreement is not intended to confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not party hereto other than as expressly set forth in Article 4 and this Section 6.2.

6.3 Notices . All notices, demands, requests, consents, approvals or other communications (collectively, “ Notices ”) required or permitted to be given hereunder or which are given with respect to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be personally served, delivered by reputable air courier service with charges prepaid, or transmitted by hand delivery, telegram, telex or facsimile, addressed as set forth below, or to such other address as such party shall have specified most recently by written notice. Notice shall be deemed given on the date of service or transmission if personally served or transmitted by telegram, telex or facsimile; provided, that if such service or transmission is not on a business day or is after normal business hours, then such notice shall be deemed given on the next business day. Notice otherwise sent as provided herein shall be deemed given on the next business day following timely delivery of such notice to a reputable air courier service with an order for next-day delivery.

To the Company:

Pivotal Acquisition Corp.

c/o Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: Chief Executive Officer

with a copy to:

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York NY 10174

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.


To an Investor, to the address set forth below such Investor’s name on Exhibit A hereto.

6.4 Severability . This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement or of any other term or provision hereof. Furthermore, in lieu of any such invalid or unenforceable term or provision, the parties hereto intend that there shall be added as a part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible that is valid and enforceable.

6.5 Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

6.6 Entire Agreement . This Agreement (including all agreements entered into pursuant hereto and all certificates and instruments delivered pursuant hereto and thereto) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, understandings, negotiations and discussions between the parties, whether oral or written.

6.7 Modifications and Amendments . No amendment, modification or termination of this Agreement shall be binding upon any party unless executed in writing by such party.

6.8 Titles and Headings . Titles and headings of sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision of this Agreement.

6.9 Waivers and Extensions . Any party to this Agreement may waive any right, breach or default which such party has the right to waive, provided that such waiver will not be effective against the waiving party unless it is in writing, is signed by such party, and specifically refers to this Agreement. Waivers may be made in advance or after the right waived has arisen or the breach or default waived has occurred. Any waiver may be conditional. No waiver of any breach of any agreement or provision herein contained shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or succeeding breach thereof nor of any other agreement or provision herein contained. No waiver or extension of time for performance of any obligations or acts shall be deemed a waiver or extension of the time for performance of any other obligations or acts.

6.10 Remedies Cumulative . In the event that the Company fails to observe or perform any covenant or agreement to be observed or performed under this Agreement, the Investor or any other holder of Registrable Securities may proceed to protect and enforce its rights by suit in equity or action at law, whether for specific performance of any term contained in this Agreement or for an injunction against the breach of any such term or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Agreement or to enforce any other legal or equitable right, or to take any one or more of such actions, without being required to post a bond. None of the rights, powers or remedies conferred under this Agreement shall be mutually exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other right, power or remedy, whether conferred by this Agreement or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise.


6.11 Governing Law . This Agreement shall be governed by, interpreted under, and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed within the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice-of-law provisions thereof that would compel the application of the substantive laws of any other jurisdiction. The Company irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

6.12 Waiver of Trial by Jury . EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, COUNTERCLAIM OR OTHER PROCEEDING (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, OR THE ACTIONS OF THE INVESTOR IN THE NEGOTIATION, ADMINISTRATION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT HEREOF.

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]


IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Registration Rights Agreement to be executed and delivered by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written above.

 

  COMPANY:
  PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
  INVESTORS:
  PIVOTAL ACQUISITION HOLDINGS LLC
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
  PIVOTAL SPAC FUNDING LLC
By:  

 

  Name:
  Title:
 

 

James H.R. Brady

 

 

Evan B. Morgan

 

 

Efrat Epstein

 

 

Katrina Adams


EXHIBIT A

Name and Address of

Investor

Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC

Pivotal SPAC Funding LLC

James H. R. Brady

Evan B. Morgan

Efrat Epstein

Katrina Adams

Exhibit 10.6

January __, 2019

 

  Re:

Forward Purchase Contract

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are pleased to accept the offer Pivotal Spac Funding LLC (the “ Subscriber ” or “ you ”) has made to purchase up to an aggregate of $150,000,000 of securities of Pivotal Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company ”), in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination (as defined below). The securities to be purchased pursuant hereto are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “ Securities .” The Company and the Subscriber’s agreements regarding such Securities are set forth in this agreement (this “ Agreement ”) and are as follows:

1.  Purchase of the Securities . The purchase price for the Securities (the “ Purchase Price ”) shall be up to an aggregate purchase price of $150,000,000. The type and amount of Securities to be purchased by the Subscriber shall be determined by the mutual agreement between the Subscriber and the Company at the time the Company enters into the definitive agreement for the proposed Business Combination. In exchange for the Purchase Price, the Company agrees to sell the Securities to the Subscriber, and the Subscriber hereby agrees to purchase the Securities from the Company, in a private placement, subject to the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement and as may hereafter be agreed to by the Company and the Subscriber.

2. Representations, Warranties and Agreements .

2.1  Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements . To induce the Company to issue the Securities 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 Securities.

2.1.2  No Conflicts . The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Subscriber of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (i) the formation and governing documents of the Subscriber, (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Subscriber is a party, (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or (iv) any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is subject.

2.1.3  Organization and Authority . The Subscriber is a limited liability company. Subscriber possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Upon execution and delivery by Subscriber, this Agreement is 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 Securities and protect its own interests and (ii) able to bear the economic risk of its investment in the Securities for an indefinite period of time because the Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“ Securities Act ”) and therefore cannot be sold by Subscriber unless subsequently registered under the Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available. Subscriber is able to afford a complete loss of Subscriber’s investment in the Securities.

2.1.5  Access to Information; Independent Investigation . Prior to the execution of this Agreement, 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 Agreement 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 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 or state law.

2.1.7  Investment Purposes . The Subscriber is purchasing the Securities solely for investment purposes and not with a view towards the further 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 under the Securities Act.

2.1.8  Restrictions on Transfer; Shell Company . Subscriber understands the Securities are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering within the meaning of the Securities Act. Subscriber understands the Securities will be “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act and Subscriber understands that any certificates representing the Securities will contain a legend in respect of such restrictions. If in the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Securities, such securities 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 Securities 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 Securities. 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 Securities until one (1) year following consummation of the Business Combination, 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, necessary or appropriate on the part of Subscriber in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

2.2  Company’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements . To induce the Subscriber to purchase the Securities, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Subscriber and agrees with the Subscriber as follows:

2.2.1  Organization and Corporate Power . The Company is a Delaware corporation. 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 of this Agreement, the Agreement will constitute 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 Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws 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 (iv) any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject.

2.2.3  Title to Securities . Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Securities will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof the Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Securities, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (a) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (b) 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.

2.2.5  No Governmental Consents . No governmental, administrative or other third party consents or approvals are required, necessary or appropriate on the part of the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, other than the filing of a Form D with the Securities and Exchange Commission and such state Blue Sky, FINRA and NASDAQ consents and approvals as may be required.

2.2.6  No General Solicitation .: No form of general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Regulation D of the U.S. Securities Act (including, but not limited to, advertisements, articles, notices or other communications published in any newspaper, magazine or similar medium or broadcast over television or radio, or any seminar or meeting whose attendees have been invited by any general solicitation or general advertising) was used by the Company or any of its representatives in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities.

2.2.8  No Brokers . No broker, finder or similar intermediary has acted for or on behalf of the Company or any of its affiliates in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby and no broker, finder, agent or similar intermediary is entitled to any broker’s, finder’s or similar fee or other commission in connection therewith.

3.  Settlement Date and Delivery .

3.1  Closing of Purchase of Securities . The consummation and settlement of the forward purchase contract for the purchase and sale of the Securities hereunder (the “ Closing ”) shall be held at the same date and immediately prior to the closing of the Business Combination (the date of the Closing being referred to as the “ Closing Date ”). No later than the execution of the definitive agreement for the proposed Business Combination, the Company and the Subscriber will use their reasonable efforts to agree as to the type and amount of Securities the Subscriber will purchase hereunder (subject to a maximum of $150,000,000 of Securities). In the absence of an agreement within such time period, the Subscriber shall not be obligated to purchase any Securities. At the Closing, the Company will issue to the Subscriber the Securities being purchased hereunder, registered in the name of the Subscriber, against delivery of the Purchase Price in cash via wire transfer to an account specified in writing by the Company no later than two business days prior to the Closing.

3.2  Conditions to Closing of the Company .

The Company’s obligations to sell and issue the Securities at the Closing are subject to the fulfillment of the following conditions:

3.2.1  Representations and Warranties Correct . The representations and warranties made by the Subscriber in Section 2 hereof shall be true and correct in all material respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date and closing of the Company’s initial public offering (“ IPO ”), as the case may be, (unless they specifically speak as of another date in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such date) with the same force and effect as if they had been made on and as of said date.

3.2.2  Covenants . All covenants, agreements and conditions contained in this Agreement to be performed by the Subscriber on or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.

3.2.3  Blue Sky . The Company shall have obtained all necessary Blue Sky law permits and qualifications, or secured an exemption therefrom, required by any state for the offer and sale of the Securities.

3.2.4  Ancillary Agreements . All Ancillary Agreements (defined below) to be signed by Subscriber pursuant to hereto shall have been executed by Subscriber.


3.3  Conditions to Closing of the Subscriber .

The Subscriber’s obligation to purchase the Securities at the Closing is subject to the fulfillment on or prior to the Closing Date of each of the following conditions:

3.3.1  Representations and Warranties Correct . The representations and warranties made by the Company in Section 2 hereof shall be true and correct in all material respects when made and shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Closing Date and closing of the IPO, as the case may be (unless they specifically speak as of another date in which case they shall be true and correct in all material respects as of such date), with the same force and effect as if they had been made on and as of said date.

3.3.2  Covenants . All covenants, agreements and conditions contained in this Agreement to be performed by the Company on or prior to the Closing Date shall have been performed or complied with in all material respects.

3.3.3  Blue Sky . The Company shall have obtained all necessary Blue Sky law permits and qualifications, or secured an exemption therefrom, required by any state for the offer and sale of the Securities.

3.3.4  Registration Rights Agreement . The Company and Subscriber shall have entered into a registration rights agreement (the “ Registration Rights Agreement ”) with respect to the Securities, together with the securities issued to Pivotal Acquisition Holdings LLC.

3.3.6  IPO Closing . The Company shall have consummated the IPO.

3.3.7  Business Combination . The Company’s proposed initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (the “ Business Combination ”) shall have been approved by unanimous vote of the Board of Directors of the Company and the conditions to the closing of the Business Combination, including the approval of the Company’s stockholders, if applicable, shall have been satisfied or waived.

3.3.8 Due authorization . Upon issuance, all shares of common stock of the Company comprising all or a portion of the Securities shall be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassesable. Upon issuance, all warrants of the Company comprising all or a portion of the Securities shall be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms. Upon the issuance of any such warrants, all shares of common stock issuable upon exercise thereof shall have been reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the warrants and such shares, upon issuance, shall be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassesable. Upon issuance, all debt securities of the Company comprising all or a portion of the Securities shall be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, and the issuance thereof, and performance of the Company’s obligations thereunder, shall not (a) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as then in effect, (b) conflict with or violate in any material way any law, order or consent applicable to the Company or any of its properties or assets, or (c) (i) violate, conflict with or result in a material breach of, (ii) constitute a material default (or an event which, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute a material default) under, (iii) result in the termination, withdrawal, suspension, cancellation or modification of, (iv) accelerate the performance required by the Company under, (v) result in a right of termination or acceleration under, (vi) give rise to any obligation to make material payments or provide compensation under, (vii) result in the creation of any material lien or encumbrance upon any of the properties or assets of the Company under, (viii) give rise to any material obligation to obtain any third party consent or provide any notice to any person or entity or (ix) give any person or entity the right to declare a material default, exercise any remedy, claim a rebate, chargeback, penalty or change in delivery schedule, accelerate the maturity or performance, cancel, terminate or modify any right, benefit, obligation or other term under, any of the terms, conditions or provisions of, any agreement, commitment or obligation of the Company.

4.  Intentionally Omitted .

5.  Restrictions on Transfer . Subscriber hereby agrees not to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Securities unless, prior thereto (a) a registration statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws with respect to the Securities proposed to be transferred shall then


be effective or (b) the Company has received an opinion of counsel for 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 under all applicable state securities laws. All certificates representing the Securities shall have endorsed thereon a legend substantially as follows:

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH ACT OR SUCH LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL, IS AVAILABLE.”

The Company agrees to cause its counsel to deliver an opinion to the Company’s transfer agent directing the removal of the foregoing legends once able to do so pursuant to applicable securities laws.

6.  Other Agreements .

6.1  Further Assurances . Each of the Company and the Subscriber agrees to execute such further instruments and to take such further action as may reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.

6.2  Notices . All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail or overnight courier service, (ii) by facsimile and (iii) by electronic mail, in each case to the address, facsimile number or email address as set forth on the signature page hereto. 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 those certain agreements to be entered into between the Subscriber (and/or its affiliates) and the Company in connection with the IPO, including but not limited to an insider letter, a subscription agreement governing the purchase of shares and warrants of the Company prior to and simultaneously with the closing of the IPO and Registration Rights Agreement (collectively, the “ Ancillary Agreements ”), each substantially in the form to be filed as an exhibit to the registration statement relating to the IPO (“ Registration Statement ”), embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the Subscriber and the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof. No statement, representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of any kind not expressly set forth in this Agreement shall affect, or be used to interpret, change or restrict, the express terms and provisions of this Agreement.

6.4  Modifications and Amendments . The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be modified or amended only by written agreement executed by all parties hereto.

6.5  Waivers and Consents . The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be waived, or consent for the departure therefrom granted, only by written document executed by the party entitled to the benefits of such terms or provisions. No such waiver or consent shall be deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver or consent with respect to any other terms or provisions of this Agreement, whether or not similar. Each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which it was given, and shall not constitute a continuing waiver or consent.

6.6  Assignment . The rights and obligations under this Agreement may not be assigned by any of the parties hereto without the prior written consent of the other parties; provided that Subscriber may assign its rights and obligations to an affiliate without the prior consent of the other parties.

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  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.

6.13  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.

6.14  Construction . The words “ include ,” “ includes ,” and “ including ” will be deemed to be followed by “ without limitation .” Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and words in the singular form will be construed to include the plural and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words “ this Agreement ,” “ herein ,” “ hereof ,” “ hereby ,” “ hereunder ,” and words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular 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.

6.15  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.  Indemnification . Each party shall indemnify the other against any reasonable loss, cost or damages (including reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses) incurred as a result of such party’s breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement in this Agreement.

8.  Term . The Subscriber’s obligation to acquire the Securities hereunder, and the Company’s obligation to sell the Securities hereunder, shall be in effect until the earlier of (i) the consummation of the Business Combination within the time frame permitted by the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “ Charter ”), which, as of the date hereof, is expected to be 24 months from the consummation of the IPO, including any extensions beyond such term effected pursuant to the terms of the Charter, and (ii) the liquidation of the Company in the event that the Company is unable to consummate the Business Combination within the time frame permitted by the Charter (including any extensions).

9.  Disclosure . The Subscriber hereby acknowledges that (i) the terms of this Agreement will be disclosed in the Registration Statement, (ii) this Agreement will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and (iii) the Company will disclose the terms of this Agreement to potential IPO investors and to potential Business Combination targets.

10.  Waiver of Claims Against Trust . The Subscriber hereby acknowledges that it is aware that the Company will establish a trust account (the “ Trust Account ”) for the benefit of its public stockholders upon the closing of the IPO. The Subscriber, for itself and its affiliates, hereby agrees that it has no right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or any other asset of the Company as a result of any liquidation of the Company, except for redemption and liquidation rights, if any, the Subscriber may have in respect of any shares issued as part of the units sold in the IPO (“ Public Shares ”) held by the Subscriber. The Subscriber hereby agrees that it shall have no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“ Claim ”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future, except for redemption and liquidation rights, if any, the Subscriber may have in respect of any Public Shares held by the Subscriber; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not restrict Subscriber from bringing any claim Subscriber may have against the Company against the Company (or any successor entity) following consummation of a Business Combination or against any funds held by the Company outside of the Trust Account prior to the consummation of a Business Combination.

[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.

Accepted and agreed this __ day of January, 2019.

 

PIVOTAL ACQUISITION CORP.
By:                                                                                             
Name:
Title:
Address:
Facsimile:
Email:
PIVOTAL SPAC FUNDING LLC
By:                                                                                             
Name:
Title:
Address:
Facsimile:
Email:

Exhibit 23.1

INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S CONSENT

We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Pivotal Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Amendment No. 1 to Form S-1 (File No. 333-229027) of our report dated September 14, 2018, 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 Pivotal Acquisition Corp. as of August 25, 2018 and for the period from August 2, 2018 (inception) through August 25, 2018, 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

New York, NY

January 11, 2019