As
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on
November 14, 2017.
Registration No. 333-220947
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
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
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6770
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82-2844431
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(State or other jurisdiction ofincorporation or
organization)
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(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code
Number)
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(I.R.S. EmployerIdentification Number)
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2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
(310) 734-2300
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area
code, of registrant’s principal executive
offices)
Richard Ackerman
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
(310) 734-2300
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number,
including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Michael Francis, Esq.
Christina C. Russo, Esq.
Akerman LLP
Three Brickell City Centre
98 Southeast Seventh Street
Suite 1100
Miami, Florida 33131
(305) 374-5600
(305) 374-5095 — Facsimile
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David Alan Miller, Esq.
Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq.
Graubard Miller
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
(212) 818-8800
(212) 818-8881 — Facsimile
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Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the
public:
As soon as practicable after the effective date
of this registration statement.
If any
of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered
on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the
Securities Act of 1933 check the following
box. ☐
If this
Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering
pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the
following box and list the Securities Act registration statement
number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same
offering. ☐
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the
Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier
effective registration statement for the same
offering. ☐
If this
Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d)
under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the
Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier
effective registration statement for the same
offering. ☐
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer,
an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting
company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of
“large accelerated filer,” “accelerated
filer,” “smaller reporting company” and
“emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer
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☐
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Accelerated
filer
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☐
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Non-accelerated
filer
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☐
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
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Smaller
reporting company
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☒
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Emerging
growth company
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☒
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If an
emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant
has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided
pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities
Act. ☐
CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE
Title
of each Class of
Security
being registered
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Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price
Per
Security
(1)
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Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
(1)
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Amount
of
Registration
Fee
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Units, each
consisting of one share of common stock, $0.001 par value, one
right entitling the holder to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one
share of common stock, and one-half of one
warrant
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5,750,000
Units
(2)
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$
10.00
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$
57,500,000
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$
7,159
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Shares of common
stock included as part of the units
(3)
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5,750,000
Shares
(4)
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-
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-
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(7)
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Rights included as part of the
units
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5,750,000
Rights
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-
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-
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(7)
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Warrants included
as part of the units
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2,875,000
Warrants
(5)
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-
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-
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(7)
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Shares of
common stock underlying the rights included as part of the
Units
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575,000
Shares
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-
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-
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(7)
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Representative’s
shares of common stock
(3)
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115,000
Shares
(6)
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$
10.00
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$
1,150,000
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$
144
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Units underlying
Representative's Unit Purchase Option (“Representative's
Units")
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500,000
Units
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$
10.00
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$
5,000,000
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$
623
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Shares of common
stock included as part of the Representative's Units
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500,000
Shares
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-
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-
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(7)
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Rights
included as part of the Representative's Units
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500,000
Rights
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-
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-
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(7)
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Warrants included as part of the
Representative's Units
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250,000
Warrants
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-
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-
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(7)
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Shares of common stock underlying Rights
included as part of the Representative's Units
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-
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-
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(7)
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Total
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$
63,650,000
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$
7,926
(8)
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(1)
Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating
the registration fee.
(2)
Includes 750,000 units, consisting of 750,000
shares of common stock, 750,000 rights and
375,000 warrants underlying such units, which
may be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the
underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.
(3)
Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act,
there are also being registered an indeterminable number of
additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution
resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar
transactions.
(4)
Includes 750,000 shares of common stock which may
be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the
underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.
(5)
Includes 375,000 warrants which may
be issued upon exercise of a 45-day option granted to the
underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.
(6)
Includes 15,000 shares of common stock which may
be issued to the Representative on exercise of a 45-day option
granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if
any.
(7)
Pursuant to Rule 457(g) under the Securities Act,
no additional fee.
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such
date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until
the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically
states that this registration statement shall thereafter become
effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities
Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become
effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said
Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and
may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the
registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell
these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these
securities in any state where the offer or sale is not
permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 14,
2017
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
$50,000,000
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
5,000,000
Units
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. is a blank check company formed for
the purpose of entering into a merger, stock exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or
other similar business combination with one or more businesses or
entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” Our
efforts to identify a prospective target business will not be
limited to a particular industry or geographic region, although we
intend to initially focus our search on identifying a prospective
target business in the senior housing and care industry in the
United States. We do not have any specific business combination
under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf),
directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business
or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with
respect to such a transaction. If we are unable to consummate an
initial business combination within 12 months from the
closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing
of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a
business combination by the full amount of time, as described in
more detail in this prospectus), we will, as promptly as
reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter,
redeem 100% of the outstanding shares of common stock that were
sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to
collectively as our public shares, at a per-share price, payable in
cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust
account, including any interest earned on the funds held in the
trust account net of interest that may be used by us to pay our
franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law and as further described herein.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit
that we are offering has a price of $10.00 and consists of one
share of common stock, one right and one-half of
one warrant. Each right entitles the holder thereof to
receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of common stock upon the
consummation of an initial business combination, as described in
more detail in this prospectus. Each whole
warrant entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock
at a price of $11.50. Each whole warrant will become
exercisable on the later of the completion of an initial business
combination and 12 months from the closing of this offering and
will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an
initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or
liquidation. We have granted to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., the
representative of the underwriters, a 45-day option to purchase up
to an additional 750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if
any.
Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC, which we refer to throughout this
prospectus as our “sponsor” has committed to purchase
from us an aggregate of 225,000 units, or “private placement
units,” at $10.00 per unit (for a total purchase price of
$2,250,000). These purchases shall take place on a private
placement basis that will occur simultaneously with the
consummation of this offering. Our sponsor has also agreed that if
the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full
or in part, it will purchase from us up to an additional 18,750
private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit in an amount
necessary to maintain in the trust account at $10.00 per unit sold
to the public in this offering. These additional private placement
units will be purchased in a private placement that will occur
simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the
exercise of the over-allotment option. The private placement units
are identical to the units being sold in this offering, subject to
certain limited exceptions as described in this prospectus. The
proceeds from the sale of the private placement units will be added
to the proceeds of this offering and placed in an account in the
United States maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company, as trustee.
We have
agreed to issue to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees) 100,000
shares of common stock (or 115,000 shares of common stock if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and
an option to purchase up to 500,000 units exercisable at $10.00 per
unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $5,000,000) upon the
consummation of this offering. The shares and option and underlying
securities are deemed to be underwriters’ compensation by
FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of the FINRA Manual. Please see the
section titled “Underwriting” for further information
relating to these securities.
There
is presently no public market for our units, shares of common
stock, rights or warrants. We have
applied to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or
Nasdaq, under the symbol “BRPAU” on or promptly after
the date of this prospectus. The common stock,
rights and warrants comprising the units will begin
separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this
prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital informs us of its decision to
allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current
Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission
containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the
gross proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private
placement units and issuing a press release announcing when such
separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the
units begin separate trading, the common stock,
rights and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the
symbols “BRPA,” "BRPAR" and
“BRPAW.”
We are
an “emerging growth company” as defined in the
Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and will therefore be subject
to reduced public company reporting requirements.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See
“Risk Factors” beginning on page 14
of this prospectus for a discussion of
information that should be considered in connection with an
investment in our securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state
securities commission has approved or disapproved of these
securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or
complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal
offense.
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Public Offering
Price
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$
10.00
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$
50,000,000
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Underwriting
Discount
(1)
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$
0.25
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$
1,250,000
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Proceeds to Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (before expenses)
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$
9.75
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$
48,750,000
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__________
(1)
The underwriters will receive compensation in addition to the
underwriting discount, including as described above. Please see the
section titled “Underwriting” for further information
relating to the underwriting arrangements agreed to between us and
the underwriters in this offering.
Upon
consummation of the offering, $10.00 per unit sold to the public in
this offering (regardless of whether the over-allotment option is
exercised in full or part) will be deposited into a U.S.-based
trust account at [●], maintained by Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee. Except as
described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to
us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination
and our redemption of our public shares (which may not occur until
, 2019).
The
underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. The
underwriters expect to deliver the units to purchasers on or about
, 2017.
Sole Book-Running
Manager
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
I-Bankers Securities,
Inc.
, 2017
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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Prospectus Summary
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1
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Summary Financial Data
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13
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Risk Factors
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14
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
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29
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Use of Proceeds
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30
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Dividend Policy
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33
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Dilution
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34
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Capitalization
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36
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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations
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37
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Proposed Business
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41
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Management
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56
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Principal Stockholders
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62
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Certain Transactions
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64
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Description Of Securities
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66
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Shares Eligible for Future Sale
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72
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Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations
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74
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Underwriting
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81
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Legal Matters
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89
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Experts
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89
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Where You Can Find Additional Information
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89
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Index to Financial Statements
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F-1
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Unless otherwise
indicated, information contained in this prospectus concerning the
senior housing and care industry is based on information from the
NIC Investment Guide, Investing in Seniors Housing & Care
Properties, Fourth Edition.
You should rely only on the information contained in this
prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized
anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and
the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in
any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.
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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information
appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it
does not contain all of the information that you should consider in
making an investment decision. You should read this entire
prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk
Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes
included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. References
in this prospectus to “we,” “us” or
“our company” refer to Big Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp. References in this prospectus to our “public
shares” are to shares of our common stock sold as part of the
units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering
or thereafter in the open market) and references to “public
stockholders” refer to the holders of our public shares,
including our sponsor (as defined below), officers and directors to
the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status
as “public stockholders” shall only exist with respect
to such public shares. References in this prospectus to our
“management” or our “management team” refer
to our officers, directors and director nominees and references to
our “sponsor” or our “initial stockholder”
refer to Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC, a company affiliated with
our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. References in
this prospectus to our “founder’s shares” refer
to our shares of common stock initially purchased by our sponsor in
a private sale prior to this offering. References in this
prospectus to our “private placement units” refer to
the units we are selling in a private placement simultaneously with
the closing of this offering. Unless we tell you otherwise, the
information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will
not exercise their over-allotment option.
General
We are
a blank check company formed pursuant to the laws of the State of
Delaware on September 18, 2017 for the purpose of entering into a
merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business
combination with one or more businesses or entities. While our
efforts in identifying a prospective target business for our
initial business combination will not be limited to a particular
industry or geographic region, we intend to initially focus our
search on identifying a prospective target business in the senior
housing and care industry in the United States, as described below.
We do not have any specific business combination under
consideration and we have not had any substantive discussions,
formal or otherwise, with respect to such a
transaction.
Business Strategy
The
senior housing and care industry provides both housing and an array
of services to seniors, generally to those over the age of 75. Care
segments are commonly divided into four categories:
In the
U.S., there currently are approximately 23,400 investment grade
senior housing and care properties containing 3 million units. The
total value of the investment grade senior housing and care
property market is estimated at $372 billion. The average age of
residents in senior housing is approximately in the mid-80s, while
the average move-in age is in the low to mid-80s. The sizes of the
80+ and 85+ populations are expected to increase at a rate of
approximately 1.5%-2% annually during the remainder of the decade.
The latter part of the 2020s is expected to see the beginning of
significant acceleration in this population, with the 80+
population growth rate averaging roughly 4.5% from 2025 through
2029. As such, we believe there are significant opportunities to
acquire senior housing property management companies that are
positioned for growth. These operating companies may have leasehold
and/or fee ownership of senior housing communities.
We
will seek to capitalize on the significant investing and operating
experience and contacts of our officers and directors in
consummating an initial business combination. Our Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Ackerman, has over
35 years of real estate experience with 18 years in senior housing.
Prior to starting Big Rock Partners (“BRP”), an
opportunistic real estate investment firm founded in 2004 that has
invested in and managed over $800 million in assets since its
formation, Mr. Ackerman was Head of the Los Angeles office for
Apollo Real Estate Advisors (“Apollo”), a global
private equity firm. Our Chief Financial Officer, Lori Wittman,
also has over 35 years of real estate experience and was most
recently the Chief Financial Officer of Care Capital Properties
(“CCP”), a public healthcare real estate investment
trust with a diversified portfolio of triple-net leased properties
focused on the post-acute sector, which merged with Sabra
Healthcare REIT, Inc. Prior to CCP, Ms. Wittman was Senior Vice
President of Capital Markets and Investor Relations at Ventas, Inc.
(“Ventas”), a leading real estate investment trust with
a diverse portfolio of more than 1,600 assets in the United States,
Canada and the United Kingdom consisting of seniors housing
communities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing facilities,
hospitals and other properties. Our Chief Investment Officer and
Corporate Secretary, Bennett Kim, has over 20 years of real estate
experience and worked with Mr. Ackerman at Apollo. Through BRP,
Messrs. Ackerman and Kim are currently developing $200 million of
senior housing in Florida, which consists of independent living,
assisted living and memory care. Also, our independent director
nominees, Richard Birdoff, Michael Fong, Stuart
Koenig, Albert G. Rex and Troy T. Taylor, have significant
experience in private investments, ownership and management of
businesses of many types, large and small.
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While
we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector
and in any region, we intend to focus on industries that complement
our management team’s background so we can capitalize on
their ability to identify, acquire, and operate a business. We
therefore intend to initially focus on companies in the senior
housing and care industry in the United States; however, we may
decide to enter into an initial business combination with a target
business that is not connected to the senior housing and care
industry.
We
believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal
sourcing, investing, and operating expertise, as well as their
network of contacts will position us to take advantage of
opportunities in the senior housing and care industry. We believe
this expertise and network of contacts will allow us to generate a
number of acquisition opportunities. We believe there are a number
of high quality senior housing businesses with adequate scale to be
attractive public companies.
We
intend to seek out potential targets that enjoy proven business
models and attractive growth profiles. We also believe our
sponsor’s and management team’s extensive experience in
deal sourcing from private and public sources, as well as their
advisory engagements, provide unique insight when identifying
potential business combination opportunities and creating value. We
believe their experience and deep understanding of various markets
in the senior housing and care industry positions us
to obtain access to potential targets in such
markets, frequently in a non-competitive manner
and prior to other parties.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent with
our business strategy, we have identified the following general
criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating
prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and
guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may
decide to enter into our initial business combination with a target
business that does not meet any of these criteria and
guidelines.
We
intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
●
have strong
competitive positions, proven business models, consistent
historical financial performance and attractive growth
prospects;
●
have limited
access to capital markets due to external factors;
●
could benefit from
the substantial expertise, experience and network of our sponsor
and management team, who could assist with, for example, growth
strategy, operations, and the evaluation and integration of
acquisitions;
●
are well
positioned to participate in sector consolidation and would benefit
from a public acquisition currency;
●
would avoid the
potentially onerous terms, such as liquidation preferences, that
are often characteristic of late state private growth financing
rounds; and
●
offer attractive
risk-adjusted returns.
These
criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating
to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be
based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well
as other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management
may deem relevant.
Effecting a Business Combination
We
will either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which
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 (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our
stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by
means of 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 (net of
taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described
herein. The decision as to whether we will seek stockholder
approval of our proposed business combination or 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. We will consummate our initial business combination only
if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such
consummation and, solely if we seek stockholder approval, a
majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted
in favor of the business combination.
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We
will have until 12 months from the closing of this
offering to consummate an initial business combination.
However, if we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our
initial business combination within 12 months, we may extend the
period of time to consummate a business combination up to two
times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 18
months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms
of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the
trust agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in
order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial
business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees,
upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline,
must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if
the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the
applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an
aggregate of $1,000,000 (or up to $1,150,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$0.20 per share, if we extend for the full six months). In the
event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to
the applicable deadline of their intent to effect an extension, we
intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least
three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend
to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline
announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our
sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund
the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial
business combination.
If we
are unable to consummate an initial business combination within
such time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably possible but
not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the
outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash,
equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account,
including any interest earned on the funds held in the trust
account net of interest that may be used by us to pay our franchise
and income 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), subject to
applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to
dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to
be approximately $10.00 per share of common stock (regardless of
whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment
option), without taking into account any interest earned on such
funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able
to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which
may take priority over the claims of our public
stockholders.
Our
initial business combination must occur with one or more target
businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80%
of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on
the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the
agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair
market value of the target or targets will be determined by our
board of directors based upon one or more standards generally
accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential
sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Even though our
board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our
board of directors will have discretion to select the standards
employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally
involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors
will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors
in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The
proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us
in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public
stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the
target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If
our board is not able independently to determine the fair market
value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an
opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another
independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the
type of target business we are seeking to acquire, with respect to
the satisfaction of such criteria.
We
currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire
100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or
businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business
combination where we merge directly with the target business or
where we acquire 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 more than 50% 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 transaction. For example,
we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial
number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital
stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100%
controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the
issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our stockholders
immediately prior to our initial business combination could own
less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our
initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity
interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or
acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such
business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be
valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance
test.
Our Acquisition Process
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, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial
and other information that will be made available to us. We also
expect to utilize our management team’s operational and
capital planning experience.
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
independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the
type of target business we are seeking to acquire, that our initial
business combination is fair to our company from a financial point
of view.
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Our Management Team
Richard Ackerman
, our Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer, formed BRP in 2004. BRP is
an opportunistic real estate investment firm that has invested in
and managed over $800 million in assets since its formation. In
2012, BRP began to focus on senior housing development as there was
a distinct supply – demand imbalance and fragmentation in
senior housing developers, and formed Big Rock Senior Housing, a
national leader in developing and managing new Class A senior
housing communities of $50 million and more. Mr. Ackerman serves as
the Senior Managing Principal of BRP and Big Rock Senior Housing.
Prior to BRP, Mr. Ackerman served as the Head of the Los
Angeles office of Apollo, overseeing all investments on the U.S.
West Coast and Japan for the global private equity firm, and in
August 1999, he was appointed by Apollo as the Chief Executive
Officer of Atlantic Gulf Communities Corporation (an Apollo
portfolio company). Mr. Ackerman was responsible for turning around
one of Apollo’s largest investments, Summerville Senior
Living. Summerville was then one of the largest private
assisted living operators in the nation. Prior to Apollo,
Mr. Ackerman served as President and co-founder of Crocker
Realty Trust, a private REIT, and Crocker Realty Investors, a
publicly traded REIT.
Lori B. Wittman
, our Chief Financial
Officer and a director, most recently served as the Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer of CCP, a public healthcare
real estate investment trust with a diversified portfolio of
triple-net leased properties focused on the post-acute sector. Ms.
Wittman previously served as Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
and Investor Relations of Ventas, a leading real estate investment
trust with a diverse portfolio of more than 1,600 assets in the
United States, Canada and the United Kingdom consisting of seniors
housing communities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing
facilities, hospitals and other properties. She was also formerly
the Chief Financial Officer and Managing Principal of BRP and held
various capital markets and finance positions with General Growth
Properties, Inc., Heitman, Homart Development Company, Citibank and
Mellon Bank.
Bennett Kim
, our Chief Investment
Officer and Corporate Secretary, has served as the Managing
Principal of Big Rock Senior Housing since January 2016. Mr.
Kim was also the Chief Investment Officer at BRP from May 2006 to
July 2014 and was responsible for acquisitions, development, asset
management, and dispositions. Mr. Kim previously served
as the Head of Acquisitions for Carefree Communities, the fifth
largest national owner and operator of manufactured housing
communities and RV parks with 103 communities and 28,000 sites. He
also previously served as a Vice President at Apollo and was
responsible for new investments and investment management including
the development of a $400 million mixed-use project that consists
of two hotels, two condominium towers, retail, office and
structured parking. Mr. Kim also formulated work-out strategies for
one of the largest assisted living companies in the nation while at
Apollo. Mr. Kim was also an Assistant Vice President at Oaktree
Capital Management, where he evaluated and executed investments in
the U.S. and Japan for funds then totaling $1.7 billion of
equity.
Richard
J. Birdoff
, who will serve as
one of our directors upon consummation of this
offering,
has served as
President of RD Management and Realty Investors Development Corp.
(“RD Management”), a privately held retail real estate
developer and manager, since January 2015. Mr. Birdoff is
responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the
company including development, construction, acquisitions, sales
and dispositions. Mr. Birdoff joined RD Management in 1991 as a
principal and Executive Vice President and since 1994, he has
developed in excess of 10,000,000 sq. ft. of shopping centers. Mr.
Birdoff previously served on the Board of Directors of Crocker
Realty Investors, a Florida based publicly held real estate
investment trust.
Michael Fong
, who will serve as one of
our directors upon consummation of this offering, serves as the
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of JF International Ltd., a
private equity firm he founded since 2003. JF International invests
and manages a diversified portfolio of worldwide investments in
real estate and operating companies. In 2015, JF International
joined with BRP to invest in the luxury senior housing sector. Mr.
Fong was previously the Managing Director of The ALJ Group, which
is based in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is one of the
largest privately held business enterprises in the Middle East. Mr.
Fong also previously served as the President of Jaymont Properties,
Inc., a real estate development and management company with a
substantial portfolio of premier office and mixed used properties
located in the central business district of major cities such as
New York, Boston, San Francisco, Orlando, Chicago, and Miami. Mr.
Fong also previously served in management positions with Intercap
Investments, Inc., Interfin Investments, Inc., DuPont Walston, Inc.
and EDS.
Stuart F. Koenig
who will serve as
one of our directors upon consummation of this offering, has over
forty years of diversified experience in the real estate,
investment banking and financial services industries. Mr. Koenig
most recently served as a Senior Partner in the real estate
division of Ares Management, LP, a global alternative asset manager
with over $100 billion of assets under management, from 2013 to
2016. Mr. Koenig served as Chair of the Investment Committees of
the real estate funds of Ares, which collectively had $8 billion
under management. From 1995 to 2013, Mr. Koenig served as the
Global Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and
Senior Partner of AREA Property Partners, a global real estate
investment and asset management firm that raised and invested
approximately $14 billion of client equity in more than 600
transactions across all sectors of real estate. Mr. Koenig helped
negotiate and execute the sale of AREA to Ares Management in 2013.
Prior to AREA, Mr. Koenig worked in various positions in investment
banking including Goldman Sachs & Co. (1986-1994) and EF Hutton
Inc. (1981-1986).
Albert G. Rex
, who will serve as one of
our directors upon consummation of this offering, has served as the
Managing Director of Walker & Dunlop, a commercial real estate
finance company, since May 2012. In this role, Mr. Rex has been
involved in over 1500 loans totaling more than $15 billion in
transactions. Mr. Rex has over 40 years of experience in the
financing and equity aspects of commercial real estate development
throughout the U.S. with a focus on the Southeast region. Mr. Rex
spent the majority of his career as a Managing Partner with Carey
Kramer, a company he helped found in 1983 and ultimately owned
solely from 2001 until it merged with Collateral Real Estate
Capital in 2005. Collateral later merged with Laureate Capital, LLC
in 2007, to form Grandbridge Real Estate Capital, LLC, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of BB&T.
Troy T. Taylor
, who will serve as one
of our directors upon consummation of this offering, has served as
President of Algon Group, an advisory firm he founded, since 2002.
Algon Group is a specialized financial firm providing sophisticated
financial advisory services to stakeholders with complex,
challenging, and financially distressed situations. Mr. Taylor has
25 years of experience including investment banking, restructuring
(both in Chapter 11 and out of court) and senior management. Mr.
Taylor has served as the Chief Restructuring Officer, Chief
Executive Officer or Lead Financial Advisor in a broad range of
industries including manufacturing, distribution, hospitality, real
estate and retail. He has also served as a member of the Board of
Directors of several public and private companies, including
Keystone Consolidated Industries, Inc., Barjan, Inc., and
1-800-AutoTow, Inc. He currently serves as Vice Chairman of
Hyperion Bank located in Philadelphia. Before 2002, Mr. Taylor
served in various capacities with GMA Partners, Inc., KPMG Peat
Marwick, LLP, Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc., Oppenheimer &
Co., Inc. and Thomson McKinnon Securities, Inc.
For
more information regarding our management team’s experience,
please see “Management” beginning on page
56.
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Members of our
management team will indirectly own shares of our common stock, or
other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our common stock,
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.
As
more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of
Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware
of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within
the line of business of any entity to which he or she has
pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be
required to present such initial business combination opportunity
to such entity prior to presenting such initial business
combination opportunity to us. Certain of our officers and
directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or
contractual obligations. We do not believe, however, that any
fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive
officers would materially undermine our ability to complete our
initial business combination. Our officers and directors have
agreed to present to us all target business opportunities that have
a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust
account (excluding taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust
account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial
business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or
contractual obligations.
Our
sponsor, executive officers, directors and director nominees have
agreed not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer
or director of, any other blank check company until we have entered
into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business
combination or we have failed to complete our initial business
combination within the required timeframe.
JOBS Act
We are
an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section
2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our
Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As
such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from
various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public
companies that are not “emerging growth companies,”
including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with
the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”),
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in
our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the
requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive
compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute
payments not previously approved. If some investors find our
securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active
trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities
may be more volatile.
In
addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an
“emerging growth company” can take advantage of the
extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the
Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting
standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company”
can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those
standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have
elected to take advantage of the benefits of this extended
transition period.
Private Placements
In
September 2017, our sponsor purchased 1,437,500 shares of our
common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or
approximately $0.017 per share. We refer to the 1,437,500 shares
purchased prior to this offering by our initial stockholder
throughout this prospectus as the “founder’s
shares.” The founder’s shares include an aggregate of
up to 187,500 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full
or in part, so that our initial stockholder will continue to own
20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering
(assuming such stockholder does not purchase units in this
offering).
In
addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of
225,000 private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit
($2,250,000 in the aggregate) in a private placement that will
occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our sponsor
has also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by
the underwriters in full or in part, it will purchase from us at a
price of $10.00 per unit up to an additional 18,750 private
placement units in an amount necessary to maintain in the trust
account at $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering.
These additional private placement units will be purchased in a
private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase
of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option.
The private placement units are identical to the units being sold
in this offering, except that the warrants contained in the private
placement units: (i) will not be redeemable by us and (ii) may be
exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in this
prospectus, so long as they are held by our sponsor or any of its
permitted transferees. The proceeds from the sale of the private
placement units will be added to the proceeds of this offering and
placed in a U.S.-based trust account at with Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, as trustee. If we do not complete an
initial business combination within 12 months from the
closing of this offering (or up to 18 months from the closing
of this offering if we extend the period of time to consummate a
business combination by the full amount of time as described
herein), the proceeds from the sale of the private placement
units will be included in the liquidating distribution to our
public stockholders and the private placement
units (including the common stock, warrants and rights unerlying
such units) will be worthless. The foregoing purchases will
only be made by the purchasers if they are able to do so in
accordance with Regulation M and Sections 9(a)(2) and 10(b) and
Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
We
have also agreed to issue to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its
designees) 100,000 shares of common stock (or 115,000 shares of
common stock if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full) and, for $100, an option to purchase up to
500,000 units exercisable at $10.00 per unit (or an aggregate
exercise price of $5,000,000) upon the consummation of this
offering. The option is exercisable commencing on the later of the
consummation of our initial business combination and the first
anniversary of the date of this prospectus. The shares of common
stock and option and underlying securities are deemed to be
underwriters’ compensation by FINRA pursuant to Rule 5110 of
the FINRA Manual.
Our
executive offices are located at 2645 N. Federal Hwy, Suite 230,
Delray Beach, Florida 33483, and our telephone number is
(310) 734-2300.
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The
Offering
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Securities
offered
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5,000,000 units, at
$10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one share of common
stock, one right to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of
common stock upon the consummation of an initial business
combination, subject to the conditions described in this
prospectus, and one-half of one
warrant.
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Listing
of our securities and proposed symbols
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We
anticipate the units, and the shares of common stock,
rights and warrants once they begin separate trading, will
be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “BRPAU,”
“BRPA,” "BRPAR" and
“BRPAW,” respectively.
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Trading
commencement and separation of common stock, rights
and warrants
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The
units will begin trading on or promptly after the date of this
prospectus. The common stock, rights and warrants
comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day
following the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
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 and filed a
Current Report on Form 8-K announcing when such separate trading
will begin.
Once
the shares of common stock, rights and warrants
commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue
to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.
Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent
in order to separate the units into shares of common stock,
rights and warrants. No fractional warrants will be
issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will
trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase two units, you will not be
able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no
event will the common stock, rights and warrants be
traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K
with the SEC containing 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 three business
days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of
such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report
on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information
to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment
option. We will also include the Form 8-K, or amendment thereto, or
in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if
EarlyBirdCapital has allowed separate trading of the common
stock, rights and warrants prior to the 90th day after
the date of this prospectus.
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Units:
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Number
outstanding before this offering
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0
units
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Number
outstanding after this offering and sale of private placement
units
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5,225,000
units
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Shares
of common stock:
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Number
outstanding before this offering
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1,437,500
shares
(1)
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Number
to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private placement
units
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6,575,000
shares
(2)(3)
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_______________________
(1)
This number includes an aggregate of up to 187,500
founder’s shares that are subject to forfeiture if the
over-allotment option is not exercised by the underwriters in
full.
(2)
Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised
and an aggregate of 187,500 founder’s shares have been
forfeited.
(3)
Excludes shares of common stock underlying the
underwriters’ unit purchase option but includes 100,000
shares of common stock issuable to EarlyBirdCapital upon the
consummation of this offering.
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Rights:
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Number outstanding
before this offering
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0
rights
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Number to be
outstanding after this offering and private
placement
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5,225,000
rights
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Warrants:
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Number
outstanding before this offering
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0
warrants
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Number
to be outstanding after this offering and sale of private placement
units
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2,612,500
warrants
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Exercisability
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Each
whole warrant will become exercisable on the later of
the completion of an initial business combination and 12 months
from the closing of this offering. The warrants will expire at 5:00
p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our
completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon
redemption. 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.”
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Exercise
price
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$11.50.
No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an
effective and current registration statement covering the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current
prospectus relating to such shares of common stock. Notwithstanding
the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not
effective within a specified period following the consummation of
our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such
time as there is an effective registration statement and during any
period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective
registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis
pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, provided
that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another
exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise
their warrants on a cashless basis.
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Redemption
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We may
redeem the outstanding warrants (excluding the warrants contained
in the private placement units and any warrants included in
additional private units we may issue to our sponsor, officers or
directors upon conversion of working capital loans as described in
this prospectus, but including any outstanding warrants issued upon
exercise of the unit purchase option issued to EarlyBirdCapital
and/or its designees) in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01
per warrant at any time during the exercise period, upon a minimum
of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, if, and only
if, the last sales price of our shares of common stock equals or
exceeds $21.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock
dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20
trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business
days before we send the notice of redemption; and if, and only if,
there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to
the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
If the
foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of
redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its
whole warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date.
However, the price of the shares of common stock may fall below the
$21.00 trigger price 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 all holders that wish to exercise
warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event,
each holder would pay the exercise price 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 exercise price of the warrants and the
“fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair
market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the
average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for
the five 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.
None of
the warrants contained in the private placement units will be
redeemable by us so long as they are held by our sponsor or its
permitted transferees.
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Rights:
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Terms
of Rights:
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Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share
of common stock upon consummation of our initial business
combination. In the event we will not be the surviving entity upon
completion of our initial business combination, each holder of a
right will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order
to receive the 1/10 share of common stock underlying each right
(without paying any additional consideration). If we are unable to
complete an initial business combination within the required time
period and we redeem the public shares for the funds held in the
trust account, holders of rights will not receive any such funds in
exchange for their rights and the rights will expire worthless. We
will not issue fractional shares upon exchange of the rights. If,
upon conversion of the rights, a holder would be entitled to
receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exchange,
comply with Section 155 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, as
further described herein. We will make the determination of how we
are treating fractional shares at the time of our initial business
combination and will include such determination in the proxy
materials we will send to stockholders for their consideration of
such initial business
combination
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Founder’s
shares
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Our
initial stockholder has purchased an aggregate of 1,437,500
founder’s shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000,
or approximately $0.017 per share. The 1,437,500 founder’s
shares includes an aggregate of up to 187,500 shares of common
stock subject to forfeiture to the extent that the over-allotment
option is not exercised by the underwriters in full or in part. The
holder of the founder’s shares will be required to forfeit
only a number of shares of common stock necessary to continue to
maintain the 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock
after giving effect to the offering (assuming such stockholder does
not purchase units in this offering) and exercise, if any, of the
underwriters’ over-allotment option. The holder of the
founder’s shares has agreed (A) to vote any shares owned by
it in favor of any proposed business combination and (B) not to
convert any shares in connection with a stockholder vote to approve
a proposed initial business combination or sell any shares to us in
a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business
combination.
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Restrictions
on transfer of founder’s shares
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On the
date of this prospectus, the founder’s shares will be placed
into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow
agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not
be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until one
year after the date of the consummation of our initial business
combination, or earlier with respect to fifty percent (50%) of such
shares if, subsequent to our business combination, the last sales
price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as
adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and
recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading
day period following the consummation of our initial business
combination. The limited exceptions include transfers, assignments
or sales (i) to our officers, directors, consultants or their
affiliates, (ii) to an entity’s members, (iii) to relatives
and trusts 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 us for no value for cancellation
in connection with the consummation of our initial business
combination, or (vii) by private sales made at or after the
consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than
the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each
case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the
transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be
bound by these transfer restrictions.
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Private
placement units
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Simultaneously with
the consummation of this offering, our sponsor has committed to
purchase an aggregate of 225,000 private placement units at $10.00
per unit (for a total purchase price of $2,250,000) in a private
placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this
offering. Our sponsor has also agreed that if the over-allotment
option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, it will
purchase from us up to an additional 18,750 private placement units
at a price of $10.00 per unit in an amount necessary to maintain in
the trust account at $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this
offering. These additional private placement units will be
purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously
with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the
over-allotment option. The purchase price of the private placement
units will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held
in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business
combination within 12 months from the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, the proceeds of the sale of the
private placement units will be used to fund the redemption of our
public shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and
the private placement units will be worthless. The rights
and warrants contained in the private placement units will
be identical to the rights and warrants included in
the units being sold in this offering except the
warrants will not be redeemable by us and may be exercised
on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its
permitted transferees (as described below under “Principal
Stockholders”). If the warrants contained in the private
placement units are held by holders other than our sponsor or its
permitted transferees, the warrants contained in the private
placement units 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.
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Transfer
restrictions on private placement units
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The
private placement units (including the shares of common
stock, rights, warrants and shares of common stock
issuable upon conversion or exercise of such
rights and warrants) will not be transferable,
assignable or salable until after the completion of our initial
business combination.
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Offering
proceeds to be held in trust account
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An
aggregate of $10.00 per unit (regardless of whether or not the
over-allotment option is exercised in full or part) will be placed
in a U.S.-based trust account at [●] maintained by
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee
pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this
prospectus. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the
trust account will not be released until the earlier of the
completion of an initial business combination and our redemption of
100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a
business combination in the required time period. Therefore, unless
and until an initial business combination is consummated, the
proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our
use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we
may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target
business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target
business.
Notwithstanding the
foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any
interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to
pay our franchise and income taxes. With this exception, expenses
incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only
from the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private
placement units not held in the trust account (initially estimated
to be $500,000); provided, however, that in order to meet our
working capital needs following the consummation of this offering,
our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may loan us
funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they
deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be
evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon
consummation of our initial business combination, without interest,
or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes
may be converted into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit.
These units would be identical to the private placement units. If
we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be
forgiven.
None of
the warrants may be exercised until after the consummation of a
business combination, thus, after the proceeds of the trust account
have been disbursed. Accordingly, the warrant exercise price will
be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust
account.
The
amount of proceeds to be held in and outside of our trust account
immediately following the closing of this offering is net of
underwriting discounts of $1.25 million (or approximately $1.44
million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and
estimated offering expenses of $500,000.
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Ability to extend time to complete business
combination
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We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to
consummate an initial business combination. However, if we
anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial
business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of
time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by
an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to
complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust
agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in
order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial
business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees,
upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline,
must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if
the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the
applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an
aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $0.20 per share if
we extend for the full six months). Any such payments would be made
in the form of a loan. Any such loans will be non-interest bearing
and payable upon the consummation of our initial business
combination. If we complete our initial business combination, we
would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds of the trust
account released to us. If we do not complete a business
combination, we will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter
agreement with our initial stockholders contains a provision
pursuant to which our sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be
repaid for such loans out of the funds held in the trust account in
the event that we do not complete a business combination. Our
sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund
the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial
business combination.
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Limited
payments to insiders
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There
will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our
sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates for any services
they render prior to, or in order to effectuate the consummation
of, an initial business combination (regardless of the type of
transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of
which will be made from the proceeds of this offering and the sale
of the private placement units held in the trust account prior to
the completion of our initial business combination:
●
repayment, without
interest, at the closing of this offering of an aggregate of up to
$150,000 loaned to us by our sponsor;
●
repayment, without
interest, at the closing of this offering of $25,000 loaned to us
by Richard Ackerman, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer;
●
payment of an
aggregate of up to $10,000 per month to our sponsor for office
space and related services; and
●
reimbursement of
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain
activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating
possible target businesses and business combinations.
There
is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by
us. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements
and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or
their respective affiliates, with any interested director
abstaining from such review and approval.
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Stockholder
approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business
combination
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In
connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will
either (1) seek stockholder approval of such initial business
combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which
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 (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our
public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us
by means of 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 (net of
taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described
herein. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender
offer will be structured so that each stockholder may tender any or
all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of
his, her or its shares. If enough stockholders tender their shares
so that we are unable to satisfy any applicable closing condition
set forth in the definitive agreement related to our initial
business combination, or we are unable to maintain net tangible
assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation, we will not
consummate such initial business combination. 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. Unlike other
blank check companies which require stockholder votes and conduct
proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business
combinations and related conversions of public shares for cash upon
consummation of such initial business combinations even when a vote
is not required by law, we will have the flexibility to avoid such
stockholder vote and allow our stockholders to sell their shares
pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or Exchange Act, which regulate
issuer tender offers. In that case, we will file tender offer
documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same
financial and other information about the initial business
combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We
will consummate our initial business combination only if we have
net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation
and, if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding
shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the business
combination.
We
chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that
we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the
Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial
business combination with a target business that imposes any type
of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a
minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon
consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to
have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation
and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not
be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we
may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and
we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the
applicable time period, if at all.
Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any such
shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) not to
convert any such shares in connection with a stockholder vote to
approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not to
sell any such shares to us in a tender offer in connection with any
proposed business combination. As a result, we would need only
1,712,501, or approximately 34.3%, of the 5,000,000 public shares
sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction in
order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming
the over-allotment option is not exercised, that all shares were
present and entitled to vote at the meeting, and that the 100,000
shares to be issued to EarlyBirdCapital upon the consummation of
this offering are voted in favor of the transaction).
None of
our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated
any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or
shares of common stock from persons in the open market or in
private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a
proposed business combination and a significant number of
stockholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a
proposed business combination, our sponsor, officers, directors or
their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in
private transactions, either before or after we mail a proxy
statement related to the proposed business combination, in order to
influence any vote held to approve a proposed initial business
combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers,
directors, sponsor and their affiliates will not make purchases of
shares of common stock if the purchases would violate Section
9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed
to stop potential manipulation of a company’s
stock.
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Conversion
rights
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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.
We may
require public stockholders seeking conversion, whether they are a
record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to
either (i) physically tender their certificates to our transfer
agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent
electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC
(Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s
option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy
materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the
business combination. The requirement for physical or electronic
delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a holder’s
election to convert his shares is irrevocable once the business
combination is approved. There is a nominal cost associated with
this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or
delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will
typically charge the tendering broker $45.00 and it would be up to
the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting
holder.
We will
consummate our initial business combination only if we have net
tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation. In
connection with any proposed business combination, a target
business could impose a working capital closing condition or
require us to have a higher minimum amount of funds available from
the trust account upon consummation of such initial business
combination. As a result, the foregoing may limit the number of
shares that we can have converted and still consummate such
business combination.
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Liquidation
if no business combination
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If we
are unable to complete an initial business combination by
12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, 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 outstanding public shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account not previously released to us, 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 board of
directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and
(iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for
claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
We cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or
provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we are required
to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third parties
(including any vendors or other entities we engage after this
offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into
agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of
any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no
guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no
guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the
enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust
account for monies owed them. A/Z Property Partners, LLC
("A/Z Property"), an entity majority owned by Richard
Ackerman, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, has
agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the
trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per share 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. We believe A/Z
Property has sufficient net worth to satisfy its
indemnity obligation should it arise, however we cannot
assure you A/Z Property will have sufficient
liquid assets to satisfy such obligations if it
is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement entered into by
A/Z Property Partners specifically provides for two exceptions to
the indemnity it has 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.
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The
holder of the founder’s shares will not participate in any
redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such
shares.
If we
are unable to conclude an initial business combination within
12 months from the closing of this offering and do not extend the
time we have to complete an initial business combination as
described herein and we expend all of the net proceeds of
this offering and the sale of the private placement units not
deposited in the trust account, we expect that the initial
per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.00 (which is
equal to the anticipated aggregate amount then on deposit in the
trust account excluding any interest earned on the funds held in
the trust account). The proceeds deposited in the trust account
could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are
in preference to the claims of our stockholders. In addition, if we
are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy
case 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. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the actual
per-share redemption price will not be less than approximately
$10.00.
We will
pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining
assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are
insufficient, A/Z Property has agreed to pay the funds necessary to
complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than
approximately $15,000) and has agreed not to seek repayment for
such expenses.
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Potential
amendments to charter
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Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not
propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation that would restrict our public stockholders from
converting or selling their shares to us in connection with a
business combination or affect the substance or timing of our
obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not
complete a business combination within 12 months from
the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
unless we provide our public
stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of common
stock upon the approval of any such amendment at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the trust account, including interest but net of franchise and
income taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding
public shares. 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 any other
person.
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RISKS
In
making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you
should take into account the special risks we face as a blank check
company, as well as the fact that this offering is not being
conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the
Securities Act, and, therefore, 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
offerings 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” beginning on page
14 of this prospectus.
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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, and accordingly only balance sheet data is
presented.
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Balance
Sheet Data
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Working capital
(deficit)
(1)
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$
(67,530
)
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$
50,523,913
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Total
assets
(2)
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173,813
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50,523,913
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Total
liabilities
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150,000
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-
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Value of common
stock subject to possible conversion/tender
(3)
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-
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45,523,910
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Stockholders’
(deficit) equity
(4)
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23,813
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5,000,003
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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 $50,000,000 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
a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account,
less amounts we are permitted to withdraw as described in this
prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public stockholders
(subject to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for
claims of creditors).
We will
consummate our initial business combination only if we have net
tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and,
solely if we seek stockholder approval, a majority of the
outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted in favor of the
business combination.
__________
(1)
The “as adjusted” calculation includes
$50,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering
and the sale of the private placement units, plus $500,000 of cash
held outside the trust account, plus $100 from the issuance of the
unit purchase option, plus $23,813 of actual stockholders’
equity at September 30, 2017.
(2)
The “as adjusted” calculation equals
$50,000,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering
and the sale of the private placement units, plus $500,000 in cash
held outside the trust account, plus $100 from the issuance of the
unit purchase option, plus $23,813 of actual stockholders’
equity at September 30, 2017.
(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 upon consummation of our initial business
combination.
(4)
Excludes 4,552,391 shares of common stock which are
subject to redemption in connection with our initial business
combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals
“as adjusted” total assets, less the “as
adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of shares of
common stock that may be redeemed in connection with our initial
business combination ($10.00 per share).
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You
should consider carefully the risks described below, which we
believe represent the material risks related to the offering,
together with the other information contained in this prospectus,
before making a decision to invest in our units. This prospectus
also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from
those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of
specific factors, including the risks described below.
We have no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have
any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business
objective.
We have
no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence
operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public
offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating
history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability
to achieve our business objective, which is to consummate an
initial business combination. We have not conducted any substantive
discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings
with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate
any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a
business combination.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report
contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt
about our ability to continue as a “going
concern.”
As of
September 30, 2017, we had $82,470 in cash and a working capital
deficiency of $67,530. Further, we have incurred and expect to
continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and
acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need
for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of
this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to
consummate an initial business combination will be successful.
These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our
ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements
contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any
adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this
offering or our inability to continue as a going
concern.
If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public
stockholders may be forced to wait more than 12 months
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
before receiving distributions from
the trust account.
We have
12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
in which to complete a business
combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors
prior to such date unless (i) we consummate a business combination
prior thereto or (ii) we seek to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation prior to consummation of a business
combination, and only then in cases where investors have sought to
convert or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of
this full time period will public security holders be entitled to
distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a
business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be
unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your
investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their
public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public stockholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote
on our proposed business combination.
We will
either (1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business
combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which 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 (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our
public stockholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us
by means of 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 (net of
taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described
elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, it is possible that we
will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of
a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business
combination we consummate. 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. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently
allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a stockholder
meeting but would still require us to obtain stockholder approval
if we were seeking to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares
to a target business as consideration in any business combination.
Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that
required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we
would seek stockholder approval of such business combination
instead of conducting a tender offer.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to
investors of blank check companies.
Since
the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private
placement units are intended to be used to complete a business
combination with a target business that has not been identified, we
may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the
United States securities laws. However, since we will have net
tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful
consummation of this offering 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 of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly,
investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those
rules which would, for example, completely restrict the
transferability of our securities, require us to complete a
business combination within 18 months of the effective date of the
initial registration statement and restrict the use of interest
earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not
subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable, we
will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the
trust account prior to the completion of a business combination and
we will have a longer period of time to complete such a business
combination than we would if we were subject to such
rule.
If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines,
many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would be
rendered irrelevant and you would be investing in our company
without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target
business we may acquire.
We
could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines
disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention
to do so. For instance, we currently anticipate acquiring a target
business with a consistent historical financial performance.
However, we are not obligated to do so and may determine to merge
with or acquire a company with no operating history if the terms of
the transaction are determined by us to be favorable to our public
stockholders. In such event, many of the acquisition criteria and
guidelines set forth in this prospectus would be rendered
irrelevant. We could also seek to amend our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation to provide us with more time to
complete an initial business combination. Accordingly, investors
may be making an investment in our company without any basis on
which to evaluate the potential target business we may
acquire.
We may issue shares of our capital stock or debt securities to
complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity
interest of our stockholders and likely cause a change in control
of our ownership.
As of
September 30, 2017, our certificate of incorporation authorized the
issuance of up to 10,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$0.001 per share. As of the date of this prospectus, our amended
and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes the issuance
of up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per
share, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001
per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be (assuming
that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment
option) 88,057,500 authorized but unissued shares of
common stock available for issuance, which amount takes into
account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of the
underwriter’s option, conversion of
outstanding rights (including private placement rights and the
rights underlying the underwriter's option) and warrants
(including the warrants contained in the private placement units
and the underwriter’s option). Immediately after this
offering, there will be no shares of preferred stock issued and
outstanding. Although we have no commitment as of the date of this
offering, we may issue a substantial number of additional shares of
common stock or shares of preferred stock, or a combination of
common stock and preferred stock, to complete a business
combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock will
not reduce the per-share conversion amount in the trust account.
The issuance of additional shares of common stock or preferred
stock:
●
may significantly
reduce the equity interest of investors in this
offering;
●
may subordinate the
rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of
preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares
of common stock;
●
may cause a change
in control if a substantial number of shares of common stock are
issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use
our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in
the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
and
●
may adversely
affect prevailing market prices for our shares of common
stock.
Similarly,
if we issue debt securities, it could result in:
●
default and
foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a
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; and
●
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.
If we
incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash
in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the
per-share conversion amount in the trust account.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private
placement units not being held in trust are insufficient to allow
us to operate for at least the next 12 months
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, we may be unable to complete a
business combination.
We
believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the funds
available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to
allow us to operate for at least the next 12 months
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, assuming that a business combination
is not consummated during that time. However, we cannot assure you
that our estimates will be accurate. Accordingly, if we use all of
the funds held outside of the trust account, we may not have
sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or
close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need
to borrow funds from our sponsor, officers or directors or their
affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor,
officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated
to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever
amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our
working capital needs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory
note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our
initial business combination, without interest, or, at
holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be
converted into private units at a price of $10.00 per unit
(which, for example, would result in the holders being issued
165,000 shares of common stock if $1,500,000 of notes were so
converted since the 150,000 rights included in such units would
result in the issuance of 15,000 shares upon the closing of our
business combination, as well as 75,000 warrants to purchase 75,000
shares).
If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in
trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received
by stockholders may be less than $10.00.
Our
placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third
party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors
and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses
we negotiate with 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, they
may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities
execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the
trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such
agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be
subject to claims which could take priority over those of our
public stockholders. If we are unable to complete a business
combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public
stockholders, A/Z Property has agreed (subject to certain
exceptions described elsewhere in this prospectus) that it will be
liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not
reduced below $10.00 per share 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.
We believe A/Z
Property has sufficient net worth to satisfy its indemnity
obligation should it arise, however we
cannot assure you
that A/Z Property will have sufficient liquid assets to satisfy
obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement
entered into by A/Z Property specifically provides for two
exceptions to the indemnity it has 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
.
Therefore, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be
less than $10.00, plus interest, due to such claims.
Additionally,
if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary
bankruptcy case is filed against us which 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 may not be able to return to our
public stockholders at least $10.00 per share. As a result, if any
such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the
funds available for our initial business combination and
redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.00 per public
share.
Our stockholders may be held liable for claims by third parties
against us to the extent of distributions received by
them.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we
will continue in existence only until 12 months from
the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
. If we have not completed a business
combination by such date, 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 outstanding public shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account net of interest that may be used by us to pay
our franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the
approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii)
above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims
of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. 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 well beyond the third anniversary of the
date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third
parties will not seek to recover from our stockholders amounts owed
to them by us.
If we
are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy
case is filed against us which 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore,
because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust
account to our public stockholders promptly after expiration of the
time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may
be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public
stockholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to
or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be
viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties 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 directors may decide not to enforce A/Z Property's
indemnification obligations, 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
$10.00 per public share and A/Z Property 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 A/Z
Property to enforce such indemnification obligations. While we
currently expect that our independent directors would take legal
action on our behalf against A/Z Property to enforce such
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. If our independent
directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations,
the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution
to our public stockholders may be reduced below $10.00 per
share.
If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus
relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the
warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a
“cashless basis.”
If we
do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus
relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants
at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will
only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis”
provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a
result, the number of shares of common stock that holders will
receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would
have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further,
if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would
not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able
to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective
prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of
the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant
agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these
conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective
prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of
the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we
cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable
to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s
investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire
worthless.
An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance
of shares of common stock upon such exercise has been registered or
qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the
state of residence of the holder of the warrants.
No
warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue
shares of common stock unless the shares of common stock issuable
upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be
exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the
holder of the warrants. If the shares of common stock issuable upon
exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from
qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the
warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the
market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire
worthless if they cannot be sold and may be subject to
redemption.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be
adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50%
of the then outstanding warrants.
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 warrants may be amended without the consent of any
holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision.
The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at
least 50% of the then outstanding warrants (including the warrants
contained in the private placement units) in order to make any
change that adversely affects the interests of the registered
holders. Accordingly, we would need only 1,193,751, or
47.8%, of the public warrants to vote in favor of a
proposed amendment for it to be approved (assuming the holders of
the warrants contained in the private placement units all voted in
favor of the amendment).
We may amend the terms of the rights in a manner that may be
adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50%
of the then outstanding rights.
Our rights will be issued in registered form under a right
agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company,
as rights agent, and us. The right agreement provides that the
terms of the rights may be amended without the consent of any
holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision.
The right agreement requires the approval by the holders of at
least 50% of the then outstanding rights in order to make any
change that adversely affects the interests of the registered
holders. Accordingly, we would need only 2,387,501, or 47.8%, of
the public rights to vote in favor of a proposed amendment for it
to be approved (assuming the holders of the private rights all
voted in favor of the amendment).
Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target
business with which to complete a business combination, we are
unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry
or business in which we may ultimately operate.
Although
we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a
prospective target business in the senior housing and care
industry, we are not limited to such industry and may consummate a
business combination with a company in any industry we choose.
Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the
possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may
ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately
acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a
financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage,
we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business
operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination
with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of
risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of
that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate
the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we
cannot assure you that we will properly 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 target
business.
Our ability to successfully effect a 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 a business
combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals
we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that
our assessment of these individuals will prove to be
correct.
Our
ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent
upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success
depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least
until we have consummated our initial business combination. We
cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us
for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our
officers are required to commit any specified amount of time to our
affairs and, accordingly, our officers may have conflicts of
interest in allocating management time among various business
activities, including identifying potential business combinations
and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment
agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our
officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel
could have a detrimental effect on us.
Additionally,
the role of our key personnel after a business combination cannot
presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel may
continue to serve in senior management or advisory positions
following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not
all, of the management of the target business will remain in place.
While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage
after a 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
public company which could cause us to have to expend time and
resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This
could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various
regulatory issues which may adversely affect our
operations.
Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or
knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target
business we may seek to acquire.
Although
we intend to initially focus our search on identifying a
prospective target business in the senior housing and care
industry, which is where our management team has significant
experience, we are not limited to such industry and may consummate
a business combination with a target business in any geographic
location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our
officers and directors will have enough experience or have
sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or
its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business
combination.
Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements
with a target business in connection with a particular business
combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive
compensation following a 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 will be able to remain with the company after the
consummation of a business combination only if they are able to
negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate
arrangements 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 the company after the
consummation of the business combination. The personal and
financial interests of such individuals may influence their
motivation in identifying and selecting a target
business.
Our officers and directors may 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
consummate a business combination.
Our
officers and directors are not required to commit their full time
to our affairs, which could create a conflict of interest when
allocating their time between our operations and their other
commitments. We presently expect each of our employees to devote
such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our
business. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to
the consummation of our initial business combination. All of our
officers and directors are engaged in other business endeavors and
are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our
affairs. If our officers’ and directors’ other business
affairs require them to devote more substantial amounts of time to
such affairs, it could limit their ability to devote time to our
affairs and could have a negative impact on our ability to
consummate our initial business combination. We cannot assure you
that these conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in
determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for
a business combination.
Our
sponsor, which is affiliated with certain of our officers and
directors, has agreed to waive its right to convert its
founder’s shares and any other shares purchased in this
offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust
account with respect to their founder’s shares upon our
liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination.
Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering will be
worthless if we do not consummate a business combination.
Additionally, the warrants, including the warrants contained in the
private placement units held by our sponsor, will expire worthless
if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and
financial interests of our directors and officers, through their
interests in our sponsor, may influence their motivation in timely
identifying and selecting a target business and completing a
business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and
officers’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable
target business may result in a conflict of interest when
determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a
particular business combination are appropriate and in our
stockholders’ best interest.
Certain of our officers have, and any of our officers and directors
or their affiliates may in the future have, outside fiduciary and
contractual obligations and, accordingly, may have conflicts of
interest in determining to which entity a particular business
opportunity should be presented.
Certain
of our directors have, and any of our officers and directors or
their affiliates may in the future have, fiduciary and contractual
obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate
in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or
competition with the consummation of our initial business
combination. As a result, a potential target business may be
presented by our management team to another entity prior to its
presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to
engage in a transaction with such target business. For a more
detailed description of the pre-existing fiduciary and contractual
obligations of our management team, and the potential conflicts of
interest that such obligations may present, see the section titled
“Management — Conflicts of
Interest.”
Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange
which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in
our securities and subject us to additional trading
restrictions.
We
anticipate that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq, a national
securities exchange, upon consummation of this offering. Although,
after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet on a pro
forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which
generally only requires that we meet certain requirements relating
to stockholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate
market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements,
we cannot assure you that our securities will continue to be listed
on Nasdaq in the future prior to an initial business combination.
Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination,
it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial
listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as
opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We
cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial
listing requirements at that time.
If
Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, we
could face significant material adverse consequences,
including:
●
a limited
availability of market quotations for our securities;
●
reduced liquidity
with respect to our securities;
●
a determination
that our shares of common stock are “penny stock” which
will require brokers trading in our shares of common stock to
adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced
level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our
shares of common stock;
●
a limited amount of
news and analyst coverage for our company; 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 common stock, rights and warrants
will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, common stock,
rights and warrants will be covered securities. 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, certain state
securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and
might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder
the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states.
Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities
would not be covered securities and we would be subject to
regulation in each state in which we offer our
securities.
We are an “emerging growth company” and we cannot be
certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to
emerging growth companies will make our shares of common stock less
attractive to investors.
We are
an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS
Act. We will remain an “emerging growth company” for up
to five years. However, if our non-convertible debt issued within a
three year period or revenues exceeds $1.07 billion, or the market
value of our shares of common stock that are held by non-affiliates
exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter
of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth
company as of the following fiscal year. As an emerging growth
company, we are not required to comply with the auditor attestation
requirements of section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, we have
reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in
our periodic reports and proxy statements and we are exempt from
the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive
compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute
payments not previously approved. Additionally, as an emerging
growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or
revised accounting standards that have different effective dates
for public and private companies until those standards apply to
private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be
comparable to companies that comply with public company effective
dates. We cannot predict if investors will find our shares of
common stock less attractive because we may rely on these
provisions. If some investors find our shares of common stock less
attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market
for our shares and our share price may be more
volatile.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single
business which may have a limited number of products or
services.
It is
likely we will consummate a business combination with a single
target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously
acquire several target businesses. By consummating a 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, 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 developments, any or all of which may
have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in
which we may operate subsequent to a business
combination.
Alternatively,
if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses, and
such businesses 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 the business combinations. With multiple
business combinations, we could also face additional risks,
including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible
multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there
are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the
subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products
of the acquired companies into a single operating business. If we
are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively
impact our profitability and results of operations.
The ability of our stockholders to exercise their conversion rights
or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to
effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our
capital structure.
If our
business combination requires us to use substantially all of our
cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many
stockholders may exercise conversion rights or seek to sell their
shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part
of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or
we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our
business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves
the issuance of our stock as consideration, we may be required to
issue a higher percentage of our stock to make up for a shortfall
in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may
involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at
higher than desirable levels. This may limit our ability to
effectuate the most attractive business combination available to
us.
In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we
will offer each public stockholder the option to vote in favor of a
proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her
or its shares.
In
connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will
offer each public stockholder (but not our sponsor, officers or
directors) the right to have his, her or its shares of common stock
converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere
in this prospectus) regardless of whether such stockholder votes
for or against such proposed business combination. This ability to
seek conversion while voting in favor of our proposed business
combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a
business combination.
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 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, in each case prior
to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with
the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to
obtain a physical stock certificate, a stockholder’s broker
and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act
to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that
stockholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain
physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we
do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or
DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a
physical stock certificate. While we have been advised that it
takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we
cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer
than we anticipate for stockholders to deliver their shares,
stockholders who wish to 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
either (i) tender their certificates 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 as described above 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.
Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive
advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive
business combination.
We
expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than
blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours,
including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and
operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these
entities are well established and have extensive experience in
identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through
affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical,
human and other resources than we do and our financial resources
will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of
these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous
potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target
businesses 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,
seeking stockholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in
connection with any proposed business combination may delay the
consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding
warrants, rights and the unit purchase option, and the
future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed
favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may
place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating
a business combination.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to
complete a business combination or to fund the operations and
growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure
or abandon a particular business combination.
Although
we believe that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of
the private placement units will be sufficient to allow us to
consummate a business combination, because we have not yet
identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the
capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units prove to be insufficient, because of either the size of the
business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds
in search of a target business or the obligation to convert into
cash a significant number of shares from dissenting stockholders,
we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing
may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent
that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to
consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled
to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular
business combination and seek an alternative target business
candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we
may require additional 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 sponsor, officers,
directors or stockholders is required to provide any financing to
us in connection with or after a business combination.
Our initial stockholder will control a substantial interest in us
and thus may influence certain actions requiring a stockholder
vote.
Upon
consummation of our offering, our initial stockholder prior to the
offering will own approximately
22.4
%
of our issued and outstanding shares of common stock (assuming it
does not purchase any units in this offering). None of our sponsor,
officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention
to purchase units in this offering or any units or shares of common
stock from persons in the open market or in private transactions.
However, our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates could
determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market
or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in
order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of
stockholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection
with any vote for a proposed business combination, our sponsor and
initial stockholder, as well as all of our officers and directors,
have agreed to vote the shares of common stock owned by them
immediately before this offering as well as any shares of common
stock acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of
such proposed business combination.
Our
board of directors will be divided into two classes, each of which
will generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of
directors being elected in each year. There may not be an annual
meeting of stockholders to elect new directors prior to the
consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the
current directors will continue in office until at least the
consummation 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 stockholder, because of its
ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the
outcome. Accordingly, our initial stockholder will continue to
exert control at least until the consummation of a business
combination.
Our initial stockholder paid $25,000, or approximately $0.017 per
share, for the founder’s shares and, accordingly, you will
experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of
our shares of common stock.
The
difference between the public offering price per share (allocating
all of the unit purchase price to the common stock, including
the common stock underlying the rights included in the
units, and none to the warrants included in the
units) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of
common stock after this offering constitutes the dilution to the
investors in this offering. Our initial stockholder acquired the
founder’s shares at a nominal price, significantly
contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering,
you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and
substantial dilution of approximately
78.4
% or
$
7.13
per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book
value per share $
1.96
, and the initial
offering price of $
9.09
per share at a
fully diluted base immediately upon closing of this offering). This
is because investors in this offering will be contributing
approximately
95.7
% of the total
amount paid to us for our outstanding securities after this
offering but will only own
77.5
%
of our outstanding securities. Accordingly, the per-share purchase
price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net
tangible book value.
Our outstanding rights, warrants and unit purchase
options may have an adverse effect on the market price of our
common stock and make it more difficult to effect a business
combination.
We will
be issuing rights to receive 500,000 shares of common stock
and warrants to purchase 2,500,000 shares of
common stock as part of the units offered by this prospectus (or
rights to receive 575,000 shares of common stock and
warrants to purchase 2,875,000 shares of common stock
if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and rights
to receive 22,500 shares of common stock and warrants to
purchase 112,500 shares of common stock contained in
the private placement units (or rights to receive 24,375
shares of common stock and warrants to purchase
121,875 shares of common stock if the over-allotment
option is exercised in full). We will also issue unit purchase
options to purchase 500,000 units to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its
designees) which, if exercised, will result in the issuance of
500,000 shares of common stock, rights to
receive 50,000 shares of common stock and warrants to
purchase an additional 250,000 shares of common stock.
We may also issue additional private units, which will be identical
to the private placement units, to our sponsor, officers or
directors in payment of working capital loans made to us as
described in this prospectus. To the extent we issue shares of
common stock to effect a business combination, the potential for
the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon
conversion or exercise of these rights,
warrants and unit purchase options could make us a less attractive
acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such
securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and
outstanding shares of common stock and reduce the value of the
shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly,
our rights, warrants and unit purchase option may make
it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase
the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale,
or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the
warrants, rights, or unit purchase option could have
an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our
ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these
rights are converted or warrants and options are
exercised, you may experience dilution to your
holdings.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and one right to
receive one-tenth of one share of common stock, the units may be
worth less than units of other blank check
companies.
Each unit contains
one-half of one warrant and one right to receive one-tenth (1/10)
of one share of common stock upon consummation of our initial
business combination. This is different from other offerings
similar to ours whose units include one share of common stock and
one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the
components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive
effect of the warrants and rights upon completion of a business
combination since the warrants will be exercisable for, and the
rights will be convertible into, a fraction of the number of shares
in the aggregate, compared to units that each contain a warrant to
purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more
attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth
less than if they included a warrant to purchase one whole
share.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a
time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants
worthless.
We have
the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they
become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of
$0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of
the common stock equals or exceeds $21.00 per share (as adjusted
for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and
recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day
period ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of
such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of
redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time
we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration statement
under the Securities Act covering the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus
relating to them is available. 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 (i) to exercise your warrants
and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be
disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the
then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold
your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price
which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for
redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market
value of your warrants. None of the warrants contained in the
private placement units will be redeemable by us so long as they
are held by the sponsor or its permitted transferees.
Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants
to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to
receive fewer shares of common stock upon their exercise of the
warrants than they would have received had they been able to
exercise their warrants for cash.
If we
call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption
criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been
satisfied, our management will have the option to require any
holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any warrants
held by our sponsor, officers or directors or their permitted
transferees) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our
management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on
a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock received by
a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had
such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the
effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the
holder’s investment in our company.
We
have no obligation to net cash settle the rights or
warrants.
In no event will we
have any obligation to net cash settle the rights or warrants.
Furthermore, there are no contractual penalties for failure to
deliver securities to the holders of the rights or warrants upon
consummation of an initial business combination or exercise of the
warrants. Accordingly, you might not receive the shares of common
stock underlying the rights and warrants.
If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may
have an adverse effect on the market price of our shares of common
stock and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult
to effect a business combination.
Our
stockholders prior to this offering are entitled to demand that we
register the resale of the founder’s shares at any time
commencing three months prior to the date on which their shares may
be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private
placement units and any private units our sponsor, officers,
directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working
capital loans made to us are entitled to demand that we register
the resale of the private placement units and any other private
units we issue to them (and the underlying securities) commencing
at any time after we consummate an initial business combination.
The presence of these additional shares of common stock trading in
the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of
our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make
it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase
the cost of acquiring the target business, as the stockholders of
the target business may be discouraged from entering into a
business combination with us or will request a higher price for
their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of
such rights may have on the trading market for our shares of common
stock.
If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to
institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may
be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a
business combination.
A
company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being
engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business
of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types
of securities would be deemed an investment company under the
Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act.
Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is
possible that we could be deemed an investment company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our
anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment
Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be
invested by the trustee only 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 certain conditions under Rule 2a-7
promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in
direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the
investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet
the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1
promulgated under the Investment Company Act.
If we
are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the
Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions
that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business
combination, including:
●
restrictions on the
nature of our investments; and
●
restrictions on the
issuance of securities.
In
addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome
requirements, including:
●
registration as an
investment company;
●
adoption of a
specific form of corporate structure; and
●
reporting, record
keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and
disclosure requirements and other rules and
regulations.
Compliance
with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional
expense for which we have not allotted.
The determination of the offering price of our units is more
arbitrary compared with the pricing of securities for an operating
company in a particular industry.
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 rights and warrants were negotiated between us and
EarlyBirdCapital. Factors considered in determining the prices and
terms of the units, including the shares of common stock,
rights 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;
●
an assessment of
our management and their experience in identifying operating
companies; and
●
general conditions
of the securities markets at the time of the offering.
However,
although these factors were considered, the determination of our
offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for
an operating company in a particular industry since we have no
historical operations or financial results with which to
compare.
If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a
target business, we may subsequently be required to take
write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other
charges that could have a significant negative effect on our
financial condition, results of operations and our stock price,
which could cause you to lose some or all of your
investment.
We must
conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we
intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and
expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal
professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process.
Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business,
this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a
particular target business, and factors outside the control of the
target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our
diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business,
industry or the environment in which the target business operates,
we may later be forced to write-down or write-off assets,
restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges
that could result in our reporting losses. 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 common
stock. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate
net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result
of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by
virtue of our obtaining debt financing during or subsequent to the
business combination.
Our sponsor may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate
our initial business combination, in which case we would cease all
operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem
our public shares and liquidate, and the rights and warrants will
be worthless.
We will have until 12
months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial
business combination. However, if we anticipate that we may not be
able to consummate our initial business combination within 12
months, we may extend the period of time to consummate a business
combination up to two times, each by an additional three months
(for a total of up to 18 months to complete a business
combination). Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered
into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
on the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time
available for us to consummate our initial business combination,
our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five days advance
notice prior to the applicable deadline, must deposit into the
trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the
applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an
aggregate of $1,000,000 (or up to $1,150,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$0.20 per share, if we extend for the full six months). Any such
payments would be made in the form of a loan. Any such loans will
be non-interest bearing and payable upon the consummation of our
initial business combination. If we complete our initial business
combination, we would repay such loaned amounts out of the proceeds
of the trust account released to us to pay our franchise and income
taxes payable. If we do not complete a business combination, we
will not repay such loans. Furthermore, the letter agreement with
our initial stockholders contains a provision pursuant to which our
sponsor has agreed to waive its right to be repaid for such loans
out of the funds held in the trust account in the event that we do
not complete a business combination. Our sponsor and its affiliates
or designees are not obligated to fund the trust account to extend
the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we
are unable to consummate our initial business combination within
the applicable time period, we will, as promptly as reasonably
possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the
public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust
account and as promptly as reasonably possible following such
redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining stockholders
and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each
case to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims of
creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such
event, the rights and
warrants
will be worthless.
The requirement that we complete an initial business combination
within 12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
may give potential target businesses
leverage over us in negotiating a business
combination.
We have
12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
to complete an initial business
combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into
negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of
this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain
leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing
that if we do not complete a business combination with that
particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business
combination with any other target business. This risk will increase
as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.
We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target
business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying
solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a
proposed business combination.
We will
only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the
target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is
affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. In all
other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion.
Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of
our board of directors in approving a proposed business
combination.
Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not
consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent
attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another
business.
It is
anticipated 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 a decision is made
not to complete a specific business combination, the costs incurred
up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be
recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating
to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the
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.
Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require
substantial financial and management resources and may increase the
time and costs of completing an acquisition.
Section
404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and
report on our system of internal controls and may require that we
have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending
December 31, 2018. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of
our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny,
civil or criminal penalties and/or stockholder litigation. Any
inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our
business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that
our independent registered public accounting firm report on
management’s evaluation of our system of internal controls,
which requirement we are exempt from so long as we qualify as an
“emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a)
of the Securities Act. A target company may not be in compliance
with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of
their internal controls. The development of the internal controls
of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such
acquisition. Furthermore, any failure to implement required new or
improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the
implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes
and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or
cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior
internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in
our reported financial information, which could have a negative
effect on the trading price of our stock.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside
of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of
additional risks that may negatively impact our
operations.
We may
effect a business combination with a company located outside of the
United States. If we did, we would be subject to any special
considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the
target business’s home jurisdiction, including any of the
following:
●
rules and
regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes
on individuals;
●
tariffs and trade
barriers;
●
regulations related
to customs and import/export matters;
●
tax issues, such as
tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the
United States;
●
currency
fluctuations and exchange controls;
●
challenges in
collecting accounts receivable;
●
cultural and
language differences;
●
employment
regulations;
●
crime, strikes,
riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars;
and
●
deterioration of
political relations with the United States.
We
cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these
additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might
suffer.
If we effect a business combination with a company located outside
of the United States, the laws applicable to such company will
likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able
to enforce our legal rights.
If we
effect a business combination with a company located outside of the
United States, the laws of the country in which such company
operates will govern almost all of the material agreements relating
to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business
will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that
remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of
laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may
not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the
United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under
any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of
business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we
acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is
likely that substantially all of our assets would be located
outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors
might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not
be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their
legal rights, to effect service of process upon our directors or
officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated
upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties of our directors and
officers under federal securities laws.
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. Our board of directors is divided into two classes, each
of which will generally serve for a term of two 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 entrench
management and discourage unsolicited stockholder proposals that
may be in the best interests of stockholders. Also, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation provides our board of
directors the ability to designate the terms of and issue new
series of preferred stock, which may inhibit a takeover of
us.
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.
Because we must furnish our stockholders with target business
financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally
accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting
standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination
with prospective target businesses unless their financial
statements are prepared in accordance with such
standards.
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. 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, 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. We will include the same
financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer
documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender
offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our
stockholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with
IFRS, such financial statements may need to be audited in
accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the
business combination. These financial statement requirements may
limit the pool of potential target businesses we may
acquire.
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.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any
laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business,
investments 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 and results of operations.
An investment in this offering may involve adverse U.S. federal
income tax consequences.
An
investment in this offering may involve adverse U.S. federal income
tax consequences. For instance:
●
because there are
no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the
units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor
makes with respect to the purchase price of the unit
among the share of common stock,
rights and one-half of one warrant
included in the units could be challenged by the Internal Revenue
Service of the United States (“IRS”) or the
courts.
●
if we 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.
The ability of a holder to seek conversion of their shares 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.
●
our warrants may be
exercised on a cashless basis in certain situations as described
herein. The U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless
exercise of a warrant included in the units is unclear under
current law.
●
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 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.
See the
section titled “Certain Material U.S. Federal Income Tax
Considerations” for a summary of the material United States
Federal income tax consequences of an investment in our securities.
Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult a tax
advisor with respect to the specific tax consequences of the
acquisition, ownership and disposition of our securities, including
the applicability and effect of state, local, or foreign tax laws,
as well as U.S. federal tax laws.
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 acquired business and/or asset 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.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides,
subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the
State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain
stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our
stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum
for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or
stockholders.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation requires, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in
our name, actions against 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. Any person or entity purchasing or
otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock
shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum
provisions in our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation.
This
choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability
to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for
disputes with us or any of our directors, officers, other employees
or stockholders, which may discourage lawsuits with respect to such
claims. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum
provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we
may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in
other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, operating
results and financial condition.
If we consummate a business combination with a target business in
the senior housing and care industry, we would be subject to the
risks attendant to that industry.
If
we are successful in consummating a business combination with a
target business in the senior housing and care industry, we would
be subject to all of the risks attendant to that industry,
including, among others:
●
terminations of
short-term resident agreements and resident
attrition;
●
substantial
reliance on private pay residents;
●
risks and
circumstances that adversely affect the ability of the elderly to
pay for our services;
●
competition from a
significant number of competitors, some of which may have
substantially greater financial resources than we
have;
●
inherent risk of
liability in the provision of personal and health care services,
not all of which may be covered by insurance;
and
●
significant
government regulations and compliance, some of which is burdensome
and some of which may change to our detriment in the
future.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
The
statements contained in this prospectus that are not purely
historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking
statements include statements regarding our or our
management’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
“anticipates,” “believe,”
“continue,” “could,”
“estimate,” “expect,”
“intends,” “may,” “might,”
“plan,” “possible,”
“potential,” “predicts,”
“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;
●
success in
retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key
employees or directors following our initial business
combination;
●
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, as a result of which they would then
receive expense reimbursements;
●
potential ability
to obtain additional financing to complete a business
combination;
●
pool of prospective
target businesses;
●
ability of our
officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment
opportunities;
●
potential change in
control if we acquire one or more target businesses for
stock;
●
public
securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
●
the lack of a
market for our securities;
●
expectations
regarding the time during which we will be an “emerging
growth company” under the JOBS Act;
●
use of proceeds not
held in the trust account or available to us from interest income
on the trust account balance; or
●
financial
performance following this offering.
The
forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based
on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future
developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no
assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that
we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a
number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our
control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or
performance to be materially different from those expressed or
implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and
uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors
described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one
or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any
of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in
material respects from those projected in these forward-looking
statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as may be required under
applicable securities laws.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We
estimate that the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the
private placement units will be as set forth in the following
table:
|
Without
Over-Allotment Option
|
Over-Allotment Option
Exercised
|
Gross
proceeds
|
|
|
From
offering
|
$
50,000,000
|
$
57,500,000
|
From private
placement
|
2,250,000
|
2,437,500
|
|
52,250,000
|
59,937,500
|
Offering expenses
(1)
|
|
|
Underwriting
discount (2.5% of gross proceeds from units offered to
public)
|
1,250,000
(2)
|
1,437,500
(2)
|
Legal fees and
expenses
|
250,000
|
250,000
|
Nasdaq Listing
Fees
|
50,000
|
50,000
|
Printing and
engraving expenses
|
35,000
|
35,000
|
Accounting fees and
expenses
|
37,500
|
37,500
|
FINRA filing
fee
|
10,048
|
10,048
|
SEC registration
fee
|
7,926
|
7,926
|
|
109,526
|
109,526
|
Total expenses
(other than underwriters’ discount)
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
Net proceeds
(3)
|
|
|
Held in
trust
|
$
50,000,000
|
$
57,500,000
|
% of public
offering size
|
100.0
%
|
100.0
%
|
Not held in
trust
|
500,000
|
500,000
|
|
|
|
Use of net proceeds not held in
trust
(4)(5)
|
|
|
Legal, accounting
and other third party expenses attendant to the search for target
businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and
negotiation of a business combination
|
$
100,000
|
20.0
%
|
Due diligence of
prospective target businesses by officers, directors and
sponsor
|
25,000
|
5.0
%
|
Legal and
accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations
|
75,000
|
15.0
%
|
Payment of
administrative fee to our sponsor (up to $10,000 per month for up
to 12 months)
|
120,000
|
24.0
%
|
Working capital to
cover miscellaneous expenses, general corporate purposes,
liquidation obligations and reserves
|
180,000
|
36.0
%
|
Total
|
$
500,000
|
100.0
%
|
__________
(1)
A portion of the
offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA
filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee
and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the
funds we borrowed from our sponsor described below. These funds
will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of
the private placement units available to us.
(2)
No discounts or
commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the
private placement units.
(3)
Of the proceeds we
receive from this offering and the sale of the units described in
this prospectus, $50,000,000, or $57,500,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($10.00 per unit), will initially be deposited into a trust account
with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as
trustee. We will have until 12 months from the closing of this
offering to consummate an initial business combination. However, if
we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial
business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of
time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by
an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to
complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust
agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in
order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial
business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees,
upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline,
must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if
the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the
applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an
aggregate of $1,000,000 (or up to $1,150,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$0.20 per share, if we extend for the full six
months).
(4)
The amount of
proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at approximately
$500,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised.
(5)
These are estimates
only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may
differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may
incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current
estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our
initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of
that business combination. 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 be deducted from our excess working
capital.
Our
sponsor has committed to purchase the 225,000 private placement
units from us for a purchase price of $2,250,000 on a private
placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of this
offering. Our sponsor has also agreed that if the over-allotment
option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, it will
purchase from us up to an additional 18,750 private placement units
at a price of $10.00 per unit in an amount necessary to maintain in
the trust account at $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this
offering. These additional private placement units will be
purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously
with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the
over-allotment option. The private placement units are identical to
the units being sold in this offering, subject to certain limited
exceptions as described elsewhere in this prospectus. All of the
proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the
trust account described below.
$50,000,000,
or $57,500,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full,
of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private
placement units will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account at
[●], maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company, New York, New York, as trustee. The funds held in trust
will be invested only 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 paragraph (d) under
Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest
only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, so that we are
not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company
Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in
the trust account that may be released to us to pay our franchise
and income tax obligations, the proceeds will not be released from
the trust account until the earlier of the completion of a business
combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public
shares if we have not completed a business combination in the
required time period. The proceeds held in the trust account may be
used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with
which we complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as
consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to
finance operations of the target business.
The
payment to our sponsor of a monthly fee of an aggregate of up to
$10,000 is for general and administrative services including office
space, utilities and secretarial support. This arrangement is being
agreed to by our sponsor for our benefit and is not intended to
provide our sponsor or affiliated officers and directors with
compensation in lieu of a salary. This arrangement will terminate
upon completion of our initial business combination or the
distribution of the trust account to our public stockholders. Other
than the up to $10,000 per month fee and the repayment of loans
from our sponsor (none of which payments will be made from the
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units held in the trust account prior to the completion of our
initial business combination), no compensation of any kind will be
paid to our sponsor, officers, directors or any of their respective
affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection
with the consummation of our initial business combination
(regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such
entity and individuals will receive reimbursement for any
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with
activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target
businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target
businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and
from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target
businesses to examine their operations. Our audit committee will
review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our
sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates,
with any interested director abstaining from such review and
approval. There is no limit on the amount of such expenses
reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such
expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust
account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we
consummate an initial business combination. Since the role of
present management after a business combination is uncertain, we
have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be
paid to those persons after a business combination.
Regardless
of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net
proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our
working capital requirements in searching for a business
combination will be approximately $500,000. We intend to use the
proceeds for miscellaneous expenses such as paying fees to
consultants to assist us with our search for a target business and
for director and officer liability insurance premiums, with the
balance being held in reserve in the event due diligence, legal,
accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating
business combinations exceed our estimates, as well as for
reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our
sponsor, officers and directors in connection with activities on
our behalf as described below.
The
allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust
account represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these
funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we
may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described
categories. 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. In this event, we could seek such
additional capital through loans or additional investments from
members of our management team, but such members of our management
team are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest
in, us.
We may
use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the
sale of the private placement units, including the funds held in
the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our
expenses relating thereto. To the extent that our capital stock is
used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business
combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not
used to consummate a business combination (including to pay
converting stockholders as described herein) will be disbursed to
the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds
not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations
of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in
a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target
business’s operations, for strategic acquisitions and for
marketing, research and development of existing or new
products.
To the
extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will
pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of
the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, A/Z Property has
agreed to pay the funds necessary to complete such liquidation
(currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000)
and has agreed not to seek repayment for such
expenses.
As of
the date of this prospectus, our sponsor and Chief Executive
Officer have loaned us an aggregate of $100,000 which was used to
pay a portion of the expenses of this offering referenced in the
line items above for the SEC registration fee, FINRA filing fee,
the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion
of the legal and audit fees and expenses. The loans will be payable
without interest on the consummation of this offering. The loans
will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of
the private placement units available to us for payment of offering
expenses.
We
believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have
sufficient available funds to operate for the next 12
months
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, assuming that a business combination
is not consummated during that time. However, if necessary, in
order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation
of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are
not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time,
in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion.
Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would
either be paid upon consummation of our initial business
combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up
to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into private units at a
price of $10.00 per unit
(which, for example, would result in the holders being issued
165,000 shares of common stock if $1,500,000 of notes were so
converted since the 150,000 rights included in such units would
result in the issuance of 15,000 shares upon the closing of our
business combination, as well as 75,000 warrants to purchase 75,000
shares).
The units would be
identical to the private placement units. If we do not complete a
business combination, the loans will be forgiven.
A
public stockholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust
account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of
the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only
in the event of (i) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding
public shares if we have not completed a business combination in
the required time period, (ii) if that public stockholder converts
such shares, or sells such shares to us in a tender offer, in
connection with a business combination which we consummate or (iii)
we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation that would restrict our public
stockholders from converting or selling their shares to us in
connection with a business combination or affect the substance or
timing of our obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we
do not complete a business combination within 12
months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
. This redemption right shall apply in
the event of the approval of any such amendment to our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation, whether proposed by our
sponsor, any executive officer, director or director nominee, or
any other person. In no other circumstances will a public
stockholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the
trust account.
DIVIDEND POLICY
We have
not paid any cash dividends on our common stock to date and do not
intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial
business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future
will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital
requirements and general financial condition subsequent to
completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends
subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion
of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention
of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use
in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors
does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable
future. In addition, our board of directors is not currently
contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any stock dividends
in the foreseeable future, except if we increase the size of the
offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, in which
case we will effect a stock dividend immediately prior to the
consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the
ownership of our stockholders prior to this offering at 20% of our
issued and outstanding shares of our common stock upon the
consummation of this offering (excluding the shares of common stock
underlying the private placement units and any units purchased in
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.
DILUTION
The
difference between the public offering price per share of common
stock, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in
the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the
warrants contained in the private placement units, 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 warrants
contained in the private placement units, 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 common stock which may be
redeemed for cash), by the number of outstanding shares of our
common stock.
At
September 30, 2017, our net tangible book value was $(67,530), or
approximately $(0.05) per share of common stock. In September 2017,
1,437,500 shares were sold prior to the units being offered by this
prospectus for $25,000. The 1,437,500 founder’s shares
include an aggregate of up to 187,500 shares subject to forfeiture
by the initial stockholder to the extent that the
underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in
part, so that the initial stockholder, together with the officers
and directors of the company will own, 20% of the company’s
issued and outstanding shares after the proposed offering. The
effect of the issuance of the founder’s shares and the
receipt of the $25,000 results in a net tangible book value before
this offering of $(0.05) assuming the over-allotment option has not
been exercised and an aggregate of 187,500 founder’s shares
have been forfeited as a result thereof. For purposes of the
dilution calculation, in order to present the maximum estimated
dilution as a result of this offering, we have assumed (i) the
issuance of 0.1 of a share for each right outstanding, as such
issuance will occur upon a business combination without payment of
additional consideration and (ii) the number of shares included in
the units offered hereby will be deemed to be 5,500,000 (consisting
of 5,000,000 shares of common stock included in the units we
are offering by this prospectus and 500,000 shares for the
outstanding rights), and the price per share in this offering will
be deemed to be $9.09. After giving effect to the sale of
5,500,000 shares of common stock included in the units
we are offering by this prospectus, the sale of the private
placement units, the sale of the founder’s shares and the
deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of
this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at September
30, 2017 would have been $5,000,003 or $1.96 per
share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book
value (as decreased by the value of the 4,552,391 shares of common
stock that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the
underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $2.01
per share to our initial stockholder as of the date of this
prospectus and an immediate dilution of $7.13 per
share or 78.4% to our public stockholders not
exercising their redemption rights. The dilution to new investors
if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full
would be an immediate dilution of $7.33 per share or
80.6%.
The
following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a
per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants
included in the units or the private placement units:
Public offering
price
|
|
$
9.09
|
Net tangible book
value before this offering
(1)
|
$
(0.05
)
|
|
Increase
attributable to public stockholders and private sales
|
2.01
|
|
Pro forma net
tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private
placement units
|
|
1.96
|
|
|
|
Dilution to public
stockholders
|
|
$
7.13
|
Percentage of
dilution to public stockholders
|
|
78.4
%
|
The
following table sets forth information with respect to our existing
stockholders and the public stockholders:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Existing
stockholders
|
1,250,000
|
17.6
%
|
$
25,000
|
0.1
%
|
$
0.02
|
Shares underlying
private placement units
|
247,500
(2)
|
3.5
%
|
2,250,000
|
4.3
%
|
9.09
|
Underwriters
shares
|
100,000
|
1.4
%
|
-
|
0.0
%
|
-
|
Public
stockholders
|
5,500,000
(3)
|
77.5
%
|
50,000,000
|
95.6
%
|
9.09
|
|
7,097,500
|
100.0
%
|
$
52,275,000
|
100.0
%
|
|
__________
(1)
Assumes the
over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of
187,500 founder’s shares have been forfeited as a result
thereof.
(2)
Assumes the
issuance of an additional 22,500 shares underlying the private
placement rights.
(3)
Assumes the
issuance of an additional 500,000 shares underlying the rights
issued to public stockholders.
The pro
forma net tangible book value after the offering is calculated as
follows:
Numerator:
|
|
Net tangible book
value before the offering
|
$
(67,530
)
|
Net proceeds from
this offering and sale of the private placement units
|
50,500,000
|
Plus: Offering
costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book
value before this offering
|
91,343
|
Plus: Proceeds from
sale of unit purchase option to underwriters
|
100
|
Less: Proceeds held
in trust subject to redemption
|
(45,523,910
)
|
|
$
5,000,003
|
Denominator:
|
|
Shares of common
stock outstanding prior to this offering
|
1,250,000
|
Shares of common
stock included in private placement units
|
225,000
|
Shares
of common stock underlying rights included in private placement
units
|
22,500
|
Underwriters shares
of common stock
|
100,000
|
Shares of common
stock included in the units offered
|
5,000,000
|
Shares of
common stock underlying rights included in the units
offered
|
500,000
|
Less: Shares
subject to conversion/tender
|
(4,552,391
)
|
|
2,545,109
|
__________
(1)
Assumes the
over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of
187,500 founder’s shares have been forfeited as a result
thereof.
CAPITALIZATION
The
following table sets forth our capitalization at September 30, 2017
and as adjusted to give effect to the sale of our 5,000,000 units
in this offering for $50,000,000 (or $10.00 per unit) and the sale
of 225,000 private placement units for $2,250,000 (or $10.00 per
unit) and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived
from the sale of such securities:
|
|
|
|
|
Note payable to
related parties
(2)
|
$
100,000
|
-
|
Common stock, $.001
par value, -0- and 4,552,391 shares which are subject to possible
conversion/tender
(3)
|
|
$
45,523,910
|
|
|
|
Stockholders’
equity:
|
|
|
Common stock, $.001
par value, 10,000,000 shares authorized
(5)
; 1,437,500 shares
issued and outstanding, actual; 2,022,609 shares
(4)
issued and
outstanding (excluding 4,552,391 shares subject to possible
conversion/tender), as adjusted
|
1,438
|
2,023
|
Additional paid-in
capital
|
23,562
|
4,999,167
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
(1,187
)
|
(1,187
)
|
Total
stockholders’ equity:
|
23,813
|
5,000,003
|
Total
capitalization
|
$
123,813
|
$
50,523,913
|
__________
(1)
Includes the
$2,250,000 we will receive from the sale of the private placement
units.
(2)
Note payable to
related parties in the amount of $100,000 in the aggregate to our
sponsor and our Chief Executive Officer. The notes are not-interest
bearing and is payable at the closing of the offering.
(3)
Upon the
consummation of our initial business combination, we will provide
our stockholders with the opportunity to convert or sell their
public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two
business days prior to the consummation of the initial business
combination, including interest less franchise and income taxes
payable, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our
net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001
upon consummation of our initial business combination.
(4)
Assumes the
over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of
187,500 founder’s shares have been forfeited by our sponsor
as a result thereof.
(5)
As of September
30, 2017, we are authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of common
stock, par value $.001. The "as adjusted" column reflects, as of
the date of this prospectus, that we are authorized to issue
100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$.001.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND
RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
We were
formed on September 18, 2017 for the purpose of entering into a
merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business
combination with one or more target businesses. Our efforts to
identify a prospective target business will not be limited to a
particular industry or geographic region, although we intend to
initially focus our search for target businesses in the senior
housing and care industry in the United States. We intend to
utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the
sale of the private placement units, our securities, debt or a
combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting a business
combination. The issuance of additional shares of common stock or
preferred stock:
●
may significantly
reduce the equity interest of our stockholders;
●
may subordinate the
rights of holders of shares of common stock if we issue shares of
preferred stock with rights senior to those afforded to our shares
of common stock;
●
will likely cause a
change in control if a substantial number of our shares of common
stock are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability
to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most
likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our
present officers and directors; and
●
may adversely
affect prevailing market prices for our securities.
Similarly,
if we issue debt securities, it could result in:
●
default and
foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a
business combination are insufficient to pay our debt
obligations;
●
acceleration of our
obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all
principal and interest payments when due if the debt security
contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain
financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant
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; and
●
our inability to
obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security
contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional
financing while such security is outstanding.
We have
neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to
date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for
our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity
securities.
We are
an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As an
emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of
new or revised accounting standards that have different effective
dates for public and private companies until those standards apply
to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be
comparable to companies that comply with public company effective
dates.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
As
indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at September
30, 2017, we had $82,470 in cash and a working capital deficit of
$67,530. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur
significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition
plans. Management’s plans to address this uncertainty through
this offering are discussed above. We cannot assure you that our
plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business
combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise
substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going
concern.
Our
liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through receipt of
$25,000 from the sale of the founder’s shares. In addition,
as of the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has loaned to us a
total of $75,000 (of a total of up to $150,000 that we may draw
down) to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering.
Also, as of the date of this prospectus, our Chief Executive
Officer has loaned to us $25,000 to be used for a portion of the
expenses of this offering. These loans are non-interest bearing,
unsecured and are due at the earlier of December 31, 2018 or the
closing of this offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing
of this offering out of the $500,000 of offering proceeds that has
been allocated to the payment of offering expenses. We estimate
that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this
offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately
$500,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $1.25
million (or approximately $1.44 million if the over-allotment
option is exercised in full), and (ii) the sale of the private
placement units for an aggregate purchase price of $2.25 million,
or approximately $2.44 million if the over-allotment option is
exercised in full, will be $50.5 million (or $58.0 million if the
over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $50.0
million (or $57.5 million if the over-allotment option is exercised
in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $0.5
million in either case will not be held in trust.
We may
use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering and the
sale of the private placement units, including the funds held in
the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our
expenses relating thereto. To the extent that our capital stock is
used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business
combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as
well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working
capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such
working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including
continuing or expanding the target business’s operations, for
strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development
of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay
any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred
prior to the completion of our business combination if the funds
available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to
cover such expenses.
We
believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate
$0.5 million of net proceeds not held in the trust account will be
sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next
12 months
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, assuming that a business
combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time
period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating
prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due
diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from
the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target
businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements
of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to
acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business
combination. We anticipate that we will incur
approximately:
●
$100,000 of
expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal,
accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due
diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business
combination;
●
$25,000 of expenses
for the due diligence and investigation of a target business by our
officers, directors and sponsor;
●
$75,000 of expenses
in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting
obligations;
●
$120,000
for the payment of the administrative fee to our sponsor (of an
aggregate of up to $10,000 per month for up to 12
months); and
●
$180,000
for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous
expenses, general corporate purposes, liquidation obligations and
reserves, including director and officer liability insurance
premiums.
If our
estimates of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and
negotiating an initial business combination are less than the
actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds
available to operate our business prior to our initial business
combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing
either to consummate our initial business combination or because we
become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public
shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in
which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in
connection with such business combination. We do not have a maximum
debt leverage ratio or a policy with respect to how much debt we
may incur. The amount of debt we will be willing to incur will
depend on the facts and circumstances of the proposed business
combination and market conditions at the time of the potential
business combination. At this time, we are not party to any
arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to
raising additional funds through the sale of our securities or the
incurrence of debt. Subject to compliance with applicable
securities laws, we would only consummate such financing
simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business
combination. In the current economic environment, it has become
especially difficult to obtain acquisition financing. Following our
initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we
may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our
obligations.
Related Party Transactions
As of
the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has loaned to us a total
of $75,000 (of a total of up to $150,000 that we may draw down) to
be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. Also, as of
the date of this prospectus, our Chief Executive Officer has loaned
to us $25,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this
offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are
due at the earlier of December 31, 2018 or the closing of this
offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this
offering out of the $500,000 of offering proceeds that has been
allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
We are
obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay our
sponsor a monthly fee of an aggregate of up to $10,000 for general
and administrative services.
Our
sponsor has committed that it will purchase 225,000 private
placement units, respectively, at $10.00 per unit (for a total
purchase price of $2,250,000) from us. These purchases will take
place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the
consummation of this offering. Our sponsor has also agreed that if
the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full
or in part, it will purchase from us up to an additional 18,750
private placement units at a price of $10.00 per unit in an amount
necessary to maintain in the trust account at $10.00 per unit sold
to the public in this offering. These additional private placement
units will be purchased in a private placement that will occur
simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the
exercise of the over-allotment option. We believe the purchase
price of the private placement units is greater than the fair value
of such units and therefore will not result in any share-based
compensation expense.
We do
not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this
offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating
our business. However, in order to finance transaction costs in
connection with an intended initial business combination, our
sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not
obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate an
initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts.
In the event that the initial business combination does not close,
we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust
account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our
trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of
such loans may be convertible into private units of the post
business combination entity at a price of $10.00 per unit at the
option of the lender
(which, for example,
would result in the holders being issued 165,000 shares of common
stock if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted since the 150,000
rights included in such units would result in the issuance of
15,000 shares upon the closing of our business combination, as well
as 75,000 warrants to purchase 75,000
shares)
. The units would
be identical to the private placement units.
Controls and Procedures
We will
be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2018. 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.
Target businesses we may consider for a 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 operation of a target business, we may incur
significant expense in meeting our public reporting
responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing,
enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing
so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing
our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing
reporting.
Once
our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we
will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion
on such report when required by Section 404, which requirement we
are exempt from so long as we qualify as an “emerging growth
company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act.
The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning
a target business’s internal controls while performing their
audit of internal control over financial reporting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk
The net
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units, including amounts in the trust account, will 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
certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated 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
the date of this prospectus, 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 conducted no operations to date.
PROPOSED BUSINESS
We are
a blank check company formed pursuant to the laws of the State of
Delaware on September 18, 2017 for the purpose of entering into a
merger, stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business
combination with one or more businesses or entities. While our
efforts in identifying a prospective target business for our
initial business combination will not be limited to a particular
industry or geographic region, we intend to initially focus our
search on identifying a prospective target business in the senior
housing and care industry in the United States, as described below.
We do not have any specific business combination under
consideration and we have not had any substantive discussions,
formal or otherwise, with respect to such a
transaction.
Business Strategy
The
senior housing and care industry provides both housing and an array
of services to seniors, generally to those over the age of 75. Care
segments are commonly divided into four categories:
In the
U.S., there currently are approximately 23,400 investment grade
senior housing and care properties containing 3 million units. The
total value of the investment grade senior housing and care
property market is estimated at $372 billion. The average age of
residents in senior housing is approximately in the mid-80s, while
the average move-in age is in the low to mid-80s. The sizes of the
80+ and 85+ populations are expected to increase at a rate of
approximately 1.5%-2% annually during the remainder of the decade.
The latter part of the 2020s is expected to see the beginning of
significant acceleration in this population, with the 80+
population growth rate averaging roughly 4.5% from 2025 through
2029. As such, we believe there are significant opportunities to
acquire senior housing property management companies that are
positioned for growth. These operating companies may have leasehold
and/or fee ownership of senior housing communities.
We
intend to seek out potential targets that enjoy proven business
models and attractive growth profiles. We also believe our
sponsor’s and management team’s extensive experience in
deal sourcing from private and public sources, as well as their
advisory engagements, provide unique insight when identifying
potential business combination opportunities and creating value. We
believe their experience and deep understanding of various markets
in the senior housing and care industry positions us
to obtain access to potential targets in such markets,
frequently in a non-competitive manner and prior to other
parties.
Acquisition Criteria
Consistent
with our business strategy, we have identified the following
general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in
evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these
criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities,
but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination
with a target business that does not meet any of these criteria and
guidelines.
We
intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
●
have strong
competitive positions, proven business models, consistent
historical financial performance and attractive growth
prospects;
●
have limited access
to capital markets due to external factors;
●
could benefit from
the substantial expertise, experience and network of our sponsor
and management team, who could assist with, for example, growth
strategy, operations, and the evaluation and integration of
acquisitions;
●
are well positioned
to participate in sector consolidation and would benefit from a
public acquisition currency;
●
would avoid the
potentially onerous terms, such as liquidation preferences, that
are often characteristic of late state private growth financing
rounds; and
●
offer attractive
risk-adjusted returns.
These
criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating
to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be
based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well
as other considerations, factors, and criteria that our management
may deem relevant.
Competitive Strengths
We
believe we have the following competitive strengths:
Status as a public company
We
believe our structure will make us an attractive business
combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public
company, we offer a target business an alternative to the
traditional initial public offering through a merger or other
business combination. In this situation, the owners of the target
business would exchange their shares of stock in the target
business for shares of our stock or for a combination of shares of
our stock and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the
specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses might
find this method a more certain and cost effective method to
becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering.
In a typical initial public offering, there are additional expenses
incurred in marketing, roadshow and public reporting efforts that
will likely not be present to the same extent in connection with a
business combination with us. Furthermore, once the business
combination is consummated, 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, that could prevent
the offering from occurring. Once public, we believe the target
business would then have greater access to capital and an
additional means of providing management incentives consistent with
stockholders’ interests than it would have as a
privately-held company. It can offer further benefits by augmenting
a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors
and aid in attracting talented employees.
While
we believe that our status as a public company will make us an
attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may
view the inherent limitations in our status as a blank check
company as a deterrent and may prefer to effect a business
combination with a more established entity or with a private
company. These inherent limitations include limitations on our
available financial resources, which may be inferior to those of
other entities pursuing the acquisition of similar target
businesses; the requirement that we seek shareholder approval of a
business combination or conduct a tender offer in relation thereto,
which may delay the consummation of a transaction; and the
existence of our outstanding warrants, which may represent a source
of future dilution.
Financial position
With
funds in the trust account of approximately $50 million (or $57.5
million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full)
available to use for a business combination (assuming no
stockholder seeks conversion of their shares or seeks to sell their
shares to us in a tender offer in relation to such business
combination), we offer a target business a variety of options such
as providing the owners of a target business with shares in a
public company and a public means to sell such shares, 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 consummate 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,
since we have no specific business combination under consideration,
we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing if we
are forced to use a significant portion of such funds for
converting or tendering stockholders and there can be no assurance
that it will be available to us.
Offering Structure
Unlike other blank check companies that sell units comprised of
shares of common stock and warrants to purchase a full share of
common stock in their initial public offerings, we are selling
units comprised of one share of common stock, one-half of one
warrant and one right which entitles the holder thereof to receive
one-tenth (1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of
our initial business combination. Our management believes that
investors in similarly structured blank check offerings, and those
likely to invest in this offering, have come to expect the units of
such companies to include one share of common stock and another
security which would allow the holders to acquire additional shares
of common stock. Without the ability to acquire such additional
shares of common stock, our management believes the investors would
not be willing to purchase units in such companies’ initial
public offerings. Accordingly, because the number of shares
ordinarily issuable upon exercise of the warrants found in the
typical structure of other blank check initial public offerings is
lessened in our case (since such warrants most often entitle the
holder thereof to receive a full share of common stock as opposed
to the one-tenth (1/10) of one share the rights entitle a holder to
receive and the one-half of one share of common stock that each
warrant holder is entitled to purchase), although not completely
eliminated, our management believes we will be viewed more
favorably by potential target companies when determining which
company to engage in a business combination with. However, our
management may be incorrect in this belief.
Our Management Team
We will
seek to capitalize on the significant investing and operating
experience and contacts of our officers and directors in
consummating an initial business combination. Our Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer, Richard Ackerman, has over
35 years of real estate experience with 18 years in senior housing.
Prior to starting BRP, an opportunistic real estate investment firm
founded in 2004 that has invested in and managed over $800 million
in assets since its formation, Mr. Ackerman was Head of the Los
Angeles office for Apollo, a global private equity firm. Our Chief
Financial Officer, Lori Wittman, also has over 35 years of real
estate experience and was most recently the Chief Financial Officer
of CCP, a public healthcare real estate investment trust with a
diversified portfolio of triple-net leased properties focused on
the post-acute sector, which merged with Sabra Healthcare REIT,
Inc. Prior to CCP, Ms. Wittman was Senior Vice President of Capital
Markets and Investor Relations at Ventas, a leading real estate
investment trust with a diverse portfolio of more than 1,600 assets
in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom consisting of
seniors housing communities, medical office buildings, skilled
nursing facilities, hospitals and other properties. Our Chief
Investment Officer and Corporate Secretary, Bennett Kim, has over
20 years of real estate experience and worked with Mr. Ackerman at
Apollo. Through BRP, Messrs. Ackerman and Kim are currently
developing $200 million of senior housing in Florida, which
consists of independent living, assisted living and memory care.
Also, our independent director nominees, Richard
Birdoff, Michael Fong, Stuart
Koenig, Albert G. Rex and Troy T. Taylor, have significant
experience in private investments, ownership and management of
businesses of many types, large and small.
While
we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any industry or sector
and in any region, we intend to focus on industries that complement
our management team’s background so we can capitalize on
their ability to identify, acquire, and operate a business. We
therefore intend to initially focus on companies in the senior
housing and care industry in the United States; however, we may
decide to enter into an initial business combination with a target
business that is not connected to the senior housing and care
industry.
We
believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal
sourcing, investing, and operating expertise, as well as their
network of contacts will position us to take advantage of
opportunities in the senior housing and care industry. We believe
this expertise and network of contacts will allow us to generate a
number of acquisition opportunities. We believe there are a number
of high quality senior housing businesses with adequate scale to be
attractive public companies.
For
more information regarding our management team’s experience,
please see “Management” beginning on page
56.
Effecting a Business Combination
General
We are
not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any
substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time
following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the
proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement
units, our capital stock, debt or a combination of these in
effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified.
Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first
having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of
any one or more business combinations. A business combination may
involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does
not need substantial additional capital but which desires to
establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding
what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public
offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense,
loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and
state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to
consummate a business combination with a company that may be
financially unstable or in its early stages of development or
growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business
combinations with more than one target business, we will probably
have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect
only a single business combination.
We will
have until 12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
to consummate our
initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our
initial business combination within the applicable time period, we
will, as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten
business days thereafter, redeem the public shares for a pro rata
portion of the funds held in the trust account and as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the
approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations
under Delaware law to provide for claims of creditors and the
requirements of other applicable law.
We Have Not Identified a Target Business
To
date, we have not selected any target businesses on which to
concentrate our search for a business combination. We do not have
any specific business combination under consideration and we have
not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly,
contacted any prospective target business with respect to such a
transaction. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any
agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies.
As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a
target business or that we will be able to engage in a business
combination with a target business on favorable terms or at
all.
Subject
to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary
duties and the limitation that a target business have a fair market
value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account
(excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account)
at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our
initial business combination, as described below in more detail, we
will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and
selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. Except for the
general criteria and guidelines set forth above under the caption
“Business Strategy,” we have not established any other
specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for
prospective target businesses. Accordingly, there is no basis for
investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks
of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a
business combination. To the extent we effect a business
combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its
early stage of development or growth, including entities without
established records of sales or earnings, we may be affected by
numerous risks inherent in the business and operations of
financially unstable and early stage or potential emerging growth
companies. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the
risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure
you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk
factors.
Our Acquisition Process
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, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial
and other information that will be made available to us. We also
expect to utilize our management team’s operational and
capital planning experience.
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
independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the
type of target business we are seeking to acquire, that our initial
business combination is fair to our company from a financial point
of view.
Sources of Target Businesses
While
we have not yet identified any acquisition candidates, we believe
based on our management’s business knowledge and past
experience that there are numerous acquisition candidates. We
expect that our principal means of identifying potential target
businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships
of our officers and directors. While our officers and directors are
not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying
or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our
officers and directors believe that the relationships they have
developed over their careers and their access to their contacts and
resources will generate a number of potential business combination
opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also
anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our
attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment
bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged
buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the
financial community. 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 they think we may be interested
in 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 that
they become aware of through their business contacts as a result of
formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well
as attending trade shows or conventions. They must present to us
all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of
at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding
taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust account) at the
time of the agreement to enter into the initial business
combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual
obligations. 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. In no event, however, will our sponsor,
officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any
finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to,
or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the
consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the
type of transaction that it is) other than the monthly
administrative services fee of up to $10,000, the repayment of any
loans from our sponsor, officers and directors for working capital
purposes and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit
committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments
made to our sponsor, officers, directors or our or their respective
affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such
review and approval. We have no present intention to enter into a
business combination with a target business that is affiliated with
any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not
restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so
if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our
disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion
from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent
entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of
target business we are seeking to acquire, that the business
combination is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a
financial point of view.
Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business
Combination
Subject
to our officers’ and directors’ pre-existing fiduciary
duties and the limitations that a target business have a fair
market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account
(excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account)
at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our
initial business combination, as described below in more detail,
and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target
business, our management will have virtually unrestricted
flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target
business. Except for the general criteria and guidelines set forth
above under the caption “Acquisition Criteria,” we have
not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or
otherwise) for prospective target businesses. In evaluating a
prospective target business, our management may consider a variety
of factors, including one or more of the following:
●
financial condition
and results of operation;
●
brand recognition
and potential;
●
experience and
skill of management and availability of additional
personnel;
●
stage of
development of the products, processes or services;
●
existing
distribution and potential for expansion;
●
degree of current
or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or
services;
●
proprietary aspects
of products and the extent of intellectual property or other
protection for products or formulas;
●
impact of
regulation on the business;
●
regulatory
environment of the industry;
●
costs associated
with effecting the business combination;
●
industry
leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of
market industries in which a target business participates;
and
●
macro competitive
dynamics in the industry within which the company
competes.
These
criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating
to the merits of a particular business combination will be based,
to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other
considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a
business combination consistent with our business objective. In
evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an
extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other
things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of
facilities, as well as review of financial and other information
which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be
conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties
we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any
such third parties.
The
time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business
and to structure and complete the business combination can only be
estimated at this time. Any costs incurred with respect to the
identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with
which a business combination is not ultimately completed will
result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available
to otherwise complete a business combination.
Fair Market Value of Target Business
The
target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively
have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of
the funds in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the
income earned on the trust account) at the time of the execution of
a definitive agreement for our initial business combination,
although we may acquire a target business whose fair market value
significantly exceeds 80% of the trust account
balance.
We
currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire
100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or
businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business
combination where we merge directly with the target business or
where we acquire 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 transaction. For
example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a
substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the
outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could
acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a
result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our
stockholders immediately prior to our initial business combination
could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent
to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the
equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are
owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of
such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will
be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test. In
order to consummate such an acquisition, we may issue a significant
amount of our debt or equity securities to the sellers of such
businesses and/or seek to raise additional funds through a private
offering of debt or equity securities. Since we have no specific
business combination under consideration, we have not entered into
any such fund raising arrangement and have no current intention of
doing so. The fair market value of the target will be determined by
our board of directors 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). The proxy
solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in
connection with any proposed transaction will provide public
stockholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the
target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If
our board is not able to independently determine that the target
business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an
opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm,
or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation
opinions on the type of target business we are seeking to acquire,
with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.
We will
not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking
firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors
independently determines that the target business complies with the
80% threshold.
Lack of Business Diversification
We may
seek to effect a business combination with more than one target
business, and there is no required minimum valuation standard for
any target at the time of such acquisition. We expect to complete
only a single business combination, although this process may
entail the simultaneous acquisitions of several operating
businesses. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our
success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a
single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the
resources to complete several business combinations of entities
operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single
industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to
diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of
risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business
combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification
may:
●
subject us to
numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or
all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the
particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a
business combination, and
●
result in our
dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or
the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number
of products, processes or services.
If we
determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses, and such
businesses 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 acquisitions,
which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to
complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, we
could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and
costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due
diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the
additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the
operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a
single operating business.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’s
Management
Although
we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target
business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business
combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target
business’s management will prove to be correct. In addition,
we cannot assure you that the future management will have the
necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public
company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and
directors, if any, in the target business following a business
combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it
is possible that some of our key personnel will remain in senior
management or advisory positions with us following a business
combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full time
efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination.
Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after
the consummation of a business combination 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 them to receive compensation in the form of cash
payments and/or our securities for services they would render to
the company after the consummation of the business combination.
While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may
influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target
business, their ability to remain with the company after the
consummation of a business combination will not be the determining
factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with
any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure
you that our officers and directors will have significant
experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the
particular target business.
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 any such additional managers we do
recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience
necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Stockholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial
Business Combination
In
connection with any proposed business combination, we will either
(1) seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination
at a meeting called for such purpose at which 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
(net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public stockholders with
the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of 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 (net of taxes payable), in each
case subject to the limitations described herein. If we determine
to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured
so that each stockholder may tender any or all of his, her or its
shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares.
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. Unlike other blank check companies which require
stockholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction
with their initial business combinations and related conversions of
public shares for cash upon consummation of such initial business
combination even when a vote is not required by law, we will have
the flexibility to avoid such stockholder vote and allow our
stockholders to sell their shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and
Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act which regulate issuer tender
offers. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the
SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other
information about the initial business combination as is required
under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial
business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at
least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we seek stockholder
approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock
voted are voted in favor of the business combination.
We
chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that
we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended. However, if we seek to
consummate an initial business combination with a target business
that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or
requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the
trust account upon consummation of such initial business
combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net
tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek
third party financing which may not be available on terms
acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to
consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able
to locate another suitable target within the applicable time
period, if at all. Public stockholders may therefore have to wait
12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
in order to be able to
receive a pro rata share of the trust account.
Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any shares
of common stock owned by them in favor of any proposed business
combination, including the founder’s shares, (2) not to
convert any shares of common stock in connection with a stockholder
vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not
sell any shares of common stock in any tender in connection with a
proposed initial business combination. As a result, we would need
only 1,712,501, or approximately 34.3%, of the 5,000,000 public
shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of a transaction
in order to have our initial business combination approved
(assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised and all shares
were present and entitled to vote at the meeting, and that the
100,000 shares to be issued to EarlyBirdCapital upon the
consummation of this offering are voted in favor of the
transaction).
None of
our officers, directors, sponsor or their affiliates has indicated
any intention to purchase units or shares of common stock in this
offering or from persons in the open market or in private
transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed
business combination and a significant number of stockholders vote,
or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business
combination, our officers, directors, sponsor or their affiliates
could make such purchases in the open market or in private
transactions in order to influence the vote. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor and their affiliates
will not make purchases of shares of common stock if the purchases
would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act,
which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a
company’s stock.
Conversion Rights
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 as of two business days prior to the
consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes
then due but not yet paid (which taxes may be paid only from the
interest earned on the funds in the trust account). Alternatively,
we may provide our public stockholders with the opportunity to sell
their shares of our 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, less any taxes then due but not yet
paid.
Our
stockholders prior to this offering 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 seeking conversion, whether they are a
record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to
either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii)
deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using
Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At
Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior
to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with
the proposal to approve the business combination.
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 to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would
be incurred regardless of whether we require holders seeking to
exercise conversion rights to tender their shares. 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 to deliver their shares 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 the 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.
Please see the risk factor titled “
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
” for further information on the risks of
failing to comply with these requirements.
The
foregoing is different from the procedures historically used by
some blank check companies. Traditionally, in order to perfect
conversion rights in connection with a blank check company’s
business combination, the company would distribute proxy materials
for the stockholders’ vote on an initial business
combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed
business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating
such holder was seeking to exercise his conversion rights. After
the business combination was approved, the company would contact
such stockholder to arrange for him to deliver his certificate to
verify ownership. As a result, the stockholder then had an
“option window” after the consummation of the business
combination during which he could monitor the price of the
company’s stock in the market. If the price rose above the
conversion price, he could sell his shares in the open market
before actually delivering his 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 a “continuing” right
surviving past the consummation of the business combination until
the holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical
or electronic delivery prior to the meeting ensures that a
holder’s election to convert his shares is irrevocable once
the business combination is approved.
Any
request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any
time up to the vote on the proposed business combination.
Furthermore, if a holder of a public share of common stock
delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their
conversion and subsequently decides prior to the vote on the
proposed business combination 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.
Ability to Extend Time to Complete Business
Combination
We will have until 12 months from the closing of this offering to
consummate an initial business combination. However, if we
anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial
business combination within 12 months, we may extend the period of
time to consummate a business combination up to two times, each by
an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to
complete a business combination). Pursuant to the terms of our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation and the trust
agreement to be entered into between us and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company on the date of this prospectus, in
order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial
business combination, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees,
upon five days advance notice prior to the applicable deadline,
must deposit into the trust account $500,000, or up to $575,000 if
the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full
($0.10 per share in either case) on or prior to the date of the
applicable deadline, for each three month extension (or up to an
aggregate of $1,000,000 (or up to $1,150,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$0.20 per share, if we extend for the full six months). In the
event that we receive notice from our sponsor five days prior to
the applicable deadline of its intent to effect an extension, we
intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least
three days prior to the applicable deadline. In addition, we intend
to issue a press release the day after the applicable deadline
announcing whether or not the funds had been timely deposited. Our
sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obligated to fund
the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial
business combination.
Liquidation if No Business Combination
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we
will have only 12 months from the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
to complete an initial
business combination. If we have not completed an initial business
combination by such date, 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 outstanding public shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account net of interest that may be used by us to pay
our franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the
approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii)
above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims
of creditors and the requirements of other applicable
law.
Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed that they will not
propose any amendment to our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation that would restrict our public stockholders from
converting or selling their shares to us in connection with a
business combination or affect the substance or timing of our
obligation to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not
complete a business combination within 12 months from
the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
unless we provide our
public stockholders with the opportunity to convert their shares of
common stock upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in
cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust
account, including interest not previously released to us but net
of franchise and income taxes payable, divided by the number of
then outstanding public shares. 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.
Under
the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 100% of our outstanding public
shares in the event we do not complete our initial business
combination within the required time period may be considered a
liquidation distribution under Delaware law. If the corporation
complies with certain procedures set forth in Section 280 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law intended to ensure that it makes
reasonable provision for all claims against it, including a 60-day
notice period during which any third-party claims can be brought
against the corporation, a 90-day period during which the
corporation may reject any claims brought, and an additional
150-day waiting period before any liquidating distributions are
made to stockholders, any liability of stockholders with respect to
a liquidating distribution is limited to the lesser of such
stockholder’s pro rata share of the claim or the amount
distributed to the stockholder, and any liability of the
stockholder would be barred after the third anniversary of the
dissolution.
Furthermore,
if the pro rata portion of our trust account distributed to our
public stockholders upon the redemption of 100% of our public
shares in the event we do not complete our initial business
combination within the required time period is not considered a
liquidation distribution under Delaware law and such redemption
distribution is deemed to be unlawful, then pursuant to Section 174
of the Delaware General Corporation Law, 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 liquidation distribution. If we are unable to complete a business
combination within the prescribed time frame, 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 outstanding public shares, at a
per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned
on the funds held in the trust account net of interest that may be
used by us to pay our franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as
promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject
to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of
directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and
(iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for
claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Accordingly, it is our intention to redeem our public shares as
soon as reasonably possible following the 12-month
anniversary of the closing of this offering
(or
up to 18-month if we extend the period of time to consummate a
business combination by the full amount of time)
,
and, therefore, we do not intend to comply with those procedures.
As such, our stockholders could potentially be liable for any
claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no
more) and any liability of our stockholders may extend well beyond
the third anniversary of such date.
Because
we will not be complying with Section 280 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law, Section 281(b) of the Delaware General Corporation
Law requires us to adopt a plan, based on facts known to us at such
time that will provide for our payment of all existing and pending
claims or claims that may be potentially brought against us within
the subsequent ten years. However, because we are a blank check
company, rather than an operating company, and our operations will
be limited to searching for prospective target businesses to
acquire, the only likely claims to arise would be from our vendors
(such as lawyers, investment bankers, etc.) or prospective target
businesses.
We are
required to use our reasonable best efforts to have all third
parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after
this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into
agreements 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. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will
be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would
result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore
believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced
and should not have a significant impact on our ability to
distribute the funds in the trust account to our public
stockholders. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you of this fact as
there is no guarantee that vendors, service providers and
prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. If any
third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to
the monies held in the trust account, our management will perform
an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter
into an agreement with a third party that has not executed a waiver
if management believes that such third party’s engagement
would be significantly more beneficial to us than any alternative.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party
that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third
party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed
by management to be significantly superior to those of other
consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where
management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute
a waiver. Our underwriters and auditor are the only third parties
we are currently aware of that may not execute a waiver. Nor is
there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with
us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. A/Z
Property has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the
proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.00 per
share 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.
We believe A/Z
Property has sufficient net worth to satisfy its indemnity
obligation should it arise, however we
cannot assure you
that A/Z Property will have sufficient liquid assets to satisfy
such obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the
agreement entered into by A/Z Property specifically provides for
two exceptions to the indemnity it has 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, if we liquidate, the
per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than
$10.00 due to claims or potential claims of creditors. We will
distribute to all of our public stockholders, in proportion to
their respective equity interests, an aggregate amount then on
deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned on the
funds held in the trust account net of interest that may be used by
us to pay our franchise and income taxes payable.
We
anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin
liquidating such assets promptly after such date and anticipate it
will take no more than 10 business days to effect such a
distribution. Our sponsor has waived its rights to participate in
any liquidation distribution with respect to the founder’s
shares and any shares, rights or warrants included in
the private placement units. Additionally, any loans made by our
officers, directors, sponsors or their affiliates for working
capital needs will be forgiven and not repaid if we are unable to
complete an initial business combination. There will be no
distribution from the trust account with respect to our
rights or warrants, including the rights
or warrants contained in the private placement units, which
will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent
liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account.
If such funds are insufficient, A/Z Property has agreed to pay the
funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated
to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has agreed not to
seek repayment for such expenses.
If we
are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend
all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the
private placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the
trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any,
earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price
would be $10.00. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could,
however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in
preference to the claims of public stockholders.
Our
public stockholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the
trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a
business combination within the required time period or if the
stockholders seek to have us convert or purchase their respective
shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by
us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated
certificate of incorporation as described elsewhere herein. In no
other circumstances shall a stockholder have any right or interest
of any kind to or in the trust account.
If we
are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy
case is filed against us which 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 to our
public stockholders at least $10.00 per share.
If we
are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy
case is filed against us which 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 all amounts received by our stockholders. Furthermore,
because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust
account to our public stockholders promptly after eighteen months
from the date of this prospectus, this may be viewed or interpreted
as giving preference to our public stockholders over any potential
creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our
assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached
their fiduciary duties 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.
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains certain
requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will
apply to us until the consummation of our initial business
combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the
approval of a majority of our stockholders. If we seek to amend any
provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
that would restrict our public stockholders from converting or
selling their shares to us in connection with a business
combination or affect the substance or timing of our obligation to
redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete a business
combination within 12 months from the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, we will provide
dissenting public stockholders with the opportunity to convert
their public shares in connection with any such vote. 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. Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive any conversion
rights with respect to any founder’s shares and any public
shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation. Specifically,
our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides,
among other things, that:
●
we shall either (1)
seek stockholder approval of our initial business combination at a
meeting called for such purpose at which 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
(net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our stockholders with the
opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of 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 (net of taxes payable), in each case
subject to the limitations described herein;
●
we will consummate
our initial business combination only if we have net tangible
assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and, if we
seek stockholder approval, a majority of the outstanding shares of
common stock voted are voted in favor of the business
combination;
●
if our initial
business combination is not consummated within 12
months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, then we will
redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter
liquidate and dissolve our company;
●
upon the
consummation of this offering, $50.0 million, or approximately
$57.5 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full,
shall be placed into the trust account;
●
we may not
consummate any other business combination, merger, capital stock
exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or
similar transaction prior to our initial business combination;
and
●
prior to our
initial business combination, we may not issue additional stock
that participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust
account, or that votes as a class with the common stock sold in
this offering on any matter.
Competition
In
identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may
encounter intense competition from other entities having a business
objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well
established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting
business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these
competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources
than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited
when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we
believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we
could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale
of the private placement units, our ability to compete in acquiring
certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available
financial resources.
The
following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target
businesses:
●
our obligation to
seek stockholder approval of a business combination or engage in a
tender offer may delay the completion of a
transaction;
●
our obligation to
convert or repurchase shares of common stock held by our public
stockholders may reduce the resources available to us for a
business combination; and
●
our outstanding
rights or warrants and unit purchase options, and the
potential future dilution they represent.
Any of
these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in
successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management
believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential
access to the United States public equity markets may give us a
competitive advantage over privately-held entities having a similar
business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with
significant growth potential on favorable terms.
If we
succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all
likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target
business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business
combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete
effectively.
Facilities
We
currently maintain our principal executive offices at 2645 N.
Federal Hwy, Suite 230, Delray Beach, Florida 33483. The cost for
this space is included in the up to $10,000 per-month aggregate fee
our sponsor will charge us for general and administrative services
commencing on the date of this prospectus pursuant to a letter
agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents
and fees for similar services in the Palm Beach, Florida area, that
the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could
have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current
office space, combined with the other office space otherwise
available to our executive officers, adequate for our current
operations.
Employees
We have
three executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to
devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to
devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The
amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based
on whether a target business has been selected for the business
combination and the stage of the business combination process of
the company. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to
acquire has been located, management will spend more time
investigating such target business and negotiating and processing
the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our
affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target
business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such
amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our
business. We do not intend to have any employees prior to the
consummation of a business combination.
Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements
We have
registered our units, common stock, rights 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 report 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 any proxy solicitation
materials or tender offer documents sent to stockholders to assist
them in assessing the target business. These financial statements
will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United
States generally accepted accounting principles or international
financial reporting standards. We cannot assure you that any
particular target business identified by us as a potential
acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements.
To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be
able to acquire the proposed target business.
We may
be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the
fiscal year ending December 31, 2018 as required by the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not be in compliance with
the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of
their internal controls. The development of the internal controls
of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such
acquisition.
Legal Proceedings
There
is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding
currently pending against us or any members of our management
team.
Comparison of this offering to offerings of blank check companies
subject to Rule 419
The
following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering
and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule
419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds,
underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419
offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters
will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of
a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will
have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the
successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current
Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet
demonstrating this fact.
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Terms of the Offering
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Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering
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Escrow
of offering proceeds
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$50,000,000
of the net offering proceeds including the $2,250,000 we will
receive from the sale of the private placement units will be
deposited into a U.S.-based trust account at [●] and
maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company,
acting as trustee.
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$43,740,000
of the offering proceeds, which is the net offering proceeds less
underwriting commission and expenses and up to ten percent (10%) of
the remaining proceeds, would be required to be deposited into
either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or
in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which
the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial
interests in the account.
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Investment
of net proceeds
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The
$50,000,000 of net offering proceeds including the $2,250,000 we
will receive from the sale of the private placement units held in
trust will only be invested in United States “government
securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the
Investment Company Act with a maturity of 180 days or less or in
money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7
promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in
direct U.S. government treasury obligations.
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Proceeds
could be invested only in specified securities such as a money
market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in
securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations
guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United
States.
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Limitation
on fair value or net assets of target business
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Our
initial business combination must occur with one or more target
businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80%
of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on
the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the
agreement to enter into the initial business
combination.
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We
would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the
fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent
at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.
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Trading
of securities issued
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The
units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this
prospectus. The shares of common stock, rights and
warrants comprising the units will begin to trade separately on the
90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc. informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading,
provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K,
which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of
the proceeds of this offering, including any proceeds we receive
from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if such option is
exercised prior to the initial filing of such Current Report on
Form 8-K. If the over-allotment option is exercised after the
initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, we will file an
amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial information
to reflect the exercise and consummation of the over-allotment
option. We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment
thereto, or in a subsequent Form 8-K, information indicating if
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. has allowed separate trading of the shares
of common stock, rights and warrants prior to the 90th
day after the date of this prospectus.
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No
trading of the units or the underlying shares of common
stock, rights 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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Exercise
of the warrants
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The
warrants cannot be exercised until the later of the completion of a
business combination and 12 months from the closing of this
offering and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust
account has been terminated and distributed.
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The
warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business
combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection
with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust
account.
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Election
to remain an investor
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We will
either (1) give our stockholders the opportunity to vote on the
business combination or (2) provide our public stockholders with
the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock to us in a
tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes.
If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we
will send each stockholder a proxy statement containing information
required by the SEC. Under Delaware law and our bylaws, we must
provide at least 10 days advance notice of any meeting of
stockholders. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount of time we
would need to provide holders to determine whether to exercise
their rights to convert their shares into cash or to remain an
investor in our company. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting
and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender
offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file
tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain
substantially the same financial and other information about the
initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy
statement. Under the tender offer rules, a tender offer must remain
open for 20 business days. Accordingly, this is the minimum amount
of time we would need to provide holders to determine whether to
sell their shares to us in such a tender offer or to remain an
investor in our company.
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A
prospectus containing information 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 the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she
elects to remain a stockholder of the company or require the return
of his or her investment. If the company has not received the
notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and
interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account
would automatically be returned to the stockholder. Unless a
sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of
the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all
investors and none of the securities will be issued.
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Business
combination deadline
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Pursuant
to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, if we are
unable to complete our initial business combination within
12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, 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 outstanding public shares, at a
per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest earned
on the funds held in the trust account net of interest that may be
used by us to pay our franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as
promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject
to the approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of
directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and
(iii) above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for
claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable
law.
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If an
acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the
effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in
the trust or escrow account would be returned to
investors.
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Interest
earned on the funds in the trust account
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There
can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on
the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our
franchise and income tax obligations. The remaining interest earned
on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the
earlier of the completion of a business combination and our
liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within
the allotted time.
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All
interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in
trust for the benefit of public stockholders until the earlier of
the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon
failure to effect a business combination within the allotted
time.
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Release
of funds
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Except
for any amounts that we may need to pay our franchise and income
tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be
released until the earlier of the completion of a business
combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business
combination within the allotted time.
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The
proceeds held in the escrow account would not be 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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MANAGEMENT
Directors and Executive Officers
Our
directors and executive officers are as follows:
Name
|
|
Age
|
|
Position
|
Richard
Ackerman
|
|
59
|
|
Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer
|
Lori
B. Wittman
|
|
58
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Director
|
Bennett
Kim
|
|
44
|
|
Chief
Investment Officer
|
Richard
Birdoff
|
|
58
|
|
Director
Nominee
|
Michael
Fong
|
|
73
|
|
Director
Nominee
|
Stuart F.
Koenig
|
|
6
5
|
|
Director
Nominee
|
Albert
G. Rex
|
|
62
|
|
Director
Nominee
|
Troy
T. Taylor
|
|
59
|
|
Director
Nominee
|
Richard Ackerman
, our Chairman, President and Chief
Executive Officer since September 18, 2017, formed BRP in 2004. BRP
is an opportunistic real estate investment firm that has invested
in and managed over $800 million in assets since its formation. In
2012, BRP began to focus on senior housing development as there was
a distinct supply – demand imbalance and fragmentation in
senior housing developers, and formed Big Rock Senior Housing, a
national leader in developing and managing new Class A senior
housing communities of $50 million and more. Class A housing
communities consist of prestigious buildings with high quality
standard finishes, state of the art systems, exceptional
accessibility and a defined market presence competing for premier
senior housing users with rents above average for the area.
Mr. Ackerman serves as the Senior Managing Principal of BRP and Big
Rock Senior Housing. Prior to BRP, from 2001 to 2004, Mr. Ackerman
served as the Head of the Los Angeles office of Apollo, overseeing
all investments on the U.S. West Coast and Japan for the global
private equity firm. In August 1999, Mr. Ackerman was
appointed by Apollo as the Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Gulf
Communities Corporation (an Apollo portfolio company) in order to
restructure the company and served in that capacity until April
2001. This publicly traded development and asset management
company's primary operations included the development and sale of
home sites and land tracts and the construction and sale of
oceanfront condominiums. From September 1996 to August 1999, Mr.
Ackerman was President and co-founder of Crocker Realty Trust, a
private REIT (an Apollo portfolio company) specializing in the
ownership and development of office space in the southeastern
United States. Prior to 1996, he was president and co-founder of
Crocker Realty Investors, a publicly traded REIT and a portfolio
company of the first Apollo Real Estate Investment Fund. The
company specialized in the ownership and development of office
space until its sale to Highwoods Properties, Inc.
In addition to the
foregoing business experience, Mr. Ackerman served as Chief
Executive Officer and a director of ALDA Office Properties, Inc.
(“ALDA”) during 2011. ALDA was formed in 2011 to
acquire, own and operate office properties in select markets
primarily in Northern and Southern California. In 2011, ALDA
filed a registration statement for its initial public offering,
which offering was subsequently abandoned due to market
conditions.
Mr. Ackerman is also a former Director of
Summerville Senior Living, Inc., which is one of the largest
assisted living companies in the nation. Mr. Ackerman graduated
with a B.A. from Tulane University and a J.D. from the Tulane
School of Law.
Lori B. Wittman
, our Chief Financial Officer
and a
director, since September 18, 2017, most recently served as the
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of CCP, a
public healthcare real estate investment trust with a diversified
portfolio of triple-net leased properties focused on the post-acute
sector, from August 2015 (after a spin-off from Ventas, Inc.) to
August 2017 (due to the merger of CCP and Sabra Healthcare REIT,
Inc.). A triple-net leased property is a property leased
pursuant to an agreement where the tenant or lessee agrees to pay
all real estate taxes, building insurance, and maintenance (the
three "nets") on the property in addition to any normal fees that
are expected under the agreement (rent, utilities, etc.) Ms.
Wittman previously served as Senior Vice President, Capital Markets
and Investor Relations of Ventas, a leading real estate investment
trust with a diverse portfolio of more than 1,600 assets in the
United States, Canada and the United Kingdom consists of seniors
housing communities, medical office buildings, skilled nursing
facilities, hospitals and other properties, from 2013 to 2015 and
as Vice President, Capital Markets and Investor Relations of Ventas
from 2011 to 2013. From 2006 to 2011, she was the Chief Financial
Officer and Managing Principal of BRP. Before that, Ms. Wittman
held various capital markets and finance positions with General
Growth Properties, Inc., Heitman, Homart Development Company,
Citibank and Mellon Bank. She has been a member of the Board of
Directors of IMH Financial Corporation, a real estate
investment and finance company since July 2014. In
addition to the foregoing business experience, Ms. Wittman served
as Chief Financial Officer of ALDA during 2011. Ms. Wittman
received a B.A. in Geography and Sociology from Clark University, a
Masters in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and an
M.B.A. from the University of Chicago.
Bennett Kim
, our Chief Investment Officer and Corporate
Secretary since September 18, 2017, has served as the Managing
Principal of Big Rock Senior Housing since January 2016. Mr. Kim
was the Chief Investment Officer at BRP from May 2006 to July 2014
and was responsible for acquisitions, development, asset
management, and dispositions. From July 2014 to December 2015, Mr.
Kim served as the Head of Acquisitions for Carefree Communities,
the fifth largest national owner and operator of manufactured
housing communities and RV parks with 103 communities and 28,000
sites. From January 2001 to May 2006, Mr. Kim served as a
Vice President at Apollo and was responsible for new
investments and investment management including the development of
a $400 million mixed-use project that consists of two hotels, two
condominium towers, retail, office and structured parking. Mr. Kim
also formulated work-out strategies for one of the largest assisted
living companies in the nation while at Apollo. Between 1999 to
2000, Mr. Kim was an Assistant Vice President at Oaktree Capital
Management, where he evaluated and executed investments in the U.S.
and Japan for funds then totaling $1.7 billion of equity.
Previously, Mr. Kim worked as an Associate at Merrill Lynch Real
Estate Investment Banking, where he evaluated financing
alternatives for public and private real estate companies.
Mr. Kim also worked as a Senior Analyst at Walt Disney
Imagineering and as an Analyst at Disney Development Company.
In addition to the foregoing business experience, Mr. Kim
served as Chief Investment Officer of ALDA during 2011. Mr.
Kim is currently on the Board of Directors of UHI Soho Global, a
Cayman Islands based hedge fund. Mr. Kim graduated with an M.B.A.
from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from
UCLA.
Richard J. Birdoff
, who will serve as
one of our directors upon consummation of this offering, has served
as President of RD Management and Realty Investors Development
Corp. (“RD Management”), a privately held retail real
estate developer and manager, since January 2015.
Mr. Birdoff is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day
operations of the company including development, construction,
acquisitions, sales and dispositions. Mr. Birdoff joined RD
Management in 1991 as a principal and Executive Vice President and
since 1994, he has developed in excess of 10,000,000 sq. ft. of
shopping centers. Mr. Birdoff previously served on the Board of
Directors of Crocker Realty Investors, a Florida based publicly
held real estate investment trust.
Mr. Birdoff has
been engaged in the real estate business for more than 30 years. He
received an undergraduate degree from Emory College in 1980 and his
Juris Doctorate degree in 1983 from Emory University Law School.
Following his graduation, Mr. Birdoff worked for IRT Properties in
Atlanta, Georgia. Thereafter, in 1984, he joined Bertram Associates
of Union, New Jersey where Mr. Birdoff served as associate
counsel. Bertram Associates, at the time was one of New
Jersey’s largest residential developers. Mr. Birdoff then
transitioned to be a principal in the real estate development
industry with Bertram Associates focusing on site acquisition,
construction and sales of residential homes.
Michael Fong
, who will serve as one of our directors upon
consummation of this offering, serves as the Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer of JF International Ltd., a private equity firm
he founded since 2003. JF International invests and manages a
diversified portfolio of worldwide investments in real estate and
operating companies. In 2015, JF International joined with BRP to
invest in the luxury senior housing sector. From 1994 to 2003, Mr.
Fong was the Managing Director of The ALJ Group which is based in
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and is one of the largest privately
held business enterprises in the Middle East. Mr. Fong also
previously served from 1990 to 1994 as the President of Jaymont
Properties, Inc., a real estate development and management company
with a substantial portfolio of premier office and mixed used
properties located in the central business district of major cities
such as New York, Boston, San Francisco, Orlando, Chicago, and
Miami. From 1979 to 1990, Mr. Fong was President of Intercap
Investments, Inc, a commercial developer of real estate central
business district projects in Miami and Coral Gables. From 1998 to
1999, Mr. Fong was the President of the Coral Gables,
FL Chamber of Commerce and served on its Board of Directors
for several years. Prior to 1979, Mr. Fong was President of
Interfin Investments, Inc., an investment banking firm based in
Lincoln, Nebraska and New York. From 1975 to 1979, Mr. Fong was a
Vice President and also served as Assistant to the President of
DuPont Walston, Inc., a major retail brokerage and investment
banking firm with over 200 branches across the United States. Mr.
Fong began his business career in 1971 with EDS, a firm founded by
H. Ross Perot, and was sent to New York when Mr. Perot made an
investment in DuPont Glore Forgan when EDS was awarded a major data
processing contract for redesigning a new system for the brokerage
business.
Stuart Koenig
, who will serve as one of
our directors upon consummation of this offering, has over forty
years of diversified experience in the real estate, investment
banking and financial services industries. His experience includes
every aspect of commercial and residential real estate including
acquisition, financing, leasing, property management and
disposition. Mr. Koenig most recently served as a Senior Partner in
the real estate division of Ares Management, LP, a global
alternative asset manager with over $100 billion of assets under
management, from 2013 to 2016. Mr. Koenig served as Chair of the
Investment Committees of the real estate funds of Ares, which
collectively had $8 billion under management. From 1995 to 2013,
Mr. Koenig served as the Global Chief Financial Officer, Chief
Administrative Officer and Senior Partner of AREA Property
Partners, a global real estate investment and asset management firm
that raised and invested approximately $14 billion of client equity
in more than 600 transactions across all sectors of real
estate. Mr. Koenig oversaw the financing and
administrative activities for AREA and was also responsible for its
reporting, human resources, compliance, legal and structuring
activities. Mr. Koenig helped negotiate and execute the sale of
AREA to Ares Management in 2013. Prior to AREA, Mr. Koenig worked
in various positions in investment bank including Goldman Sachs
& Co. (1986-1994) and EF Hutton Inc. (1981-1986). From
1997-2014, Mr. Koenig served as the lead independent director and
member of the compensation committee of Emeritus Corporation (ESC,
NYSE) one of the largest publicly traded owners and operators of
assisted living facilities in the country and helped oversee the
sale of the company to Brookdale Senior Living (BKD, NYSE) in 2014.
Mr. Koenig currently serves as Trustee for the Binghamton
University Endowment Fund and is Chair of its Investment Committee
and also provides consulting services for the U.S. investment
activity of Profimex, an Israel based real estate investment firm.
Mr. Koenig has a B.A. from Binghamton University and an MBA from
Baruch College of the City University of
N.Y.
Albert G. Rex
, who will serve as one of our directors upon
consummation of this offering, has served as the Managing Director
of Walker & Dunlop, a commercial real estate finance company,
since May 2012. In this role, Mr. Rex has been involved in over
1500 loans totaling more than $15 billion in transactions. Mr. Rex
has over 40 years of experience in the financing and equity aspects
of commercial real estate development throughout the U.S. with a
focus on the Southeast region. Mr. Rex spent the majority of his
career as a Managing Partner with Carey Kramer, a company he helped
found in 1983 and ultimately owned solely from 2001 until it merged
with Collateral Real Estate Capital in 2005. Collateral later
merged with Laureate Capital, LLC in 2007, to form Grandbridge Real
Estate Capital, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BB&T. Mr. Rex
is a graduate of University of Florida with a degree in Finance and
Real Estate and serves on their Real Estate Advisory Board. He is
an active member of the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), Urban
Land Institute (ULI), International Council of Shopping Centers
(ICSC), and National Association of Industrial and Office
Properties (NAIOP), where he has served as President of the South
Florida Chapter.
Troy T. Taylor
, who will serve as one of our directors upon
consummation of this offering, has served as President of Algon
Group, an advisory firm he founded, since 2002. Algon Group is a
specialized financial firm providing sophisticated financial
advisory services to stakeholders with complex, challenging, and
financially distressed situations. Mr. Taylor has 25 years of
experience including investment banking, restructuring (both in
Chapter 11 and out of court) and senior management. Mr. Taylor has
served as the Chief Restructuring Officer, Chief Executive Officer
or Lead Financial Advisor in a broad range of industries including
manufacturing, distribution, hospitality, real estate and retail.
He has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of several
public and private companies, including Keystone Consolidated
Industries, Inc., Barjan, Inc., and 1-800-AutoTow, Inc. He
currently serves as Vice Chairman of Hyperion Bank located in
Philadelphia. Before 2002, Mr. Taylor served in various capacities
with GMA Partners, Inc., KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP, Morgan Keegan
& Company, Inc., Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. and Thomson
McKinnon Securities, Inc. Mr. Taylor received his B.S. in Economics
and his MBA from The Wharton School, University of
Pennsylvania.
Executive Compensation
Commencing
on the date of this prospectus through the acquisition of a target
business, we will pay our sponsor an aggregate fee of up to $10,000
per month for providing us with office space and certain office and
secretarial services. However, this arrangement is solely for our
benefit and is not intended to provide our executive officers or
directors compensation in lieu of a salary.
Other
than the administrative fee of up to $10,000 per month and the
repayment of any loans made by our sponsor and our Chief Executive
Officer to us, no compensation or fees of any kind, including
finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be
paid to our sponsor, members of our management team or their
respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in
connection with the consummation of our initial business
combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
However, they will receive repayment of any loans from our sponsor,
officers and directors for working capital purposes and
reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in
connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying
potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on
suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as
traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of
prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is
no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by
us.
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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy
solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is
unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time
of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business
combination, as it will be up to the directors of the
post-combination business to determine executive and director
compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly
disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on
Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
Director Independence
Currently
Messrs. Fong, Rex and Taylor would each be considered an
“independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules,
which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or
employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual
having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s
board of directors would interfere with the director’s
exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the
responsibilities of a director.
Our
independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at
which only independent directors are present.
Any
affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us
than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of
directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with
any interested director abstaining from such review and
approval.
Audit Committee
Effective
upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit
committee of the board of directors, which will consist of
Messrs. Fong, Rex and Taylor (Chair), each of
whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing
standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified
in our Audit Committee Charter, include:
●
reviewing and
discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual
audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether
the audited financial statements should be included in our Form
10-K;
●
discussing with
management and the independent auditor significant financial
reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the
preparation of our financial statements;
●
discussing with
management major risk assessment and risk management
policies;
●
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;
●
reviewing and
approving all related-party transactions;
●
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; and
●
approving
reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in
identifying potential target businesses.
Financial Experts on Audit Committee
The
audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of
“independent directors” who are “financially
literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards.
Nasdaq’s standards define “financially literate”
as being able to read and understand fundamental financial
statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income
statement and cash flow statement.
In
addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and
will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment
experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional
certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or
background that results in the individual’s financial
sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Mr.
Taylor qualifies as an “audit committee financial
expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the
SEC.
Nominating Committee
Effective
upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating
committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs.
Fong, Koenig, Rex (Chair), each of whom
is an independent director under Nasdaq’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.
Compensation Committee
Effective
upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation
committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Messrs.
Birdoff, Koenig (Chair) and Taylor, each of whom is an
independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The
compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our
Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited
to:
●
reviewing and
approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives
relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation,
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 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;
●
if required,
producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our
annual proxy statement; and
●
reviewing,
evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the
remuneration for directors.
Code of Ethics
Effective
upon consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics
that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and
employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical
principles that govern all aspects of our business.
Conflicts of Interest
Investors
should be aware of the following potential conflicts of
interest:
●
None of our
officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our
affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in
allocating their time among various business
activities.
●
In the course of
their other business activities, our sponsor, officers and
directors may become aware of investment and business opportunities
which may be appropriate for presentation to our company as well as
the other entities with which they are affiliated. Our officers and
directors may have conflicts of interest in determining to which
entity a particular business opportunity should be presented but
barring such a conflict, must present target business opportunities
that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in
the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income earned in
the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the
initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary
or contractual obligations.
●
Unless we
consummate our initial business combination, our officers,
directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement for any
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them to the extent that such
expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in
the trust account.
●
The founder’s
shares beneficially owned by our officers and directors will be
released from escrow only if a business combination is successfully
completed, and the private placement units including the
underlying shares of common stock, rights and warrants,
purchased by our sponsor will be worthless if a business
combination is not consummated. Additionally, our officers and
directors will not receive liquidation distributions with respect
to any of their founder’s shares. For the foregoing reasons,
our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a
particular target business is appropriate to effect a business
combination with.
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.
Accordingly,
as a result of multiple business affiliations, our officers and
directors may have similar legal obligations relating to presenting
business opportunities meeting the above-listed criteria to
multiple entities. In addition, conflicts of interest may arise
when our board evaluates a particular business opportunity with
respect to the above-listed criteria. We cannot assure you that any
of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our
favor.
In
order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise
from multiple 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 or she 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
that may reasonably be required to be presented to us,
subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations he
or she might have. Accordingly, our amended and
restated certificate of incorporation will provide that the
doctrine of corporate opportunity will not apply with respect to
any of our executive officers or directors in circumstances where
the application of the doctrine would conflict with any fiduciary
duties or contractual obligations they may have.
Individual
|
Entity
|
Entity’s
Business
|
Affiliation
|
Richard
Ackerman
|
None
|
-
|
-
|
Lori B.
Wittman
|
IMH Financial
Corporation
|
Real Estate Investment &
Finance
|
Director
|
Bennet
Kim
|
UHI Soho
Global
|
Hedge
Fund
|
Director
|
Richard
Birdoff
|
RD Management and Realty Investors
Development Corp.
|
Retail Real Estate Developer and
Manager
|
Principal and Executive Vice
President
|
Michael
Fong
|
JF International
Ltd.
|
Private
Equity
|
Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer
|
Stuart
Koenig
|
None
|
-
|
-
|
Albert G.
Rex
|
Walker &
Dunlop
|
Commercial Real Estate
Finance
|
Managing
Director
|
Troy T.
Taylor
|
Algon
Group
|
Financial Advisory
Services
|
President
|
|
Hyperion
Bank
|
Financial
Institution
|
Vice
Chairman
|
In
addition, our executive officers and directors 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 registered under the Exchange Act until we have entered
into a definitive agreement regarding our initial business
combination or we have failed to complete our initial business
combination within 12 months after the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
.
If we
submit our initial business combination to our public stockholders
for a vote, our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and
directors have agreed to vote any shares held by them in favor of
our initial business combination. If they purchase shares of common
stock as part of this offering or in the open market, however, they
would be entitled to participate in any liquidation distribution in
respect of such shares but have agreed not to convert or sell such
shares to us in connection with the consummation of an initial
business combination.
All
ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers
and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms
believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available
from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require
prior approval by a majority of our uninterested
“independent” directors or the members of our board who
do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had
access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal
counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our
disinterested “independent” directors determine that
the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than
those that would be available to us with respect to such a
transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
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 shares of
common stock included in the units offered by this prospectus
(assuming none of the individuals listed purchase 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
officers, directors and director nominees; and
●
all of our
officers, directors and director nominees as a group.
Unless
otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table
have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of
common stock beneficially owned by them. The following table does
not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the rights
or warrants included in the units offered by this prospectus
or the private placement units as these rights and
warrants are not convertible or
exercisable, respectively, within 60 days
of the date of this prospectus.
|
|
|
Name and Address
of Beneficial Owner
(1)
|
Amount and Nature
of Beneficial Ownership
|
Approximate
Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common
Stock
|
Amount and Nature
of Beneficial Ownership
|
Approximate
Percentage of Outstanding Shares of Common
Stock
|
Big Rock Partners
Sponsor, LLC
|
1,437,500
(3)
|
100
%
|
1,475,000
|
22.4
%
|
Richard
Ackerman
|
1,437,500
(3)(4)
|
100
%
|
1,475,000
|
22.4
%
|
Lori B.
Wittman
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Bennett
Kim
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Richard
Birdoff
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Michael
Fong
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Stuart
Koenig
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Albert G.
Rex
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
Troy T.
Taylor
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
All directors and
executive officers as a group (8
individuals)
|
1,437,500
(3)
|
100
%
|
1,475,000
|
22.4
%
|
__________
(1)
Unless otherwise
indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 2645
N. Federal Highway, Suite 230, Delray Beach, Florida
33483.
(2)
Assumes no exercise
of the over-allotment option and, therefore, the forfeiture of an
aggregate of 187,500 share of common stock held by our initial
stockholder.
(3)
Includes 187,500
shares which are subject to forfeiture to the extent the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in
full.
(4)
Represents shares
held by Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC, of which Mr. Ackerman is
the sole and managing member.
Immediately
after this offering, our initial stockholder will beneficially own
approximately 22.4% of the then issued and outstanding shares of
common stock (assuming it does not purchase any units offered by
this prospectus). None of our sponsor, officers or directors has
indicated to us that it or they intend to purchase our securities
in the offering. Because of the ownership block held by our sponsor
(and our officers and directors through their ownership of
membership interests of the sponsor), our sponsor and such
individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all
matters requiring approval by our stockholders, including the
election of directors and approval of significant corporate
transactions other than approval of our initial business
combination.
If the
underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment
option, an aggregate of up to 187,500 founder’s shares will
be forfeited. Only a number of shares necessary to maintain the
collective 20% ownership interest in our shares of common stock
after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of
the underwriters’ over-allotment option will be necessary
(excluding the shares underlying the private placement units and
any units purchased in this offering).
All of
the founder’s shares outstanding prior to the date of this
prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer
& Trust Company, as escrow agent. None of these shares will be
transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until one year
after the date of the consummation of our initial business
combination, or earlier with respect to fifty percent (50%) of such
shares if, subsequent to our business combination, the last sales
price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as
adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and
recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading
day period. Up to 187,500 of the founder’s shares may also be
released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the
over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.
All of the founder’s shares may be released from escrow
earlier than as described above if within that time period, we
consummate a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange or
other similar transaction which results in all of our stockholders
having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash,
securities or other property.
During
the escrow period, the holder of these shares will not be able to
sell or transfer its securities except for transfers, assignments
or sales (i) to our officers, directors, employees, consultants or
their affiliates, (ii) to an entity’s officers, directors,
employees or members, (iii) to relatives and trusts 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 us for no value for cancellation in
connection with the consummation of our initial business
combination, or (vii) by private sales made at or prior to the
consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than
the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each
case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the
transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be
bound by these transfer restrictions and other agreements of our
initial stockholder as set forth herein, but will retain all other
rights as our stockholders, including, without limitation, the
right to vote their shares of common stock and the right to receive
cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable
in shares of common stock, such dividends will also be placed in
escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and
liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect
to the founder’s shares.
Our
sponsor has committed to purchase the 225,000 private placement
units for a total purchase price of $2,250,000 from us. These
purchases will take place on a private placement basis
simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Our sponsor
has also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by
the underwriters in full or in part, it will purchase from us up to
an additional 18,750 private placement units at a price of $10.00
per unit in an amount necessary to maintain in the trust account at
$10.00 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These
additional private placement units will be purchased in a private
placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units
resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The
warrants contained in the private placement units are identical to
the warrants being sold as part of the units in this offering
except that the private placement units: (i) will not be redeemable
by us and (ii) may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as
described in this prospectus, so long as they are held by the
initial purchasers or any of their permitted transferees. If the
private placement units are held by holders other than the initial
purchasers or any of their permitted transferees, the private
placement units 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. Our sponsor has agreed not to
transfer, assign or sell any of the private placement units or the
common stock issuable upon conversion or exercise of
the private placement rights or warrants (except in
connection with the same limited exceptions that the private
placement units may be transferred as described above),
until after the completion of our initial business
combination.
In
order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation
of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are
not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time,
in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion.
Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would
either be paid upon consummation of our initial business
combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up
to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into units at a price
of $10.00 per unit. The units would be identical to the private
placement units
(which, for example,
would result in the holders being issued 165,000 shares of common
stock if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted since the 150,000
rights included in such units would result in the issuance of
15,000 shares upon the closing of our business combination, as well
as 75,000 warrants to purchase 75,000 shares).
If we
do not complete a business combination, the loans will be
forgiven.
Richard
Ackerman and Big Rock Partners Sponsor Group, LLC are our
“promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal
securities laws.
CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
In
September 2017, our sponsor purchased 1,437,500 shares of our
common stock for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 or
approximately $0.017 per share.
If the
underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their
over-allotment option, our initial stockholder prior to this
offering will forfeit up to an aggregate of 187,500 shares of
common stock in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment
option that was not exercised.
If the
underwriters determine the size of the offering should be increased
(including pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act) or
decreased, a share dividend or a contribution back to capital, as
applicable, would be effectuated in order to maintain our initial
stockholder’s ownership at a percentage of the number of
shares to be sold in this offering.
Also,
our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 225,000
private placement units (for a total purchase price of $2,250,000)
from us. These purchases will take place on a private placement
basis simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Our
sponsor has also agreed that if the over-allotment option is
exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, it will purchase
from us at a price of $10.00 per unit up to an additional 18,750
private placement units in an amount necessary to maintain in the
trust account at $10.00 per unit sold to the public in this
offering. These additional private placement units will be
purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously
with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the
over-allotment option. We believe the purchase price of the private
placement units is greater than the fair value of such units and
therefore will not result in any share-based compensation expense.
The private placement units are identical to the units being sold
in this offering except that the warrants contained in the private
placement units: (i) will not be redeemable by us and (ii) may be
exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, as described in this
prospectus, so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or
any of their permitted transferees. The purchasers of the private
placement units have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of
their private placement units or the common stock issuable upon
conversion of the underlying rights or exercise of the
underlying warrants of the private placement units
(except to certain permitted transferees), until after the
completion of our initial business combination.
In
order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation
of this offering, our sponsor, officers and directors may, but are
not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time,
in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion.
Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would
either be paid upon consummation of our initial business
combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s
discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into
private units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would be
identical to the private placement units
(which,
for example, would result in the holders being issued 165,000
shares of common stock if $1,500,000 of notes were so converted
since the 150,000 rights included in such units would result in the
issuance of 15,000 shares upon the closing of our business
combination, as well as 75,000 warrants to purchase 75,000
shares).
I
f
we do not complete a business combination, the loans will be
forgiven.
The
holder of our founder’s shares issued and outstanding on the
date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private
placement units and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors
or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital
loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled
to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior
to or on the effective date of this offering. The holders of a
majority of these securities are entitled to make up to three
demands that we register such securities. The holders of the
majority of the founder’s shares can elect to exercise these
registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to
the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released
from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private placement
units or private units issued in payment of working capital loans
made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these
registration rights at any time after we consummate a business
combination. In addition, the holders have certain
“piggy-back” registration rights with respect to
registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a
business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in
connection with the filing of any such registration
statements.
As of
the date of this prospectus, our sponsor has loaned to us a total
of $75,000 (of a total of up to $150,000 that we may draw down) to
be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. Also, as of
the date of this prospectus, our Chief Executive Officer has loaned
to us $25,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this
offering. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are
due at the earlier of December 31, 2018 or the closing of this
offering. The loans will be repaid upon the closing of this
offering out of the $500,000 of offering proceeds that has been
allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
Also, A/Z Property, an entity majority owned by Richard Ackerman,
our Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, has agreed
that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust
account are not reduced below $10.00 per share 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.
We believe A/Z
Property has sufficient net worth to satisfy its indemnity
obligation should it arise, however we
cannot assure you
that A/Z Property will have sufficient liquid assets to satisfy
such obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the
agreement entered into by A/Z Property specifically provides for
two exceptions to the indemnity it has 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.
Our
sponsor, which is affiliated with our officers and directors, has
agreed that, commencing on the effective date of this prospectus
through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business
combination or our liquidation, it will make available to us
certain general and administrative services, including office
space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from
time to time. We have agreed to pay our sponsor an aggregate of up
to $10,000 per month for these services. Accordingly, our officers
and directors will benefit from the transaction to the extent of
their interest in our sponsor. However, this arrangement is solely
for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or
directors compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on
rents and fees for similar services in the Palm Beach, Florida
area, that the fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable
as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.
Other
than the administrative fee of up to $10,000 per month, no
compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s,
consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our
sponsor, members of our management team or their respective
affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with
the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of
the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will
receive the repayment of any loans from our sponsor, officers and
directors for working capital purposes and reimbursement for any
out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with
activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target
businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target
businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and
from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target
businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the
amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.
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 stockholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy
solicitation materials furnished to our stockholders. It is
unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time
of a stockholder meeting held to consider an initial business
combination, as it will be up to the directors of the
post-combination business to determine executive and director
compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly
disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on
Form 8-K, as required by the SEC.
All
ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers
and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms
believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available
from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require
prior approval by a majority of our uninterested
“independent” directors or the members of our board who
do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had
access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal
counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our
disinterested “independent” directors determine that
the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than
those that would be available to us with respect to such a
transaction from unaffiliated third parties.
Related Party Policy
Our
Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related
party transactions that could result in actual or potential
conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the
board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party
transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate
amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any
calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant,
and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election
as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our shares
of common stock, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons
referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or
indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being
a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity).
A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes
actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his
or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may
also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives
improper personal benefits as a result of his or her
position.
Our
audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be
responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions
to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee
will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to
approve a related party transaction, including whether the related
party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms
generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same
or similar circumstances and the extent of the related
party’s interest in the transaction. No director may
participate in the approval of any transaction in which he is a
related party, but that director is required to provide the audit
committee with all material information concerning the transaction.
We also require each of our directors and executive officers to
complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that
elicits information about related party transactions.
These
procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party
transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a
conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or
officer.
To
further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to
consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is
affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors including
(i) an entity that is either a portfolio company of, or has
otherwise received a material financial investment from, any
private equity fund or investment company (or an affiliate thereof)
that is affiliated with any of the foregoing, (ii) an entity in
which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are currently
passive investors, (iii) an entity in which any of the foregoing or
their affiliates are currently officers or directors, or (iv) an
entity in which any of the foregoing or their affiliates are
currently invested through an investment vehicle controlled by
them, unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent
investment banking firm, or another independent entity that
commonly renders valuation opinions on the type of target business
we are seeking to acquire, and the approval of a majority of our
disinterested independent directors that the business combination
is fair to our unaffiliated stockholders from a financial point of
view.
DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
General
As of
September 30, 2017, we were authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares
of common stock, par value $0.001. As of the date of this
prospectus, we are authorized to issue 100,000,000 shares of common
stock, par value $0.001, and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock,
par value $0.001. As of the date of this prospectus, 1,437,500
shares of common stock are outstanding. No shares of 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 consists of one share of common stock one right
and one-half of one warrant.
Each right entitles the holder thereof to receive one-tenth (1/10)
of one share of common stock on the consummation of an initial
business combination.
Each whole warrant
entitles the holder to purchase one share of common stock.
Pursuant to the
warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise his, her or its
warrants only for a whole number of shares of common stock. This
means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time
by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon
separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not
be able to receive or trade a whole
warrant.
The
shares of common stock, rights and
warrants will begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the
date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. informs us of
its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided that in no
event may the shares of common stock, rights 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 and
the sale of the private placement units. Once the shares of common
stock, rights and warrants commence separate trading,
holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate
their units into the component pieces.
We will
file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance
sheet promptly upon the consummation of this offering. The audited
balance sheet will reflect proceeds we receive from the exercise of
the over-allotment option, if the over-allotment option is
exercised on the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment
option is exercised after the date of this prospectus, we will file
an amendment to the Form 8-K to provide updated financial
information to reflect the exercise of the over-allotment option.
We will also include in this Form 8-K, an amendment thereto, or in
a subsequent Form 8-K information indicating if EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc. has allowed separate trading of the shares of common
stock, rights and warrants prior to the 90th day after
the date of this prospectus.
Common Stock
Our
stockholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held
on all matters to be voted on by stockholders. In connection with
any vote held to approve our initial business combination, our
sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed
to vote their respective shares of common stock owned by them
immediately prior to this offering and any shares purchased in this
offering or following this offering in the open market in favor of
the proposed business combination.
We will
consummate our initial business combination only if we have net
tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon such consummation and,
solely if a vote is held to approve a business combination, a
majority of the outstanding shares of common stock voted are voted
in favor of the business combination.
Our
board of directors is divided into two classes, each of which will
generally serve for a term of two years with only one class of
directors being elected in each year. There is no cumulative voting
with respect to the election of directors, with the result that the
holders of more than 50% of the shares eligible to vote for the
election of directors can elect all of the directors.
Our
amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we
will have only 12 months from the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
to complete an initial business
combination. If we have not completed an initial business
combination by such date, 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 outstanding public shares, at a per-share price,
payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in
the trust account, including any interest earned on the funds held
in the trust account net of interest that may be used by us to pay
our franchise and income 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), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as
reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the
approval of our remaining stockholders and our board of directors,
dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii)
above) to our obligations under Delaware law to provide for claims
of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.
Our
sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights
to participate in any liquidation distribution occurring upon our
failure to consummate an initial business combination with respect
to the founder’s shares. Our sponsor, officers and directors
will therefore not participate in any liquidation distribution with
respect to such shares. They will, however, participate in any
liquidation distribution with respect to any shares of common stock
acquired in connection with or following this
offering.
Our
stockholders have no conversion, preemptive or other subscription
rights and there are no sinking fund or redemption provisions
applicable to the shares of 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 equal
to their pro rata share of the trust account if they vote on the
proposed business combination in connection with such business
combination and the business combination is completed. Public
stockholders who sell or convert their stock into their share of
the trust account still have the right to convert their
rights or exercise the warrants that they received as part
of the units.
Founder’s Shares
Our
sponsor has agreed (i) that such shares are subject to certain
transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below and (ii)
(A) to waive its redemption rights with respect to the
founder’s shares and public shares in connection with the
completion of our business combination and (B) to waive its rights
to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to
the founder’s shares if we fail to complete our business
combination within 12 months from the closing of this
offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
, although our sponsor (or any of our
executive officers, directors or affiliates) will be entitled to
liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to
any public shares acquired if we fail to complete our initial
business combination within the allotted 12-month
(or up to 18-month if we extend the period of time to consummate a
business combination by the full amount of time)
time
period. If we submit our business combination to our public
stockholders for a vote, our initial stockholder has agreed to vote
its founder’s shares and any public shares purchased during
or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination
and our executive officers, directors and director nominees have
also agreed to vote any public shares purchased during or after the
offering in favor of our initial business combination. As a result,
we would need only 1,712,501 of the 5,000,000 public shares, or
approximately 34.3%, sold in this offering to be voted in favor of
our initial business combination in order to have such transaction
approved (assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised and
all shares were present and entitled to vote at the meeting).
Permitted transferees of our sponsor will be subject to the same
obligations of our sponsor.
Subject
to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not be
transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow until one year
after the date of the consummation of our initial business
combination, or earlier with respect to fifty percent (50%) of such
shares if, subsequent to our business combination, the last sales
price of our common stock equals or exceeds $12.50 per share (as
adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations and
recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading
day period following the consummation of our initial business
combination.
Preferred Stock
There
are no shares of preferred stock outstanding. As of the date of
this prospectus, our amended and restated certificate of
incorporation authorizes the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of
preferred stock with such designation, rights and preferences as
may be determined from time to time by our board of directors. No
shares of preferred stock are being issued or registered in this
offering. Accordingly, our board of directors is empowered, without
stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend,
liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights which could
adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of
common stock. However, the underwriting agreement prohibits us,
prior to a business combination, from issuing preferred stock which
participates in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or
which votes as a class with the common stock on a business
combination. We may issue some or all of the preferred stock to
effect a business combination. In addition, the preferred stock
could be utilized as a method of discouraging, delaying or
preventing a change in control of us. Although we do not currently
intend to issue any shares of preferred stock, we cannot assure you
that we will not do so in the future.
Rights
Public Stockholders’ Rights
Each holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share
of common stock upon consummation of our initial business
combination, even if the holder of such right redeemed all shares
of common stock held by it in connection with the initial business
combination. No additional consideration will be required to be
paid by a holder of rights in order to receive its additional
shares upon consummation of an initial business combination, as the
consideration related thereto has been included in the unit
purchase price paid for by investors in this offering. If we enter
into a definitive agreement for a business combination in which we
will not be the surviving entity, the definitive agreement will
provide for the holders of rights to receive the same per share
consideration the holders of the common stock will receive in the
transaction on an as-converted into common stock basis, and each
holder of a right will be required to affirmatively convert its
rights in order to receive the 1/10 share underlying each right
(without paying any additional consideration) upon consummation of
the business combination. More specifically, the right holder will
be required to indicate its election to convert the rights into
underlying shares as well as to return the original rights
certificates to us.
If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within
the required time period and we liquidate the funds held in the
trust account, holders of rights will not receive any such funds
with respect to their rights, nor will they receive any
distribution from our assets held outside of the trust account with
respect to such rights, and the rights will expire
worthless.
As soon as practicable upon the consummation of our initial
business combination, we will direct registered holders of the
rights to return their rights to our rights agent. Upon receipt of
the rights, the rights agent will issue to the registered holder of
such rights the number of full shares of common stock to which it
is entitled. We will notify registered holders of the rights to
deliver their rights to the rights agent promptly upon consummation
of such business combination and have been informed by the rights
agent that the process of exchanging their rights for shares of
common stock should take no more than a matter of days. The
foregoing exchange of rights is solely ministerial in nature and is
not intended to provide us with any means of avoiding our
obligation to issue the shares underlying the rights upon
consummation of our initial business combination. Other than
confirming that the right delivered by a registered holder are
valid, we will have no ability to avoid delivery of the shares
underlying the rights. Nevertheless, there are no contractual
penalties for failure to deliver securities to the holders of the
rights upon consummation of an initial business combination.
Additionally, in no event will we be required to net cash settle
the rights. Accordingly, you might not receive the shares of common
stock underlying the rights.
The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights will be freely
tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of ours). We will
not issue fractional shares upon conversion of the rights. If, upon
conversion of the rights, a holder would be entitled to receive a
fractional interest in a share, we will, upon conversion, comply
with Section 155 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (which
provides that Delaware companies shall either (1) arrange for the
disposition of fractional interests by those entitled thereto, (2)
pay in cash the fair value of fractions of a share as of the time
when those entitled to receive such fractions are determined or (3)
issue scrip or warrants in registered form (either represented by a
certificate or uncertificated) or in bearer form (represented by a
certificate) which shall entitle the holder to receive a full share
upon the surrender of such scrip or warrants aggregating a full
share). We will make the determination of how we are treating
fractional shares at the time of our initial business combination
and will include such determination in the proxy materials we will
send to stockholders for their consideration of such initial
business combination.
Rights contained in the Private Placement Units
The
rights contained in the private placement units have the same terms
as the rights being sold as part of the units in this offering. See
"Description of Securities - Rights- Public Stockholders' Rights"
above.
Warrants
Public Stockholders’ Warrants
No
warrants are currently outstanding. Each whole warrant
entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of common
stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as
discussed below, at any time after the later of the completion of
an initial business combination and 12 months from the closing of
this offering. No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we
have an effective and current registration statement covering the
shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a
current prospectus relating to such shares of common stock.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering
the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the public
warrants is not effective within a specified period following the
consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders
may, until such time as there is an effective registration
statement and during any period when we shall have failed to
maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on
a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section
3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is
available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not
available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a
cashless basis. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise
price 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 exercise price
of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined
below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market
value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last
sale price of the shares of common stock for the 5 trading days
ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The
warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of
an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time,
or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We may
call the warrants for redemption (excluding the warrants contained
in the private placement units and any warrants included in
additional private units issued to our sponsor, officers or
directors in payment of working capital loans made to us, but
including any outstanding warrants issued upon exercise of the unit
purchase option issued to EarlyBirdCapital and/or its designees),
in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per
warrant,
●
at any time during
the exercise period,
●
upon not less than
30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant
holder,
●
if, and only if,
the reported last sale price of the shares of common stock equals
or exceeds $21.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock
dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20
trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on the third
business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders;
and
●
if, and only if,
there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to
the shares of common stock underlying such warrants.
The
right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are
exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption.
On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will
have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for
such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such
warrant.
The
redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a
price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable
premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient
differential between the then-prevailing share price and the
warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a
result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the
share price to drop below the exercise price of the
warrants.
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 such event,
each holder would pay the exercise price 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 exercise price of the warrants and the
“fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair
market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the
average reported last sale price of the shares of common stock for
the 5 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.
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 written consent or vote, of the
holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding warrants in order
to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the
registered holders.
The
exercise price and number of shares of common stock issuable on
exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances
including in the event of a stock dividend, extraordinary dividend
or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation.
However, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of shares
of common stock at a price below their respective exercise
prices.
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 and executed as indicated, accompanied by
full payment of the exercise price, 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 shares of common stock and any voting rights until they exercise
their warrants and receive shares of common stock. After the
issuance of shares of 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.
Under
the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best
efforts to have declared effective a prospectus relating to the
shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants and
keep such prospectus current until the expiration of the warrants.
However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so and, if
we do not maintain a current prospectus relating to the shares of
common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will
be unable to exercise their warrants for cash and we will not be
required to net cash settle or cash settle the warrant
exercise.
Warrant
holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of
their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be
able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving
effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in
excess of 9.8% of the shares of common stock
outstanding.
No
fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If,
by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to the warrant agreement,
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 common
stock to be issued to the warrant holder.
Warrants contained in the Private Placement Units
The
warrants contained in the private placement units will not be
transferable, assignable or salable until after the completion of
our initial business combination (except, among other limited
exceptions as described under “Principal Stockholders”)
and they will not be redeemable by us and may be exercised on a
cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor or its
permitted transferees. Otherwise, the warrants contained in the
private placement units have terms and provisions that are
identical to those of the warrants being sold as part of the units
in this offering. If the warrants contained in the private
placement units are held by holders other than our sponsor or its
permitted transferees, the warrants contained in the private
placement units 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 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 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” (defined below) by (y) the fair
market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the
average reported last sale price of the 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 may be exercised
on a cashless basis so long as they are held by our sponsor and
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 shares of 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.
Representative’s Shares of Common Stock
We have agreed to issue to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees)
100,000 shares of common stock (or up to 115,000 shares if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, pro
rata with the amount of the over-allotment option being exercised)
upon the consummation of this offering (and upon consummation of
any portion of the over-allotment option). EarlyBirdCapital (and/or
its designees) has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such
shares without our prior consent until the completion of our
initial business combination. In addition, EarlyBirdCapital (and/or
its designees) has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with
respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our
initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to
liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to
such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination
within 12 months from the closing of this offering (or up to 18
months from the closing of this offering if we extend the period of
time to consummate a business combination by the full amount of
time).
Purchase Option
We have
agreed to sell to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees) at the
closing of the offering for $100.00, an option to purchase up to
500,000 units. The units issuable upon exercise of this option are
identical to those offered by this prospectus. See
“Underwriting.”
Dividends
We have
not paid any cash dividends on our shares of 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 dividends
subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion
of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our
board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our
business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate
declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.
Our Transfer Agent, Rights Agent and Warrant
Agent
The
transfer agent for our securities, rights agent for our
rights and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company, One State Street Plaza, New
York, New York 10004.
Listing of our Securities
We
expect our units, common stock, rights and warrants
quoted on Nasdaq under the symbols “BRPAU,”
“BRPA,” "BRPAR" and
“BRPAW,” respectively. We anticipate that our units
will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the effective date of
the registration statement. Following the date the shares of our
common stock, rights and warrants are eligible to
trade separately, we anticipate that the shares of our common
stock, rights and warrants will be listed separately
and as a unit on Nasdaq.
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 two 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. Furthermore,
because our board is classified, directors may be removed only with
cause by a majority of our outstanding shares.
Special meeting of stockholders
Our
bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be
called only by a majority vote of our board of directors, by our
Chief Executive Officer or by our Chairman.
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 received by the company
secretary at our principal executive offices not later than the
close of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the open of
business on the 120th day prior to the anniversary date of the
immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Pursuant to
Rule 14a-8 of the Exchange Act, proposals seeking inclusion in our
annual proxy statement must comply with the notice periods
contained therein. Our bylaws 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 of the Delaware General Corporation
Law
We will
be subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law regulating corporate takeovers. This statute
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.
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.
SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE
Immediately
after this offering, we will have 6,575,000 shares of common stock
outstanding, or 7,546,250 shares if the over-allotment option is
exercised in full. Of these shares, the 5,000,000 shares of common
stock sold in this offering, or 5,750,000 shares of common stock if
the over-allotment option is exercised in full (in each case,
excluding shares underlying rights to be sold in this offering, and
excluding shares underlying private placement rights), will
be freely tradable without restriction or further registration
under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of
our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities
Act. All of the remaining shares are restricted securities under
Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not
involving a public offering. All of those shares have been placed
in escrow and will not be transferable until they are released
except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this
prospectus.
Rule 144
A
person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of common
stock, rights 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. Persons who have beneficially
owned restricted shares of common stock for at least six months but
who are our affiliates at the time of, or 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 a number of shares that does not exceed the
greater of either of the following:
●
1% of the number of
shares of common stock then outstanding, which will equal 65,750
shares immediately after this offering (or 75,462 if the
over-allotment option is exercised in full); and
●
the average weekly
trading volume of the shares of common stock during the four
calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with
respect to the sale.
Sales
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
Historically,
the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available
for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that
are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC
has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed
above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities
issued by any shell companies (other than business combination
related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time
previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important
exception to this prohibition, however, 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
●
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, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsor will be
able to sell its founder’s shares freely without registration
one year after we have completed our initial business combination
assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.
Registration Rights
The
holder of our founder’s shares issued and outstanding on the
date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private
placement units and any private units issued to our sponsor,
officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of
working capital loans made to us (and the underlying securities)
will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to
be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. The
holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up
to three demands that we register such securities. The holders of
the majority of the founder’s shares can elect to exercise
these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior
to the date on which these shares of common stock are to be
released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private
placement units or private units issued to our sponsor, officers,
directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans
made to us (in each case, including the underlying securities) can
elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we
consummate a business combination. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary, EarlyBirdCapital and its designees may only make a demand
on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on
the effective date of the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part. In addition, the holders have certain
“piggy-back” registration rights with respect to
registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a
business combination; provided, however, that EarlyBirdCapital and
its designees may participate in a “piggy-back”
registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the
effective date of the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in
connection with the filing of any such registration
statements.
CERTAIN MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX
CONSIDERATIONS
The
following is a discussion of the material U.S. federal income tax
consequences of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of our
units, shares of common stock, rights and warrants,
which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the
components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the
holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal
income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying common
stock, right and warrant components of the unit, as
the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to
actual holders of common stock, rights and warrants
should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the
underlying common stock, rights and warrants that
comprise the units). This discussion applies only to securities
that are held as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax
purposes and is applicable only to holders who purchased units in
this offering.
This
discussion is limited solely to U.S. federal income tax
considerations and does not address all of the U.S. federal income
considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your
particular circumstances. This discussion does not describe
different tax consequences that may be relevant to persons subject
to special rules, such as:
●
banks and other
financial institutions;
●
dealers and traders
in securities or currencies;
●
persons holding our
securities as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion transaction
integrated transaction or similar transaction;
●
certain former
citizens or residents of the United States;
●
U.S. holders (as
defined below) 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 and investors therein;
●
persons liable for
the alternative minimum tax; and
This
discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (the “Code”), and administrative
pronouncements, judicial decisions and final, temporary and
proposed Treasury regulations as of the date hereof, changes to any
of which subsequent to the date of this prospectus may affect the
tax consequences described herein. This discussion does not address
any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S.
federal taxes other than income taxes (such as gift and estate
taxes).
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.
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
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 PHC income, which generally
includes our taxable income subject to certain
adjustments.
Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a
Unit
No
statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses
the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S.
federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not
entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for
U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of
our common stock, one right and one-half of one
warrant to acquire one share of our common stock. We intend to
treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a
unit, you will agree to adopt such treatment for tax purposes. For
U.S. federal income tax purposes, you must allocate the purchase
price paid by you for such unit among the share of common
stock, the right and one-half of one the
warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time
of issuance. You must determine the fair market value of the share
of common stock, the right and the warrant as of the
date of issuance. Any such determination must take into account the
relevant facts and circumstances, including any market prices for
our common stock, rights or warrants attributable to
any public trading of the common stock, rights or
warrants that occurs after the units are issued. The price
allocated to each share of common stock, the right and
the
one-half of
one
warrant will be your tax basis in such
share, right or
one-half of
one
warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a
unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a
disposition of the share of common stock
, one right and
one-half of
one warrant comprising the unit, and the
amount realized on the disposition should be allocated
among the share of common stock, the
right and the
one-half of
one
warrant based on their respective relative fair
market values (determined at the time of such disposition taking
into account all the relevant facts and
circumstances).
The
foregoing treatment of the shares of common stock,
rights and warrants and your purchase price allocation are
not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no
authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to
the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts
will agree with the characterization described above or the
discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged
to consult its own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of
an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of
a unit). The balance of this discussion assumes that the
characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S.
federal income tax purposes.
U.S. Holders
This
section is addressed to U.S. holders of our securities. For
purposes of this discussion, a “U.S. holder” is a
beneficial owner of our securities that is, for U.S. federal income
tax purposes:
●
an individual who
is citizen or resident of the United States;
●
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;
●
an estate or trust
the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation
regardless of its source; or
●
a trust if (A) a
court within the United States is able to exercise primary
supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more
United States persons (within the meaning of the Code) have the
authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B)
it has in effect a valid election to be treated as a United States
person.
Dividends and Distributions
If we
make cash 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, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles.
Distributions in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and
profits generally will first constitute a return of capital that
will reduce your basis in the common stock (but not below zero).
Any remaining excess will be treated as gain realized on the sale
or other disposition of the Common Stock (as described in the first
paragraph under “U.S. Holders — Sale or Other
Disposition or Conversion of common stock”
below).
Dividends
we pay to a U.S. holder that is a taxable corporation generally
will qualify for the dividends received deduction if the requisite
holding period is satisfied. With certain exceptions (including,
but not limited to, dividends treated as investment income for
purposes of investment interest deduction limitations), and
provided certain holding period requirements are met, dividends we
pay to a non-corporate U.S. holder generally will constitute
“qualified dividends” that will be subject to tax at
the maximum tax rate accorded to long-term capital gains. It is
unclear whether the conversion rights with respect to the common
stock described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a
Business Combination — Conversion Rights” may prevent
you from satisfying the applicable holding period requirements with
respect to the dividends received deduction or the preferential tax
rate on qualified dividend income, as the case may be.
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) generally will be capital gain or loss. The amount
of your gain or loss will be equal to the difference between your
tax 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. The
deductibility of capital losses is subject to
limitations.
If you
convert your common stock into a right to receive cash as described
in “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business
Combination — Conversion Rights” or we repurchase your
common stock in an open market transaction, the treatment of the
transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on
whether the conversion or repurchase (hereinafter referred to as a
“redemption”) qualifies as sale of the common stock
under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a
sale of common stock, you will be treated as described in the
preceding paragraph (rather than as a dividend or distribution). If
the redemption does not qualify as a sale of common stock, the you
will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax
consequences described above under “U.S. Holders —
Dividends and Distributions”. Whether a redemption qualifies
for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of
shares of our stock treated as held by you (including any stock
constructively owned by you as a result of owning warrants)
relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the
redemption. The redemption of common stock generally will be
treated as a sale of the common stock (rather than as a corporate
distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially
disproportionate” with respect to you, (ii) results in a
“complete termination” of your interest in us or (iii)
is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with
respect to you. These tests are explained more fully below. In
determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a
U.S. holder takes into account not only stock actually owned by the
U.S. holder, but also shares of our stock that are constructively
owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to
stock owned directly, stock owned by certain related individuals
and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have
an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any stock the U.S.
holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would
generally include common stock which could be acquired pursuant to
the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially
disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting
stock actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder
immediately following the redemption of common stock must, among
other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our
outstanding voting stock actually and constructively owned by the
U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a
complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either
(i) all of the shares of our stock actually and constructively
owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed or (ii) all of the shares of
our stock actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the
U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in
accordance with specific rules, the attribution of stock owned by
certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively
own any other stock. The redemption of the common stock will not be
essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s
conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the
U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the
redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S.
holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the
particular facts and circumstances. You should consult with your
own tax advisor as to the tax consequences of a
redemption.
If none
of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be
treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects to you will
be as described under “U.S. Holders — Dividends and
Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules,
any remaining tax basis you have in the redeemed common stock will
be added to your adjusted tax basis in your remaining stock, or, if
you have none, to your adjusted tax basis in your warrants or
possibly in other stock constructively owned by you.
Sale or Other Disposition, Exercise or Expiration of Warrants
or Rights
Upon
the sale or other disposition of a warrant (other than by exercise)
or our rights, 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
or rights (as the case may be). 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 or right has
been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of
capital losses is subject to limitations.
Except
as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a
warrant, you generally will not recognize taxable gain or loss from
the acquisition of common stock upon exercise of a warrant for
cash. Your tax basis in the share of our common stock received upon
exercise of the warrant generally will be an amount equal to the
sum of the your initial investment in the warrant (i.e., the
portion of your purchase price for a unit that is allocated to the
warrant) and the exercise price. Your holding period for the common
stock received upon exercise of the warrants will begin on the date
following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise)
of the warrants and will not include the period during which you
held the warrants. If a warrant is allowed to lapse unexercised,
you generally will recognize a capital loss equal to your tax basis
in the warrant.
The tax
consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear
under current tax law. A cashless exercise may be tax-free, either
because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the
exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income
tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a your tax basis in the
common stock received would equal your tax basis in the warrant. If
the cashless exercise were treated as not being a gain realization
event, your holding period in the common stock would be treated as
commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly
the date of exercise) of the warrant. If the cashless exercise were
treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the common
stock would include the holding period of the warrant.
It is
also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as
a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. In
such event, you could be deemed to have surrendered warrants equal
to the number of common shares having a value equal to the exercise
price for the total number of warrants to be exercised. You would
recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference
between the fair market value of the common stock represented by
the warrants deemed surrendered and your tax basis in the warrants
deemed surrendered. In this case, your tax basis in the common
stock received would equal the sum of the fair market value of the
common stock represented by the warrants deemed surrendered and
your tax basis in the warrants exercised. Your holding period for
the common stock would commence on the date following the date of
exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the
warrant.
Due to
the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment
of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of
the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described
above would be adopted by the IRS or a court of law. Accordingly,
you should consult your own tax advisor regarding the tax
consequences of a cashless exercise.
If a
warrant expires without being exercised, you will recognize a
capital loss in an amount equal to your tax 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.
In general, you should not recognize gain or loss upon the
acquisition of common stock pursuant to the rights. The tax basis
of common stock acquired pursuant to the rights should be equal to
your tax basis in such rights. The holding period of such common
stock should begin on the day after the receipt of such common
stock pursuant to such rights. The tax treatment of a right that
expires worthless is unclear. Holders of rights should consult
their own tax advisors regarding the tax treatment of any losses
that result if the rights expire worthless.
Constructive Distributions on Warrants
The
terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of
shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to
the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed
in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of
Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’
Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing
dilution generally is not taxable. You would, however, be treated
as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example,
the adjustment increases your proportionate interest in our assets
or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of
shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a
result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our
common stock which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as
described under “U.S. Holders — Dividends and
Distributions” above. For example, if the exercise price of
the warrants is decreased as a result of certain taxable dividends
paid to holders of the common stock, then the amount by which such
exercise was decreased could be considered an increase in the
warrant holder’s proportionate interest in our assets or
earnings and profits, which may result in a constructive
distribution to you with respect to your warrants. Such
constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same
manner as if you received a cash distribution from us equal to the
fair market value of such increased interest. You should consult
your tax advisor regarding the proper treatment of adjustment 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, rights 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
If 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 “Non-U.S. Holders
— Constructive Distributions 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 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
“Non-U.S. Holders — Sale or Other Disposition of
Common Stock, Rights 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 “Non-U.S. Holders
— Sale or Other Disposition of Common Stock,
Rights 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 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
The
U.S. federal income tax treatment of your exercise of a warrant, or
the expiration of a warrant held by a Non-U.S. holder, generally
will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the
exercise or expiration of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described
under “U.S. holders — Sale or other Disposition,
Exercise or Expiration of Warrants” above, although to the
extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the
consequences would be similar to those described below in
“Non-U.S. Holders — Sale or Other Disposition of Common
Stock or Warrants.”
Sale or Other Disposition of Common Stock, Rights or
Warrants
You
generally will not be subject to United States federal income tax
on any gain realized upon the sale, taxable exchange or other
taxable disposition of our common stock (which would include a
dissolution and liquidation if we do not consummate an initial
business combination within the required timeframe),
rights 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 or fixed
base you maintain);
●
you are an
individual, you hold your shares of common stock,
rights 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, rights 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 or
rights. You are urged to consult your own tax advisors
regarding the effect of holding the warrants or rights
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.
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, rights 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,
rights or warrants will be subject to U.S. federal income
tax at generally applicable U.S. federal income tax rates. In
addition, a buyer of your shares of common stock,
rights 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
“Non-U.S. Holders — Dividends and Distributions”
if the conversion is not treated as a sale of your common stock.
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 Distribution on Warrants
The
terms of each warrant provide for an adjustment to the number of
shares of common stock for which the warrant may be exercised or to
the exercise price of the warrant in certain events, as discussed
in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of
Securities — Warrants — Public Stockholders’
Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing
dilution generally is not taxable. You would, however, be treated
as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example,
the adjustment increases your proportionate interest in our assets
or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of
shares of common stock that would be obtained upon exercise) as a
result of a distribution of cash to the holders of shares of our
common stock which is taxable. For example, if the exercise price
of the warrants is decreased as a result of certain taxable
dividends paid to holders of the common stock, then the amount by
which such exercise was decreased could be considered an increase
in the warrant holder’s proportionate interest in our assets
or earnings and profits, which may result in a constructive
distribution to you with respect to your warrants. Such
constructive distribution would be subject to tax in the same
manner as if you received a cash distribution from us equal to the
fair market value of such increased interest. Any resulting
withholding tax would be collected from other amounts payable or
distributable to you. You should consult your tax advisor regarding
the proper treatment of any adjustment 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.
Backup
withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld with
respect to your shares of common stock, rights 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.
FATCA Withholding
The
Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”) generally
imposes a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends and on
the gross proceeds of a disposition of our common
stock
,
rights
or warrants paid to a “foreign financial
institution” (as specially defined under these rules), unless
such institution enters into an agreement with the U.S. government
to withhold on certain payments and to collect and provide to the
U.S. tax authorities substantial information regarding the U.S.
account holders of such institution (which includes certain equity
and debt holders of such institution, as well as certain account
holders that are foreign entities with U.S. owners) or otherwise
establishes an exemption. FATCA also generally imposes a U.S.
federal withholding tax of 30% on dividends and on the gross
proceeds of a disposition of our common stock
,
rights
or warrants paid to a “non-financial
foreign entity” (as specially defined under these rules)
unless such entity provides the withholding agent with a
certification identifying certain substantial direct and indirect
U.S. owners of the entity, certifies that there are none or
otherwise establishes an exemption. The withholding obligations
under FATCA generally apply to payments of dividends (including
constructive dividends) on our common stock
,
rights
or warrants, and under transition rules, are
expected to apply to payments of gross proceeds from a sale or
other disposition of our common stock
,
rights
or warrants on or after January 1, 2019. An
intergovernmental agreement between the United States and an
applicable foreign country may modify the requirements described in
this paragraph. We will not pay any additional amounts to holders
in respect of any amounts withheld, including pursuant to FATCA.
Under certain circumstances, you may be eligible for refunds or
credits of such taxes. Prospective investors are encouraged to
consult with their own tax advisors regarding the possible
implications of this legislation on their investment in our
securities.
UNDERWRITING
We are
offering the units described in this prospectus through the
underwriters named below. EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is acting as
representative of the underwriters. We have entered into an
underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the
terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the
underwriters have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to
the underwriters, the number of units listed next to each of its
name in the following table:
Underwriter
|
|
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
|
-
|
I-Bankers
Securities, Inc
|
-
|
Total
|
5,000,000
|
The
underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must buy all
of the units if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters are
not required to purchase the units covered by the option to
purchase additional units as described below.
Our
units are offered subject to a number of conditions,
including:
●
receipt and
acceptance of our units by the underwriters; and
●
the
underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in
part.
In
connection with this offering, the underwriters or securities
dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.
Option To Purchase Additional Units
We have
granted the underwriters an option to buy up to an aggregate of
750,000 additional units. The underwriters have 45 days from the
date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the
underwriters exercise this option, they will purchase additional
units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the
table above.
Underwriting Discount
Units
sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at
the initial 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 of up to $____ per unit from the
initial public offering price and the dealers may reallow a
concession not in excess of $____ per unit to other dealers. Sales
of units made outside of the United States may be made by
affiliates of the underwriters. After completion of the
initial public offering, if all the units are
not sold at the initial public offering price, the representative
may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon
execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be
obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms
stated therein.
The
following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount
we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full
exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase up to
750,000 additional units.
|
|
|
Per
Unit
|
$
0.25
|
$
0.25
|
Total
|
$
1,250,000
|
$
1,437,500
|
We
estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not
including the underwriting discount, will be approximately
$500,000. In addition, we have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related
fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to
exceed $15,000, the expenses of transaction “bibles”
and lucite cube “mementos,” not to exceed $3,000, and
the expenses of investigations and background checks, not to exceed
$21,000. We have paid EarlyBirdCapital $25,000 as an advance
against its actual out-of-pocket expenses. To the extent that the
out-of-pocket expenses are less than this advance, EarlyBirdCapital
will refund the excess to us.
Indemnification
We have
agreed to indemnify the underwriter against certain liabilities,
including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are
unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to
contribute to payments the underwriter may be required to make in
respect of those liabilities.
NASDAQ Listing
We have
applied to have our units listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under
the symbol “BRPAU” on or promptly after the date of
this prospectus. Once the securities comprising the units begin
separate trading, the common stock, rights and
warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols
“BRPA,” "BRPAR" and
“BRPAW.”
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
We have
engaged EarlyBirdCapital as an advisor in connection with our
business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our
stockholders to discuss the potential business combination and the
target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential
investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in
connection with the business combination, assist us in obtaining
stockholder approval for the business combination and assist us
with our press releases and public filings in connection with the
business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital a cash fee for
such services upon the consummation of our initial business
combination in an amount equal to 4.0% of the gross proceeds of
this offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees
which might become payable).
Representative’s Shares of Common Stock
We have
agreed to issue to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees) 100,000
shares of common stock (or up to 115,000 shares if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)
upon the consummation of this offering. EarlyBirdCapital (and/or
its designees) has agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such
shares without our prior consent until the completion of our
initial business combination. In addition, EarlyBirdCapital (and/or
its designees) has agreed (i) to waive its redemption rights with
respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our
initial business combination and (ii) to waive its rights to
liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to
such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination
within 12 months from the closing of this offering
(or up to 18 months from the closing of this offering if we extend
the period of time to consummate a business combination by the full
amount of time)
.
The
shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore
subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following
the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of
which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of
FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA Rule
5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any
hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would
result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person
for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date
of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a
part, nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or
hypothecated for a period of 180 days immediately following the
effective date of the registration statement of which this
prospectus forms a part except to any underwriter and selected
dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers
or partners.
Pursuant
to the underwriting agreement, we have granted the holders of these
shares the same registration rights as described below with respect
to the purchase option.
Purchase Option
We have
agreed to sell to EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees), for
$100, an option to purchase up to a total of 500,000 units
exercisable at $10.00 per unit (or an aggregate exercise price of
$5,000,000) upon the closing of this offering.
Since the option is not
exercisable until the closing of our initial business combination
and the rights will entitle the holders to receive one-tenth of a
share at that time, the option will effectively represent the right
to purchase up to 550,000 shares of common stock (which includes
the 50,000 shares which will be issued for the rights included in
the units) and 250,000 warrants to purchase 250,000 shares of
common stock at $11.50 per share for an aggregate maximum amount of
$2,875,000.
The purchase option
may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the
holder’s option, at any time during the period commencing on
the later of the first anniversary of the effective date of the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and
the closing of our initial business combination and terminating on
the fifth anniversary of such effectiveness date. Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary, EarlyBirdCapital has agreed that neither
it nor its designees will be permitted to exercise the option
nor the rights or the warrants underlying the option
after the five year anniversary of the effective date of the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The
option and such units purchased pursuant to the option, as well as
the shares of common stock underlying such units, the rights
and warrants included in such units and the shares of common
stock that are issuable for the rights and warrants
included in such units have been deemed compensation by FINRA and
are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days
immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part
pursuant to Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules.
Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the
subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call
transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the
securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately
following the effective date of the registration statement of which
this prospectus forms a part, nor may they be sold, transferred,
assigned, pledged or hypothecated for a period of 180 days
immediately following the effective date of the registration
statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any
underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and
their bona fide officers or partners. The option grants to holders
demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and
seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the
registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part with
respect to the registration under the Securities Act of the
securities directly and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the
option. We will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering
the securities, other than underwriting commissions, which will be
paid for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number
of units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in
certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend,
or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation.
However, the option will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of
common stock at a price below its exercise price. We will have no
obligation to net cash settle the exercise of the purchase option
or the rights or warrants underlying the purchase option. The
holder of the purchase option will not be entitled to exercise the
purchase option or the rights or warrants underlying the purchase
option unless a registration statement covering the securities
underlying the purchase option is effective or an exemption from
registration is available. If the holder is unable to exercise the
purchase option or underlying rights or warrants, the purchase
option, rights or warrants, as applicable, will expire
worthless.
The
exercise price and number of units issuable upon exercise of the
option (and the underlying securities) may be adjusted in certain
circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend, or our
recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However,
the option will not be adjusted for issuances of shares of common
stock at a price below its exercise price.
Price Stabilization, Short Positions
In
connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in
activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price
of units during and after this offering, including:
●
stabilizing
transactions;
●
purchases to cover
positions created by short sales;
●
imposition of
penalty bids; and
●
syndicate covering
transactions.
Stabilizing
transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of
preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units
while this offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions
permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the
stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These
transactions may also include making short sales of our units,
which involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of
units than they are required to purchase in this offering and
purchasing units on the open market to cover short positions
created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short
sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater
than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units
referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which
are short positions in excess of that amount.
The
underwriters may close out any covered short position by either
exercising their option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing
units in the open market. In making this determination, the
underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units
available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price
at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment
option.
Naked
short sales are short sales made in excess of the over-allotment
option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by
purchasing units in the open market. 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 that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this
offering.
The
underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a
particular underwriter repays to the representative of the
underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it
because the representative has repurchased units sold by or for the
account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering
transactions.
These
stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions
created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and
syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or
maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or
retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result
of these activities, the price of our units may be higher than the
price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The
underwriters may carry out these transactions on the Nasdaq, in the
over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the
underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect
that the transactions described above may have on the price of the
units. Neither we, nor the underwriters, make any representation
that the underwriter will engage in these stabilization
transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be
discontinued without notice.
Determination of Offering Price
Prior
to this offering, there was no public market for our units. The
initial public offering price will be determined by negotiation
between us and the representative of the underwriters. The
principal factors to be considered in determining the initial
public offering price include:
●
the information set
forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the
representative;
●
our history and
prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which
we compete;
●
our past and
present financial performance;
●
our prospects for
future earnings and the present state of our
development;
●
the general
condition of the securities market at the time of this
offering;
●
the recent market
prices of, and demand for, publicly traded units of generally
comparable companies; and
●
other factors
deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.
The
estimated public offering price range set forth on the cover page
of this preliminary prospectus is subject to change as a result of
market conditions and other factors. Neither we nor the
underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market
will develop for our units, warrants, rights or common
stock or that the units will trade in the public market at or above
the initial public offering price.
Affiliations
EarlyBirdCapital
and its affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged
in various activities, which may include securities trading,
commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment
management, investment research, principal investment, hedging,
financing and brokerage activities. EarlyBirdCapital and its
affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and
perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business
for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the
ordinary course of their various business activities, the
underwriters and their respective affiliates may also 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, and such investment and securities
activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The
underwriters and its affiliates may also make investment
recommendations and/or publish or express independent research
views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any
time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or
short positions in these securities and instruments.
Additional Future Arrangements
We are
not under any contractual obligation to engage any of the
underwriters to provide any services for us after this offering,
and have no present intent to do so. However, the underwriters may
introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising
additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters
provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such
underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at
that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no
agreement will be entered into with any underwriter and no fees for
such services will be paid to any underwriter prior to the date
that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA
determines that such payment would not be deemed
underwriter’s compensation in connection with this
offering.
Electronic Distribution
A
prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the
Internet sites or through other online services maintained by the
underwriters participating in this offering, or by their
affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering
terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter,
prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The
underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of
units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such
allocation for online distributions will be made by the
underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the
prospectus in electronic format, the information on any
underwriter’s website and any information contained in any
other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the
prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus
forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any
underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied
upon by investors.
Selling Restrictions
Canada
Resale Restrictions
We
intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario,
Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of
a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare
and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in
such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities
in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will
vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require
resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a
discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian
securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in
some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside
of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice
prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a
“reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under
applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or
territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and
there currently is no public market for any of the securities in
Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised
that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document
with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the
resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory
in Canada.
Representations of Purchasers
A
Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the
dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received
that:
●
the purchaser is
entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase
our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under
those securities laws;
●
where required by
law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as
agent;
●
the purchaser has
reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and
●
the purchaser
acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information
concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory
authority that by law is entitled to collect the
information.
Rights of Action — Ontario Purchasers Only
Under
Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a
security offered by this prospectus during the period of
distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or
while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us
in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation
without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the
misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable
not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser
first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action
and three years from the date on which payment is made for our
securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not
later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our
securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action
for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for
damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any
action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the
purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the
securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no
liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be
liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not
represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result
of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition
to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies
available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a
summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario
purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant
statutory provisions.
Enforcement of Legal Rights
All of
our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are
located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible
for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada
upon us or those persons. All of our assets and the assets of those
persons are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not
be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in
Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against
us or those persons outside of Canada.
Collection of Personal Information
If a
Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the
securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser
authorizes the indirect collection of personal information
pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities
Commission (the “OSC”) and each Canadian purchaser will
be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser
has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal
information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including,
without limitation, the full name, residential address and
telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of
securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect
of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected
indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in
securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being
collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of
the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title,
business address and business telephone number of the public
official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSC’s
indirect collection of the information is the Administrative
Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario
Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West,
Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile:
(416) 593-8252.
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 shares 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 shares without
disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations
Act.
The
shares 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 shares 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 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 shares to which this prospectus relates may be
illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale.
Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their
own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the
contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized
financial advisor.
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 underwriter 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 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 PD 2010 Amending
Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state)
and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant
member state, and 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 Switzerland
The
shares 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 shares 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 shares will
not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory
Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares 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 shares.
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
(all such persons together being referred to as a “relevant
person”). The units are only available to, and any
invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire
such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This
prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be
distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or
disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom.
Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person
should not act or rely on this document or any of its
contents.
Notice to Prospective Investors in France
Neither
this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the
units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the
clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés
Financiers or by 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, Article 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 have not been and will not be registered under the Financial
Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as
amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or
indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or
to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in
Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all
applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated
by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in
effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph,
“Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in
Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under
the laws of Japan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
This
prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the
Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and
any other document or material in connection with the offer or
sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may
not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or
sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or
purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore
other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of
the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the
“SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section
275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in
accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA
or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the
conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each
case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the
SFA.
Where
the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA
by a relevant person which is:
●
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.
LEGAL MATTERS
Akerman
LLP, Miami, Florida is acting as our 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
offering. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel
to the underwriters.
EXPERTS
The
financial statements of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. at
September 30, 2017 and for the period from September 18, 2017
(inception) through September 30, 2017 included 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 Big Rock Partners 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 on such report given upon the authority of
such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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. You may also read and copy any document we
file with the SEC at its public reference facility at 100 F Street,
N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549.
You may
also obtain copies of the documents at prescribed rates by writing
to the Public Reference Section of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for
further information on the operation of the public reference
facilities.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F.
|
|
Page
|
Report of Independent Registered Pubic Accounting Firm
|
|
F-2
|
Balance
Sheet
|
|
F-3
|
Statement
of Operations
|
|
F-4
|
Statement of Changes in Stockholder’s Equity
|
|
F-5
|
Statement of Cash Flows
|
|
F-6
|
Notes to Financial Statements
|
|
F-7
– F-14
|
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING
FIRM
To the
Board of Directors and Shareholder
of Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
We have
audited the accompanying balance sheet of Big Rock Partners
Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of September 30,
2017, and the related statements of operations, changes in
stockholder’s equity and cash flows for the period from
September 18, 2017 (inception) through September 30, 2017. These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s
management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these
financial statements based on our audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards
of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those
standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are
free of material misstatement. The Company is not required to
have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal
control over financial reporting. Our audit included consideration
of internal control over financial reporting as a basis for
designing audit procedures that are appropriate in the
circumstances, 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.
An audit also includes examining, on a test basis, evidence
supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements,
assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates
made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial
statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a
reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our
opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of Big Rock
Partners Acquisition Corp. as of September 30, 2017 and the results
of its operations and its cash flows for the period from September
18, 2017 (inception) through September 30, 2017 in conformity with
accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of
America.
The
accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming the
Company will continue as a going concern. As discussed in Note 1 to
the financial statements, the Company has no present revenue, its
business plan is dependent on the completion of a financing and the
Company’s cash and working capital as of September 30, 2017
are not sufficient to complete its planned activities for the
upcoming year. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the
Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.
Management’s plans regarding these matters are also described
in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any
adjustments that might result from the outcome of this
uncertainty.
/s/
Marcum LLP
Marcum
LLP
New
York, NY
October
13, 2017
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEET
September 30, 2017
ASSETS
|
|
Current asset
– cash
|
$
82,470
|
Deferred offering
costs
|
91,343
|
Total
Assets
|
$
173,813
|
|
|
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
|
Current
liabilities
|
|
Accrued
expenses
|
$
1,157
|
|
48,843
|
Promisory notes -
related parties
|
100,000
|
Total
Current Liabilities
|
150,000
|
|
|
Commitments
|
|
|
|
Stockholder’s
Equity
|
|
Common stock,
$0.001 par value; 10,000,000 shares authorized; 1,437,500 shares
issued and outstanding
(1)
|
1,438
|
Additional paid-in
capital
|
23,562
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
(1,187
)
|
Total
Stockholder’s Equity
|
23,813
|
TOTAL
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
$
173,813
|
(1)
|
Includes
an aggregate of 187,500 shares held by the Sponsor that are subject
to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’
over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
For the period from September 18, 2017 (inception) through
September 30, 2017
Formation
costs
|
$
1,187
|
Net
Loss
|
$
(1,187
)
|
|
|
Weighted average
shares outstanding, basic and diluted
(1)
|
1,250,000
|
|
|
Basic
and diluted net loss per common share
|
$
(0.00
)
|
(1)
|
Excludes
an aggregate of 187,500 shares held by the Sponsor that are subject
to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’
over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDER’S EQUITY
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance –
September 18, 2017 (inception)
|
-
|
$
-
|
$
-
|
$
-
|
$
-
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Issuance of common
stock to Sponsor
(1)
|
1,437,500
|
1,438
|
23,562
|
-
|
25,000
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
(1,187
)
|
(1,187
)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
– September 30, 2017
|
1,437,500
|
$
1,438
|
$
23,562
|
$
(1,187
)
|
$
23,813
|
(1)
|
Includes
an aggregate of 187,500 shares held by the Sponsor that are subject
to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’
over-allotment is not exercised in full (Note 7).
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
For the Period from September 18, 2017 (inception) through
September 30, 2017
Cash
Flows from Operating Activities:
|
|
Net
loss
|
$
(1,187
)
|
Changes in
operating assets and liabilities:
|
|
Accrued
expenses
|
1,157
|
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(30
)
|
|
|
Cash
Flows from Financing Activities:
|
|
Proceeds from
issuance of common stock to Sponsor
|
25,000
|
Proceeds from
promissory notes – related parties
|
100,000
|
Payment of offering
costs
|
(42,500
)
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
82,500
|
|
|
Net
Change in Cash
|
82,470
|
Cash –
Beginning
|
-
|
Cash
– Ending
|
$
82,470
|
|
|
Non-Cash
investing and financing activities:
|
|
Deferred offering
costs included in accrued offering costs
|
$
48,843
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial
statements.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a
newly organized blank check company incorporated in Delaware on
September 18, 2017. The Company was formed for the purpose of
acquiring, through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization, recapitalization, or
other similar business transaction, one or more operating
businesses or entities that the Company has not yet identified (a
“Business Combination”). Although the Company is not
limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes
of consummating a Business Combination, the Company intends to
focus on businesses in the senior housing and care industry in the
United States.
At
September 30, 2017, the Company had not yet commenced operations.
All activity through September 30, 2017 relates to the
Company’s formation and the Proposed Offering (as defined
below), which is described below. The Company has selected December
31 as its fiscal year end.
The
Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon
obtaining adequate financial resources through a proposed initial
public offering of 5,000,000 units at $10.00 per unit (or 5,750,000
units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised
in full) (“Units”), which is discussed in Note 3 (the
“Proposed Offering”) and the sale of 225,000 units (or
243,750 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full) (the “Private Placement Units”) at a
price of $10.00 per unit in a private placement to Big Rock
Partners Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”), that will close
simultaneously with the Proposed Offering. The Company’s
management has broad discretion with respect to the specific
application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Offering and
Private Placement Units, although substantially all of the net
proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a
Business Combination. The Company’s initial Business
Combination must be with one or more target businesses that
together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the
balance in the Trust Account (as defined below) (excluding taxes
payable on income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the
signing an agreement to enter into a Business Combination. The
Company will only complete a Business Combination if the
post-Business Combination company owns or acquires 50% or more of
the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise
acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not
to be required to register as an investment company under the
Investment Company Act 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company
Act. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to
successfully effect a Business Combination. Upon the closing of the
Proposed Offering, management has agreed that $10.00 per Unit sold
in the Proposed Offering and the proceeds from the sale of the
Private Placement Units will be held in a trust account
(“Trust Account”) and invested 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 meeting the conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment
Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of:
(i) the consummation of a Business Combination or (ii) the
distribution of the Trust Account as described below.
The
Company will provide its stockholders with the opportunity to
redeem all or a portion of their shares included in the Units sold
in the Proposed Offering (the “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 stockholders will be entitled to redeem their
shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then on deposit in the
Trust Account (initially $10.00 per 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 franchise and income
tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the
completion of a Business Combination with respect to the
Company’s warrants. The common stock subject to redemption
will be recorded at a redemption value and classified as temporary
equity upon the completion of the Proposed Offering, in accordance
with 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 upon such consummation
of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks stockholder
approval, a majority of the outstanding 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, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer
rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”), and file tender offer documents with the SEC
prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, a
stockholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or the
Company decides to obtain stockholder approval for business or
other 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, officers and directors (the “Initial
Stockholders”) have agreed (a) to vote their Founder’s
Shares (as defined in Note 5), Placement Shares (as defined in Note
4) and any Public Shares held by them in favor of approving a
Business Combination and (b) not to convert any Founder’s
Shares, Placement Shares (as defined in Note 4) and
any Public Shares held by them in connection with a stockholder
vote to approve a Business Combination or sell any such shares to
the Company in a tender offer in connection with 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.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
The
Company will have until 12 months from the closing of the Proposed
Offering to consummate a Business Combination. However, if the
Company anticipates that it may not be able to consummate Business
Combination within 12 months, the Company may extend the period of
time to consummate a Business Combination up to two times, each by
an additional three months (for a total of up to 18 months to
complete a Business Combination) (the “Combination
Period”). Pursuant to the terms of the Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation and the trust agreement to be entered
into between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company on the effective date of the registration statement for the
Proposed Offering, in order to extend the time available for the
Company to consummate a Business Combination, the Sponsor or its
affiliates or designees must deposit into the Trust Account
$500,000, or $575,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment
option is exercised in full ($0.10 per share in either case), up to
an aggregate of $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or
$0.20 per share, if the Company extends for the full six months, on
or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three
month extension. The Sponsor and its affiliates or designees are
not obligated to fund the Trust Account to extend the time for the
Company to complete a Business
Combination.
If the
Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the
Combination Period, the Company will
(i) cease all operations except for the purpose of
winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more
than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding
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 (net of taxes payable and less 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 the remaining
stockholders and the Company’s board of directors, proceed to
commence a voluntary liquidation and thereby a formal dissolution
of the Company, subject in each case to its obligations to provide
for claims of creditors and the requirements of applicable
law.
In the event of such distribution, it is possible that
the per share value of the assets remaining available for
distribution (including Trust Account assets) will be less than the
$10.00 per Unit in the Proposed Offering.
The
Initial Stockholders have agreed to (i) vote their Founder Shares,
Placement Shares and any Public Shares they may acquire during or
after the Proposed Offering in favor of approving a Business
Combination, (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to
Founder Shares, Placement Shares and any Public Shares they may
acquire during or after the Proposed Offering in connection with
the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) to waive their
rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with
respect to their Founder’s Shares, Placement
Shares, Placement Rights (as defined in Note 4) and
Placement Warrants if the Company fails to consummate a Business
Combination within the Combination Period and (iii) not to propose
an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation that would affect the substance or
timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its
Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business
Combination, unless the Company provides the public stockholders
with the opportunity to redeem their shares in conjunction with any
such amendment. However, the Initial Stockholders will be entitled
to liquidating distributions with respect to any Public Shares
acquired if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination
or liquidates within the Combination Period.
In
order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, A/Z
Property Partners, LLC, and entity majority owned and controlled by
Richard Ackerman, our Chairman, President and Chief Executive
Officer, has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the
extent any claims by a vendor 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. 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 underwriters of the
Proposed 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, A/Z Property Partners will not be responsible to the extent
of any liability for such third party claims. The Company will seek
to reduce the possibility that A/Z Property Partners 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.
Going
Concern Consideration
At
September 30, 2017, the Company had $82,470 in cash and a working
capital deficit of $67,530. 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
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.
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.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
Emerging growth company
The
Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in
Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart
Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and
it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting
requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are
not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not
being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements
of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure
obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic
reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements
of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and
stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not
previously approved.
Further, Section
102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from
being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting
standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had
a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do
not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act)
are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting
standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt
out of the extended transition period and comply with the
requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any
such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected
not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that
when a standard is issued or revised and it has different
application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as
an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard
at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard.
This may make comparison of the Company’s financial
statements with another public company which is neither an emerging
growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out
of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible
because of the potential differences in accounting standards
used.
Use of estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect
the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of
contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial
statements and the reported amounts of 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 our estimates.
Cash and cash equivalents
The
Company considers all short-term investments with an original
maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash
equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of
September 30, 2017.
Deferred offering costs
Deferred offering
costs consist of underwriting, legal, accounting and other expenses
incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related
to the Proposed Offering and that will be charged to
stockholder’s equity upon the completion of the Proposed
Offering. Should the Proposed 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 complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of
ASC Topic 740 “Income Taxes,” which requires an asset
and liability approach to financial accounting and reporting for
income taxes. Deferred income tax assets and liabilities are
computed for differences between the financial statement and tax
bases of assets and liabilities that will result in future taxable
or deductible amounts, based on enacted tax laws and rates
applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to
affect taxable income. Valuation allowances are established, when
necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to
be realized.
ASC
Topic 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement
attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement
of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For
those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be
more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing
authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties
related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. As of
September 30, 2017, there were no unrecognized tax benefits and no
amounts accrued for interest and penalties. The Company is
currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in
significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its
position.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
The
Company may be subject to potential examination by federal, state
and city taxing authorities in the areas of income taxes. These
potential examinations may include questioning the timing and
amount of deductions, the nexus of income among various tax
jurisdictions and compliance with federal, state and city tax laws.
The Company’s management does not expect that the total
amount of unrecognized tax benefits will materially change over the
next twelve months.
The
provision for income taxes was deemed to be immaterial for the
period from September 18, 2017 (inception) through September 30,
2017.
Net loss per common share
The
Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of ASC
Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per common
share is computed by dividing net loss by the weighted average
number of common shares outstanding for the period, excluding
shares of common stock subject to forfeiture by the Initial
Stockholders. Weighted average shares were reduced for the effect
of an aggregate of 187,500 shares of common stock that are subject
to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised by the
underwriters (see Note 7). At September 30, 2017, the Company did
not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could,
potentially, be exercised or converted into common stock and then
share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per
common share is the same as basic loss per common share for the
periods.
Concentration of credit risk
Financial
instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration
of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution
which, at times may exceed the Federal depository insurance
coverage of $250,000. At September 30, 2017, the Company had 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 Topic 820, “Fair
Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the
carrying amounts represented in the accompanying balance sheets,
primarily due to their short-term nature.
Recently
issued accounting standards
Management does not
believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting
pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect
on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
3. PROPOSED OFFERING
Pursuant to the
Proposed Offering, the Company will offer for sale 5,000,000 units
(or 5,750,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment
option is exercised in full), at a purchase price of $10.00 per
Unit.
Each Unit will
consist of one share of common stock, one right (“Public
Right”) and one-half of one warrant (“Public
Warrant”). Each Public Right will convert into one-tenth
(1/10) of one share of common stock upon consummation of a Business
Combination (see Note 7). Each whole Public Warrant entitles the
holder to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price
of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).
4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT
In
connection with the Proposed Offering, the Sponsor has committed to
purchase an aggregate of 225,000 Private Placement Units (or
243,750 Private Placement Units if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per Private
Placement Unit ($2,250,000 in the aggregate, or $2,437,500 in the
aggregate if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) in a
private placement that will occur simultaneously with the
consummation of the Proposed Offering. Each Private Placement
Unit will consist of one share of common stock (“Placement
Share”), one right (“Placement Right”) and
one-half of one warrant (each, a “Placement Warrant”),
each whole Placement Warrant exercisable to purchase one share of
common stock at an exercise price of $11.50. The proceeds
from the Private Placement Units will be added to the proceeds from
the Proposed Offering to be held in the Trust Account. If the
Company does not complete a Business Combination within the
Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private
Placement Units will be used to fund the redemption of the Public
Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law), the
Placement Rights and the Placement Warrants will expire
worthless.
The
Private Placement Units are identical to the Units to be sold in
the Proposed Offering except that the Placement Warrants (i) will
not be redeemable by the Company and (ii) may be exercised for cash
or on a cashless basis, so long as they are held by the initial
purchaser or any of its permitted transferees. In addition, the
Private Placement Units and their component securities may not be
transferable, assignable or salable until after the consummation of
a Business Combination, subject to certain limited
exceptions.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Founder Shares
In
September 2017, the Company issued an aggregate of 1,437,500 shares
of common stock to the Sponsor (“Founder Shares”) for
an aggregate purchase price of $25,000.
The Founder’s Shares include an aggregate of
up to 187,500 shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the
extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised
in full or in part, so that the Sponsor will own 20% of the
Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed
Offering (assuming the Initial Stockholders do not purchase any
Public Shares in the Proposed Offering and excluding the Private
Placement Units and the Representative Shares (as defined in Note
6)).
The Initial Stockholders have agreed not to
transfer, assign or sell any of the Founder’s Shares until
the earlier
of (i) one year after the date of the
consummation of a Business Combination, or (ii) the date on which
the closing price of the Company’s common stock equals or
exceeds $12.50 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock
dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20
trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing after a
Business Combination, or earlier, in each case, if
subsequent to a Business Combination, the Company
consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, stock exchange,
reorganization 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.
Promissory Notes – Related Parties
On September 26, 2017, the Company issued to the
Sponsor and its Chief Executive Officer, unsecured promissory notes
pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate amount
of $150,000 and $25,000, respectively, (the “Promissory
Notes”), of which $75,000 and $25,000, respectively, was
outstanding under the Promissory Notes as of September 30, 2017.
The Promissory Notes are non-interest bearing and payable on the
earlier to occur of (i) December 31, 2018, or (ii) the consummation
of the Proposed Offering.
Administrative Services Agreement
The
Company intends to enter into an agreement, commencing on the
effective date of the Proposed Offering through the earlier of the
consummation of a Business Combination or the Company’s
liquidation, to pay the Sponsor a monthly fee of $10,000 for office
space, utilities and administrative support.
Related Party Loans
In
order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business
Combination, the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or the
Company’s officers and directors may, but are not obligated
to, loan the Company funds from time to time or at any time, as may
be required (“Working Capital Loans”). Each Working
Capital Loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The Working
Capital Loans would either be paid upon consummation of a Business
Combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s
discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the Working Capital Loans may be
converted into units at a price of $10.00 per unit. The units would
be identical to the Private Placement Units. In the event that a
Business Combination does not close, the loans will be
forgiven.
6. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
Registration Rights
The
holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Units (and their
underlying securities), Representative Shares (as defined below)
and any Units that may be issued upon conversion of the Working
Capital Loans (and their underlying securities) will be entitled to
registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to
be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed
Offering. The holders of a majority of these securities will be
entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands,
that the Company register such securities. The holders of the
majority of the Founder’s Shares can elect to exercise these
registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to
the date on which these shares of common stock are to be released
from escrow. The holders of a majority of the Private Placement
Units or Units issued to the Sponsor, officers, directors or their
affiliates in payment of Working Capital Loans made to the Company
(in each case, including the underlying securities) can elect to
exercise these registration rights at any time after the Company
consummates a Business Combination. In addition, the holders will
have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with
respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the
completion of a Business Combination and rights to require the
Company to register for resale such securities pursuant to Rule 415
under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary,
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EarlyBirdCapital”) and/or its
designees may participate in a “piggy-back”
registration during the seven year period beginning on the
effective date of the registration statement. However, the
registration rights agreement will provide that the Company will
not permit any registration statement filed under the Securities
Act to become effective until termination of the applicable lock-up
period. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection
with the filing of any such registration statements.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
Underwriters Agreement
The
Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up
to 750,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments at the
Proposed Offering price, less the underwriting discounts and
commissions.
The
underwriters will be entitled to a cash underwriting discount of
two percent and one-half percent (2.5%) of the gross proceeds of
the Proposed Offering, or $1,250,000 (or up to $1,437,500 if the
underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in
full).
In
addition, the Company has agreed to issue the EarlyBirdCapital
(and/or its designees) 100,000 shares of common stock (or up to
115,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full) (the “Representative Shares”) upon
the consummation of the Proposed Offering. The Company intends to
account for the Representative Shares as an expense of the Proposed
Offering resulting in a charge directly to stockholder’s
equity. The Company estimates that the fair value of Representative
Shares is $1,000,000 (or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full) based upon the offering
price of the Units of $10.00 per Unit. The underwriter has agreed
not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the
completion of a Business Combination. In addition, the underwriter
(and/or its designees) has agreed (i) to waive its redemption
rights with respect to such shares in connection with the
completion of a Business Combination and (ii) to waive its rights
to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to
such shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination
within the Combination Period.
The
shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore
subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days pursuant to Rule
5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASD Conduct Rules. Pursuant to FINRA
Rule 5110(g)(1), these securities will not be the subject of any
hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would
result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person
for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the
Proposed Offering, nor may they be sold, transferred, assigned,
pledged or hypothecated for a period of 180 days immediately
following the Proposed Offering except to any underwriter and
selected dealer participating in the Proposed Offering and their
bona fide officers or partners.
Business Combination Marketing Agreement
The
Company has engaged EarlyBirdCapital as an advisor in connection
with a Business Combination to assist the Company in holding
meetings with its stockholders to discuss a potential Business
Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce
the Company to potential investors that are interested in
purchasing securities, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder
approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with
its press releases and public filings in connection with a Business
Combination. The Company will pay EBC a cash fee for such services
upon the consummation of a Business Combination in an amount equal
to 4.0% of the gross proceeds of the Proposed Offering (exclusive
of any applicable finders’ fees which might become
payable).
Unit Purchase Option
The
Company has agreed to sell EarlyBirdCapital (and/or its designees),
for $100, an option to purchase up to 500,000 Units exercisable at
$10.00 per Unit (or an aggregate exercise price of $5,000,000)
commencing on the later of the first anniversary of the effective
date of the registration statement related to the Proposed Offering
and the consummation of a Business Combination. The unit purchase
option may be exercised for cash or on a cashless basis, at the
holder’s option, and expires five years from the effective
date of the registration statement related to the Proposed
Offering. The Units issuable upon exercise of this option are
identical to those offered in the Proposed Offering. The Company
intends to account for the unit purchase option, inclusive of the
receipt of $100 cash payment, as an expense of the Proposed
Offering resulting in a charge directly to stockholders’
equity. The Company estimates that the fair value of this unit
purchase option is approximately $1,690,878 (or $3.38 per Unit)
using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of the
unit purchase option to be granted to the underwriters is estimated
as of the date of grant using the following assumptions: (1)
expected volatility of 35%, (2) risk-free interest rate of 1.92%
and (3) expected life of five years. The option and such units
purchased pursuant to the option, as well as the common stock
underlying such units, the warrants included in such units, and the
shares underlying such warrants, have been deemed compensation by
FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to
Rule 5110(g)(1) of FINRA’s NASDAQ Conduct Rules.
Additionally, the option may not be sold, transferred, assigned,
pledged or hypothecated for a one-year period (including the
foregoing 180-day period) following the date of Proposed Offering
except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the
Proposed Offering and their bona fide officers or partners. The
option grants to holders demand and “piggy back” rights
for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the
effective date of the registration statement with respect to the
registration under the Securities Act of the securities directly
and indirectly issuable upon exercise of the option. The Company
will bear all fees and expenses attendant to registering the
securities, other than underwriting commissions which will be paid
for by the holders themselves. The exercise price and number of
units issuable upon exercise of the option may be adjusted in
certain circumstances including in the event of a stock dividend,
or the Company’s recapitalization, reorganization, merger or
consolidation. However, the option will not be adjusted for
issuances of common stock at a price below its exercise
price.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
7. STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock
—
At September 30,
2017, the Company has no authorized, issued or outstanding shares
of preferred stock. The Company plans on filing an Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date of
the Proposed Offering such that the Company will be
authorized to issue
1,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.001 per
share with such designation, rights and preferences as may be
determined from time to time by the Company’s Board of
Directors.
Common Stock
—
The Company is
authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of common stock with a par
value of $0.001 per share. The Company plans on filing an Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation prior to the closing date
of the Proposed Offering such that the Company will be
authorized to issue
100,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per
share. Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to
one vote for each share. At September 30, 2017, there were
1,437,500 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, of which
187,500 shares are subject to forfeiture to the extent that the
underwriter’s over-allotment option is not exercised in full
so that the Company’s Initial Stockholders will own 20% of
the issued and outstanding shares after the Proposed Offering
(assuming the Initial Stockholders do not purchase any Public
Shares in the Proposed Offering and excluding the Private Placement
Units and the Representative Shares).
Rights
—
Each
holder of a right will receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of
common stock upon consummation of a Business Combination, even if
the holder of such right redeemed all shares held by it in
connection with a Business Combination. No fractional shares will
be issued upon conversion of the rights. No additional
consideration will be required to be paid by a holder of rights in
order to receive its additional shares upon consummation of a
Business Combination, as the consideration related thereto has been
included in the Unit purchase price paid for by investors in the
Proposed Offering.If the Company enters into a definitive agreement
for a Business Combination in which the Company will not be the
surviving entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the
holders of rights to receive the same per share consideration the
holders of the common stock will receive in the transaction on an
as-converted into common stock basis and each holder of a right
will be required to affirmatively convert its rights in order to
receive 1/10 share underlying each right (without paying additional
consideration). The shares issuable upon conversion of the rights
will be freely tradable (except to the extent held by affiliates of
the Company).
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 rights will not receive any of such funds with
respect to their rights, nor will they receive any distribution
from the Company’s assets held outside of the Trust Account
with respect to such rights, and the rights will expire worthless.
Further, there are no contractual penalties for failure to deliver
securities to the holders of the rights upon consummation of a
Business Combination. Additionally, in no event will the Company be
required to net cash settle the rights. Accordingly, holders of the
rights might not receive the shares of common stock underlying the
rights.
Warrants
—
Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public
Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the
completion of a Business Combination; provided in 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, 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 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 the effectiveness of such
registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto,
until the expiration of the Public Warrants in accordance with the
provisions of the warrant agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
if a registration statement covering the shares of common stock
issuable upon exercise of the Public Warrants is not effective
within a specified period following the consummation of Business
Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an
effective registration statement and during any period when the
Company shall have failed to maintain an effective registration
statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the
exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act,
provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or
another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to
exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. The Public Warrants
will expire five years after the completion of a Business
Combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
The
Placement Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants
underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Offering, except
that the Placement Warrants and the common stock issuable upon the
exercise of the Placement Warrants will not be transferable,
assignable or salable until after the completion of a Business
Combination, subject to certain limited exceptions. Additionally,
the Placement Warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and be
non-redeemable so long as they are held by the initial purchasers
or their permitted transferees. If the Placement Warrants are held
by someone other than the initial purchasers or their permitted
transferees, the Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the
Company and exercisable by such holders on the same basis as the
Public Warrants.
The
Company may redeem the Public Warrants (except with respect to the
Placement Warrants):
●
|
in
whole and not in part;
|
●
|
at a
price of $0.01 per warrant;
|
●
|
at any
time during the exercise period;
|
●
|
upon a
minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption;
and
|
●
|
if, and
only if, the last sale price of the Company’s common stock
equals or exceeds $21.00 per share for any 20 trading days within a
30-trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the
date on which the Company sends the notice of redemption to the
warrant holders.
|
●
|
If, and
only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with
respect to the shares of 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 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 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.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES
TO FINANCIALS
SEPTEMBER
30, 2017
8. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
The
Company evaluates subsequent events and transactions that occur
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.
5,000,000 Units
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
, 2017
Sole Book-Running Manager
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
I-Bankers Securities, Inc.
Until ,
2017 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), 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.
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 Registration
Fee
|
7,926
|
FINRA filing
fee
|
10,048
|
Accounting fees and
expenses
|
37,500
|
Nasdaq listing
fees
|
50,000
|
Printing and
engraving expenses
|
35,000
|
Legal fees and
expenses
|
250,000
|
Miscellaneous
|
109,526
(1)
|
Total
|
$
500,000
|
(1)
This amount represents additional expenses that may be incurred by
the Company in connection with the offering over and above those
specifically listed above, including distribution and mailing
costs.
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, has reasonable cause to
believe that the person’s conduct was unlawful.
(b)
A corporation shall
have power to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is
threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or
completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to
procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the
person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the
corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation
as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation,
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against
expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably
incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement
of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a
manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to
the best interests of the corporation and except that no
indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or
matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be
liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the
Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was
brought shall determine upon application that, despite the
adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of
the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such
other court shall deem proper.
(c)
To the extent that
a present or former director or officer of a corporation has been
successful on the merits or otherwise in defense of any action,
suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and
(b) of this section, or in defense of any claim, issue or
matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses
(including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred
by such person in connection therewith.
(d)
Any indemnification
under subsections (a) and (b) of this section (unless
ordered by a court) shall be made by the corporation only as
authorized in the specific case upon a determination that
indemnification of the present or former director, officer,
employee or agent is proper in the circumstances because the person
has met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in subsections
(a) and (b) of this section. Such determination shall be
made, with respect to a person who is a director or officer 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 term s 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 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
attorney’s 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.
Section
8.2(a) of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation
provides:
“To
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists
or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and
hold harmless each person who is or was made a party or is
threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding,
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a
“
proceeding
”)
by reason of the fact that he or she is or was a director or
officer of the Corporation or, while a director or officer of the
Corporation, is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as
a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of
a partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit
entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan
(an “
indemnitee
”), whether the basis
of such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a
director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity
while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against
all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without
limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise
taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably
incurred by such indemnitee in connection with such proceeding. The
Corporation shall to the fullest extent not prohibited by
applicable law pay the expenses (including attorneys’ fees)
incurred by an indemnitee in defending or otherwise participating
in any proceeding in advance of its final disposition;
provided
,
however
,
that, to the extent required by applicable law, such payment of
expenses in advance of the final disposition of the proceeding
shall be made only upon receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf
of the indemnitee, to repay all amounts so advanced if it shall
ultimately be determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified under this
Section 8.2
or otherwise.
The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred
by this
Section 8.2
shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an
indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or
agent and shall inure to the benefit of his or her heirs, executors
and administrators. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of
this
Section 8.2(a)
, except for
proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and advancement of
expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and advance expenses to
an indemnitee in connection with a proceeding (or part thereof)
initiated by such indemnitee only if such proceeding (or part
thereof) was authorized by the Board.”
Pursuant
to the Underwriting Agreement filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this
Registration Statement, we have agreed to indemnify the
underwriters and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify us
against certain civil liabilities that may be incurred in
connection with this offering, including certain liabilities under
the Securities Act.
Item 15. Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities.
(a)
During the past
three years, we sold the following shares of common stock without
registration under the Securities Act:
Stockholder
|
|
Number of Shares
|
|
Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
|
|
|
1,437,500
|
|
These
shares were issued on September 26, 2017 pursuant to the exemption
from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the
Securities Act as the shares were sold to accredited investors. The
shares issued were sold for an aggregate offering price of $25,000
at an average purchase price of approximately $0.017 per
share.
Our
sponsor has also committed to purchase from us 225,000 private
placement units at $10.00 per unit (for an aggregate purchase price
of $2,250,000). These purchases will take place on a private
placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of our initial
public offering. Our sponsor has also committed to purchase up to a
maximum of 18,750 additional private placement units in proportion
to the amount of the underwriters’ over-allotment option that
is exercised. 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.
Item 16. Exhibits and Financial Statement
Schedules.
(a)
The
following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration
Statement:
Exhibit
No.
|
|
|
Description
|
|
|
|
Form of
Underwriting Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
Letter
Agreement between the Registrant and
EarlyBirdCapital.*
|
3.1
|
|
|
Certificate
of Incorporation.**
|
|
|
|
Form
of Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation.*
|
3.3
|
|
|
By-laws.**
|
|
|
|
Form
of Amended and Restated By-laws.*
|
|
|
|
Specimen
Unit Certificate.*
|
|
|
|
Specimen
Common Stock Certificate.*
|
|
|
|
Specimen
Right Certificate *
|
|
|
|
Specimen
Warrant Certificate.*
|
|
|
|
Form
of Right Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company and Registrant*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company and the Registrant.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Unit Purchase Option. *
|
|
|
|
Opinion
of Akerman LLP.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Letter Agreement for the Registrant’s sponsor.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Letter Agreement for each of the Registrant’s other officers
and directors.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Letter Agreement for A/Z Property Partners,
LLC.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Stock Escrow Agreement between the Registrant, Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company and the Initial
Stockholder.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and the Initial
Stockholder.*
|
|
|
|
Form of
Administrative Services Agreement.*
|
|
|
|
Securities
Subscription Agreement, dated September 26, 2017, between the
Registrant and Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC.*
|
|
|
|
Promissory
Note, dated as of September 26, 2017, in favor of Richard
Ackerman.*
|
|
|
|
Promissory
Note, dated as of September 26, 2017, in favor of Big Rock Partners
Sponsor, LLC*
|
10.9
|
|
|
Form of
Indemnification Agreement for officers, directors and special
advisors.*
|
|
|
|
Form
of Code of Ethics.*
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Marcum LLP.*
|
23.2
|
|
|
Consent
of Akerman, LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).*
|
24
|
|
|
Power
of Attorney (included on signature page of this Registration
Statement).**
|
|
|
|
C
onsent of
Richard Birdoff *
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Michael Fong.*
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Stuart Koenig *
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Albert G. Rex.*
|
|
|
|
Consent
of Troy T. Taylor.*
|
|
|
|
Form
of Audit Committee Charter.*
|
|
|
|
Form
of Compensation Committee Charter.*
|
|
|
|
Form
of Nominating Committee Charter.*
|
Item 17. Undertakings.
(a) The
undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
(d)
The undersigned
registrant hereby undertakes that:
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.
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.
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
Delray Beach, Florida, on the 14
th
day of November,
2017.
|
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/ Richard
Ackerman
|
|
|
|
Richard
Ackerman
|
|
|
|
Chairman, President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this
Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in
the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Name
|
|
Position
|
|
Date
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Richard Ackerman
|
|
Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer (Principal Executive
Officer)
|
|
November
14, 2017
|
Richard
Ackerman
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Lori B. Wittman
|
|
Chief
Financial Officer and Director (Principal Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
|
November
14, 2017
|
Lori
B. Wittman
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit 1.1
5,000,000
Units
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT
New
York, New York
______________
,
2017
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
366 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10017
As Representative of the Underwriters
named on
Schedule A
hereto
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“
Company
”),
hereby confirms its agreement with
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
(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
.
Purchase of Units
. On the
basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, 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 5,000,000 units of the Company (the
“
Firm
Units
”) at a purchase price (net
of discounts and commissions) of $9.75 per Firm Unit. Each Unit
consists of one share of common stock of the Company, par
value
$0.0001 per share
(the “
Common
Stock
”), one right (the “
Right(s)
”) to receive one-tenth of
one share of Common Stock on consummation of a Business Combination
(defined below) and one-half of one warrant (the
“
Warrant(s)
”)
each
whole Warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock for $11.50 per
share. The Common Stock, Rights and Warrants included in the Firm
Units will not be separately tradable until 90 days after the date
hereof unless the Representative informs the Company of its
decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the Company
filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission (defined
below) containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the
Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of the Offering
(defined below) and the sale of the Private Units (defined below)
and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading
will begin. 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
. The Firm Units are to
be offered initially to the public (the “
Offering
”) at the offering price
of $10.00 per Firm Unit.
1.1.1.
Payment
and Delivery
. Delivery and payment for the Firm Units
shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on the second
(2
nd
)
Business Day following the
commencement of trading of the Firm Units,
or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the
Representative and the Company at the offices of the Representative
or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the
Representative and the Company. The closing of the Offering
is referred to herein as the “
Closing
” and the hour and date of
delivery and payment for the Firm Units is referred to herein as
the “
Closing
Date
.” Payment for the Firm Units shall be made
on the Closing Date through the facilities of Depository Trust
Company (“
DTC
”)
by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds. The Company shall
receive an aggregate of $51,000,000 net proceeds from the sale of
the Firm Units and the Private Units,
of which $50,000,000
shall be deposited on the Closing
Date into the trust account (the “
Trust Account
”) established by the
Company for the benefit of the Public Stockholders, as described in
the Registration Statement
(as defined
in Section 2.1.1 below)
and pursuant to the terms of an
Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “
Trust Agreement
”) between the
Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (“
CST&T
”) substantially in the
form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The
remaining proceeds (less actual expense payments or other fees
payable pursuant to this Agreement) shall be paid to the order of
the Company upon delivery of certificates (in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) representing the
Firm Units (or through the facilities of the DTC for the account of
the Representative). 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) Business
Days (defined below) 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 the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the
Representative for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term
“
Business Day
”
shall mean any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or any day on
which national banks in New York, New York are not open for
business, and the term “
Public Stockholders
” means the
holders of Common Stock sold in the Offering or acquired in the
aftermarket, including any of the Respondents (as defined in
Section 2.14 below) to the extent they acquire such Common Stock in
the Offering or in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such
shares).
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
_________
,
2017
Page
2
of
36
1.2.
Over-Allotment
Option
1.2.1. The
Representative shall have the option (the “
Over-Allotment Option”
) to
purchase all or less than all of an additional 750,000
Units (the “
Option Units
”) solely for the
purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the
distribution and sale of the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall,
at the Representative’s election, 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 (subject to adjustment by the
Representative to eliminate fractions). Such Option Units shall be
identical in all respects to the Firm Units. The Firm Units and the
Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to 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 (net of
discounts and commissions) will be $9.75 per Option
Unit.
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 forty-five (45) days after the Effective Date. The
Representative 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, if other
than the Closing Date (the “
Option Closing Date
”), which shall
not be earlier than the Closing Date or be later than ten (10) full
Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time as
shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the
offices of the Representative or at such other place as shall be
agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. Upon exercise of
the Over-Allotment Option, the Company will become obligated to
convey to the Representative, and, subject to the terms and
conditions set forth herein, the Representative 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 at the Representative’s election by
wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds or by certified or bank
cashier’s check(s) in New York Clearing House funds, payable
as follows: $9.75 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust
Fund pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery 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 certificates
representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such
denominations and registered in such names as the Representative
requests 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.
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
_________
,
2017
Page 3
of 36
1.3.
Representative’s
Securities
.
1.3.1.
The
Company hereby agrees to issue and sell to the Representative
(and/or its designees) on the Closing Date, for an aggregate
purchase price of $100, an option (“
Representative’s Purchase
Option
”) to purchase up
to an aggregate of 500,000 Units (the “
Representative’s
Units
”). Each of the
Representative's Units is identical to the Firm Units. The
Representative’s Purchase Option shall be exercisable for
cash or on a cashless basis, in whole or in part, commencing on the
later of the consummation of a Business Combination or one year
from the Effective Date and expiring on the five-year anniversary
of the Effective Date at an initial exercise price per
Representative’s Unit of $
10
.00, which is equal to
one
hundred
percent (
100
%)
of the initial public offering price per Unit. On the Closing Date,
the Company shall deliver to the Representative, upon payment
therefor, certificates for the Representative’s Purchase
Option in the name or names and in such denominations as the
Representative may request.
1.3.2.
The
Company hereby agrees to issue to the Representative (and/or its
designees), for no additional consideration, 100,000 shares of
Common Stock (or up to 115,000 shares if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full) (the
“
Representative’s
Shares
”). The
Representative’s Shares shall be issued on the Closing Date
and on any Option Closing Date, as applicable. On such date or
dates, the Company shall deliver to the Representative (and/or its
designees), upon execution of customary and mutually agreed upon
investor representation letters, certificates for the
Representative’s Shares in the name or names and in such
denominations as the Representative may request. The Representative
hereby agrees not to transfer, assign or sell any
Representative’s Shares without the Company’s prior
consent until the completion of the Business Combination. The
Representative’s Shares will be identical to the shares of
Common Stock included in the Firm Units except the holders (i)
shall not be entitled to exercise any conversion or redemption
rights with respect to such Representative’s Shares and shall
not be entitled to sell any such shares to the Company in any
tender offer in connection with a proposed Business Combination and
(ii) will have no right to any liquidation distributions with
respect to any portion of the Representative’s Shares in the
event the Company fails to consummate
a Business Combination
within the required time period.
Additionally, the Representative (and/or its designees) will have
the same registration rights with respect to the
Representative’s Shares that it has with respect to the
Representative’s Purchase Option and underlying securities.
The registered holder of the Representative’s Shares will not
sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate any of the
Representative’s Shares for a period of 180 days pursuant to
FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(g)(1) following the effective date of the
Registration Statement to anyone other than (i) the Representative
or an Underwriter or selected dealer in connection with the
Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of the
Representative or of any such Underwriter or selected dealer.
Additionally, pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(g), the
Representative’s Shares will not be the subject of any
hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would
result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person
for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date
of the Registration Statement. The certificates for the
Representative’s Shares shall contain legends to reflect the
above FINRA and contractual transfer
restrictions.
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1.3.3.
The
Representative’s Shares and the Representative’s
Purchase Option, the Representative’s Units, the Common Stock
included in the Representative’s Units, the Rights included
in the Representative’s Units (the “
Representative’s Rights
”),
the Warrants included in the Representative’s Units (the
“
Representative’s
Warrants
”) and the Common Stock issuable pursuant to
the terms of the Representative’s Rights and
Representative’s Warrants are hereinafter referred to
collectively as the “
Representative’s
Securities
.”
Delivery
(and payment with respect to the Representative’s Purchase
Option) of the Representative’s Securities shall be made on
the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as applicable. The
issuance of the Representative’s Securities will be
registered on the Registration Statement.
1.4.
Private
Placements
.
1.4.1.
The
Company issued to Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC (the
“
Sponsor
”) for aggregate consideration of
$25,000
1,437,500 shares of the Company’s Common Stock
(the “
Founder’s
Shares
”) in a private
placement intended to be exempt from registration under Section
4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the
“
Act
”). No underwriting discounts, commissions
or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with
the sale of the Founder’s Shares. The Founder’s Shares
shall be held in escrow and subject to restrictions on transfer as
set forth in the Escrow Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24.3
below). The Sponsor shall have no right to any liquidation
distributions with respect to any portion of the Founder’s
Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate
any
proposed initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share
purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar
business combination, or entering into contractual arrangements,
with one or more businesses or entities (“
Business Combination
”)
within the required time period. The Sponsor shall
not have conversion rights with respect to the Founder’s
Shares nor shall they be entitled to sell such Founder’s
Shares to the Company in any tender offer in connection with a
proposed Business Combination. To the extent that the
Over-allotment Option is not exercised by the Underwriters in full
or in part, up to
187,500
of
the Founder’s Shares shall be subject to forfeiture by the
Sponsor. The Sponsor will be required to forfeit only a number of
Founder’s Shares necessary to maintain the Sponsor’s
20% beneficial ownership interest in the Common Stock after giving
effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the
Underwriters’ Over-allotment Option (and excluding the
issuance of the Representative’s Shares and the purchase by
the Sponsor of the Private Units (defined below) and any shares
purchased in the Offering).
1.4.2.
Simultaneously
with the Closing Date,
the Sponsor
will purchase from the
Company pursuant to a Subscription Agreement (as defined in Section
2.24.2 below), an aggregate of
225,000
Units
(the “
Private
Units
”) at a purchase
price of $
10.00
per Private Unit in a
private placement (the “
Private
Placement
”) intended to be
exempt from registration under the Act. The terms of the
Private Units are as described in the Prospectus (as defined in
Section 2.1.1 below). No underwriting discounts, commissions or
placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the
Private Placement. The Sponsor has also agreed that, in
the event the Representative has exercised the Over-allotment
Option, it will purchase up to an additional
18,750
Private
Units and the
Company shall
cause to be deposited an amount of additional proceeds from the
sale of such additional Private
Units
into
the Trust Account such that the amount of funds in the Trust
Account shall be $
10.00
per
Public Share sold in the Offering. The purchase price for the
Private Units shall have been delivered to CST&T or counsel for
the Company to hold in a separate escrow account at least 48 hours
prior to the date hereof so that such funds are readily available
to be delivered to the Trust Account on the Closing Date or the
Option Closing Date, as the case may be.
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1.5.
Working
Capital; Trust Account Proceeds
.
1.5.1.
Working
Capital
. Upon consummation of the Offering, it is intended
that approximately $500,000 of the net proceeds from the sale of
the Firm Units and Private
Units
will
be released to the Company to fund the working capital requirements
of the Company.
1.5.2.
Trust
Account Proceeds
. Interest income on the funds held in 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, all as more fully described in the
Prospectus.
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 Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “
Commission
”) a registration
statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File
No. 333-220947), including any related preliminary prospectus (the
“
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 Public Securities 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. Except as the context may otherwise require,
such registration statement, as amended, on file with the
Commission at the time the registration statement became effective
(“
Effective
Date
”), 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, together with the registration statement filed by the
Company pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering
additional Public Securities (the “
Rule 462(b) Registration
Statement
”), 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 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, dated _________
,
2017
, for
distribution by the Underwriters (the “
Statutory
Prospectus
”).
Other than the Registration Statement, together with any
correspondence letters between the Company and/or counsel for the
Company and the Commission, no other document with respect to the
Registration Statement has heretofore been filed under the Act with
the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been or will be
registered under the Act pursuant to the 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 has determined that at
the Time of Sale the Statutory Prospectus included an untrue
statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material
fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the
circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and have
agreed to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Firm Units to
terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase
contracts, then the Statutory 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,
Common Stock, Rights and Warrants. The registration of the
Units, Common Stock, Rights and Warrants under the Exchange Act has
been declared effective by the Commission on the date
hereof.
2.2.
No
Stop Orders, etc.
Neither the Commission nor, to the
Company’s knowledge, any foreign or state regulatory
authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order
preventing or suspending the use of any Statutory Prospectus or
Prospectus or has instituted or, to the best of the Company’s
knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to
such an order.
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2.3.
Disclosures
in Registration Statement
.
2.3.1.
10b-5
Representation
. At the time of effectiveness of the
Registration Statement (or at the effective time of any
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all
times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date, the Registration
Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus contained or
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. On the Effective Date and at the Time of
Sale, the Registration Statement did not, and on the Closing Date
it will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or
omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading;
on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the
Closing Date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto)
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; and at the Time of Sale, the Statutory
Prospectus does 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 light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the
representation and warranty made in this Section 2.3.1 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 Statutory Prospectus or
Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement
thereto
, which information, it is
agreed, shall consist solely of the names of the Underwriters and
the subsections entitled “Price Stabilization, Short
Positions,” “Determination of Offering Price,”
“Electronic Distribution” and “Selling
Restrictions” included in the section captioned
“Underwriting.”
2.3.2.
Disclosure
of Agreements
. The agreements and documents described
in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein
and there are no agreements or other documents required to be
described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory 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 or attached
as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) is material to the Company’s
business, has been duly and validly executed by the Company, is in
full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable
against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the
other parties thereto, in all material respects 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 none of such agreements or instruments has been
assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the
Company’s knowledge, any other party is in breach or default
thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, 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, 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.
2.3.3.
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.
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2.3.4.
Regulations
.
The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign,
federal, 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 light of the circumstances in which they
were made, not misleading.
2.4.
Changes
After Dates in Registration Statement
.
2.4.1.
No
Material Adverse Change
.
Since the respective dates as of which information
is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory 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 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 Company’s
board of directors or management to act in their capacities with
the Company as described in the Registration Statement,
the
Statutory Prospectus
and the
Prospectus.
2.4.2.
Recent
Securities Transactions, etc.
Subsequent to the respective
dates as of which information is given in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory 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 capital stock.
2.5.
Independent
Accountants
. Marcum LLP (“
Marcum
”), whose report is filed
with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and
included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory 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 duly registered and
in good standing with the PCAOB.
Marcum has not, during the
periods covered by the financial statements included in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory 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.
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2.6.
Financial
Statements; Statistical Data
.
2.6.1.
Financial
Statements
. The financial statements, including the notes
thereto and supporting schedules included in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, fairly
present in all material respects the financial position and the
results of operations of the Company at the dates and for the
periods to which they apply; and 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 present fairly in all
material respects 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 Statutory Prospectus or
the Prospectus
.
The
Registration Statement, the Statutory 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, prospects, liquidity, capital
expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of
revenues or expenses.
There are no pro
forma or as adjusted financial statements which are required to be
included
in the Registration
Statement,
the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus
in accordance with
Regulation S-X of the Regulations which have not
been included as so required.
2.6.2.
Statistical
Data
. The statistical, industry-related and market-related
data included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from
sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are
reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from
which they are derived.
2.7.
Authorized
Capital; Options, etc.
The Company had at the date or
dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the
Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly
authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in
the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus. Based on the assumptions stated in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date the adjusted
stock capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or
contemplated by, the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the
Closing Date, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights
to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized, but unissued
Common Stock or any security convertible into Common Stock, or any
contracts or commitments to issue or sell Common Stock or any such
options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.
2.8.
Valid
Issuance of Securities, etc.
2.8.1.
Outstanding
Securities
. All issued and outstanding Founder’s
Shares 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 were 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 outstanding Founder’s
Shares conform to the descriptions thereof contained in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus. All offers, sales and any transfers of the outstanding
Founder’s Shares were at all relevant times either registered
under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws
or exempt from such registration requirements.
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2.8.2.
Securities
To Be Sold
.
2.8.2.1. 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 Public
Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions
thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may
be.
2.8.2.2. The
Representative’s Shares have been duly authorized and
reserved for issuance and when issued 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
Representative’s Shares 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 Representative’s Shares has been
duly and validly taken. The Representative’s Shares conform
in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in
the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus, as the case may be.
2.8.2.3. When
issued, the Representative’s Purchase Option, the
Representative’s Rights and the Representative’s
Warrants
will
constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company to issue
and sell, upon exercise thereof and payment of the exercise price
therefor, the number and type of securities of the Company called
for thereby in accordance with the terms thereof and such
Representative’s Purchase Option, the Representative’s
Rights and the Representative’s Warrants
are enforceable against the
Company in accordance with its 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
Common Stock underlying the Representative’s Units, the
Representative’s Rights and the Representative’s
Warrants
have been
reserved for issuance upon the exercise of the
Representative’s Purchase Option upon payment of the
consideration therefore, and when issued in accordance with the
terms thereof, will be duly and validly authorized, 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 Representative’s Purchase Option, the
Representative’s Units, the shares of Common Stock underlying
the Representative’s Units, the Representative’s Rights
and the Representative’s Warrants conform in all material
respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case
may be.
2.8.2.4. The
Private
Units
and the
shares of Common Stock (the “
Private Shares
”), Rights (the
“
Private
Rights
”) and Warrants included within the Private
Units (the “
Private
Warrants
”) have been duly authorized and reserved for
issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with the
Subscription 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 Private
Units,
Private Shares, Private Rights
and Private Warrants 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 Private
Units, Private Shares,
Private Rights
and Private Warrants
has been duly and validly
taken. The Private
Units, Private Shares,
Private Rights
and Private Warrants
conform in all material respects
to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case
may be.
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2.8.3.
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 “integrated”
pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of
the Public Securities pursuant to the Registration
Statement.
2.9.
Registration Rights of Third
Parties
. Except as set forth in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory 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.
2.10.
Validity
and Binding Effect of Agreements
. This Agreement, the
Trust Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Escrow Agreement,
the Services Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24.7 below),
the Business Combination Marketing Agreement (as defined in Section
2.27 below), the Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.29
below), the Warrant Agreement (as defined in Section 2.28 below),
the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24.6)
and the Representative’s Purchase Option have been duly and
validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered
by the Company and the other parties thereto, will constitute 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 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.
2.11.
No
Conflicts, etc.
The execution, delivery, and
performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Trust Agreement,
the Subscription Agreement, the Escrow Agreement, the Services
Agreement, the Business Combination Marketing Agreement, the Rights
Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement
and the Representative’s Purchase Option, 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 Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws of the
Company (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, business or assets.
2.12.
No
Defaults; Violations
. No material default or violation
exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant
or condition of any material 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 material 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.
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
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,
2017
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36
2.13.
Corporate
Power; Licenses; Consents
.
2.13.1.
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
described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus
and the Prospectus. The disclosures in the Registration
Statement, the Statutory 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 and except as described in the Registration Statement,
the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no
liabilities other than in connection with its formation and in
furtherance of the Offering.
2.13.2.
Transactions
Contemplated Herein
. The Company has all corporate
power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out
the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents,
authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection
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 Public Securities and Representative’s
Securities and the consummation of the transactions and agreements
contemplated by this Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the
Subscription Agreement, the Escrow Agreement, the Services
Agreement, the Business Combination Marketing Agreement, the Rights
Agreement, the Warrant Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement
and the Representative’s Purchase Option
and as contemplated by the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus,
except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state
securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“
FINRA
”).
2.14.
D&O
Questionnaires
. To the Company’s knowledge, all
information contained in the questionnaires (the
“
Questionnaires
”)
completed by each of the Company’s officers, directors, 5%
beneficial owners and owners of unregistered securities acquired
within the past 180 days (the “
Respondents
”) immediately prior to
the initial filing of the Registration Statement and provided to
the Representative, as such Questionnaires may have been updated
from time to time and confirmed by each of the Respondents, as well
as the biographies previously provided to the Representative, is
true and correct and the Company has not become aware of any
information which would cause the information disclosed in the
Questionnaires to become inaccurate and incorrect.
2.15.
Litigation;
Governmental Proceedings
. There is no action, suit,
proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or
governmental proceeding pending or, to the Company’s
knowledge, threatened against, or involving the Company or, to the
Company’s knowledge, any of the Respondents, which has not
been disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.16.
Good
Standing
. The Company has been duly organized and is
validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the
laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and 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), prospects, earnings,
business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from
transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set
forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) (a
“
Material Adverse
Effect
”).
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
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,
2017
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36
2.17.
No
Consideration of a Business Combination
. Prior to the date
hereof, no Respondent has, and as of the Closing, the Company and
such Respondents will not have: (a) had any specific Business
Combination under consideration; or (b) directly or indirectly,
contacted any prospective target business which the Company may
seek to acquire (each, a “
Target Business
”) or had any
substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to
effecting any potential Business Combination with the
Company.
2.18.
Transactions
Affecting Disclosure to FINRA
.
2.18.1.
To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the
questionnaires (the “
FINRA
Questionnaires
”) completed by each of the Respondents
and provided to the Representative, as such FINRA Questionnaires
may have been updated from time to time and confirmed by each of
the Respondents, is true and correct and the Company has not become
aware of any information which would cause the information
disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires to become inaccurate and
incorrect.
2.18.2. Except
as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus, 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 Respondent with respect to the sale of the Public Securities
hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings
of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any Respondent
that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined
by FINRA.
2.18.3. Except
as described herein or in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and the Prospectus, 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) to any FINRA member; or (iii) to 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 date of the Registration Statement with the
Commission.
2.18.4. To
the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA
Questionnaires, no Respondent is a member of FINRA, or a person
associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA.
2.18.5. To
the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA
Questionnaires, no Respondent is an owner of stock or other
securities of any member of FINRA (other than securities purchased
on the open market).
EarlyBirdCapital,
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,
2017
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2.18.6.
To the Company’s knowledge, except
as set forth in the FINRA Questionnaires, no Respondent has made a
subordinated loan to any member of FINRA.
2.18.7. No
proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities or Private
Units
(excluding
underwriting compensation) will be paid to any FINRA member, or any
persons associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA, except as
specifically authorized herein.
2.18.8. 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 with the
Commission, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the
Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.
2.18.9. To
the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA
Questionnaires, 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 with the
Commission has any relationship or affiliation or association with
any member of FINRA.
2.18.10. To
the Company’s knowledge, no FINRA member intending to
participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest (as defined
by FINRA rules) with the Company.
2.18.11. 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.
2.19.
Taxes
.
2.19.1.
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 thereof, 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.
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
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,
2017
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2.19.2.
The Company has filed all U.S. federal, state and local tax returns
that are required to be a filed or has requested extensions
thereof, except in any case in which the failure to so file would
not have a Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes required
to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied
against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing in due and
payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is
currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a
Material Adverse Effect.
2.20.
Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act
. Neither the Company nor any of
the Respondents or any other person acting on behalf of the Company
is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that:
(i) would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign
Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and
regulations thereunder (the “
FCPA
”) or otherwise subject the
Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or
governmental litigation or proceeding; (ii) if not done in the
past, might reasonably be expected to have had a Material Adverse
Effect or (iii) if not continued in the future, might reasonably be
expected to materially and adversely affect the assets, business or
operations of the Company, including, without limitation, 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
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). The Company’s internal
accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the
Company to comply with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977,
as amended.
2.21.
Currency
and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act
. The operations of
the Company are and have been conducted at all times in material
compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting
requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act
of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all
applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and
any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued,
administered or enforced by any 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 best knowledge of the
Company, threatened.
2.22.
Bank
Secrecy Act; Money Laundering; Patriot Act
. Neither the Company, nor to the Company’s
knowledge,
any Respondent, has violated: (i) the Bank
Secrecy Act, as amended, (ii) the Money Laundering Laws or (iii)
the 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.
2.23.
Officers’
Certificate
. Any certificate signed by any duly
authorized officer of the Company and delivered to the
Representative or to its counsel shall be deemed a representation
and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters
covered thereby.
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
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,
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2.24.
Agreements
With Company Affiliates and Others
.
2.24.1.
Insider
Letters
. The Company has caused to be duly executed
legally binding and enforceable agreements (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 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) in the
form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the
“
Insider
Letters
”), pursuant to which each of the Respondents
agrees to certain matters, including but not limited to, the voting
of Common Stock held by them and certain matters described as being
agreed to by them under the “Proposed Business”
section of the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and Prospectus.
2.24.2.
Subscription
Agreement
. The Sponsor has
executed and delivered
a subscription agreement, the form of which is annexed as an
exhibit to the Registration Statement (the
“
Subscription
Agreement
”), pursuant to
which
the Sponsor
has agreed, among other
things, to purchase on the Closing Date the Private
Units
in
the Private Placement.
2.24.3.
Escrow
Agreement
. The Company has caused the Sponsor to enter
into an escrow agreement (the “
Escrow Agreement
”) with CST&T
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement whereby the Founder’s Shares will be held in escrow
by CST&T for a period (the “
Escrow Period
”) commencing on the
Effective Date and expiring on the one year anniversary of the
consummation of the Business Combination (subject to certain
earlier releases of such Founder’s Shares as provided for in
the Escrow Agreement and described in the Prospectus). During the
Escrow Period, such parties shall be prohibited from selling or
otherwise transferring such Founder’s Shares, except in
certain limited circumstances set forth in the Escrow Agreement and
described in the Prospectus. To the Company’s knowledge, the
Escrow Agreement is enforceable against the Sponsor and will not,
with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both,
result in a breach of, or conflict with, any of the terms and
provisions of, or constitute a default under, an agreement or
instrument to which the Sponsor is a party.
2.24.4.
Non-Competition/Solicitation
.
To the Company’s knowledge, no Respondent is subject to any
non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any
employer or prior employer which could materially affect such
Respondent’s ability to be and act in the capacity of a
director or officer of the Company, as applicable.
2.24.5.
Loans
and Advances
. The Sponsor and the Company’s executive
officers have made advances and loans to the Company in an
aggregate amount not to exceed $175,000, as described in the
Registration Statement (the “
Insider Advances
”). The Insider
Advances do not bear any interest and are repayable by the Company
on the consummation of the Offering.
2.24.6.
Registration
Rights Agreement
. The Company and the Sponsor have entered
into a registration rights agreement (“
Registration Rights Agreement
”)
substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement, whereby the Sponsor will be entitled to certain
registration rights with respect to its securities, as set forth in
such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the
Registration Statement.
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,
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2.24.7.
Administrative
Services
. The Company has entered into an agreement
(“
Services
Agreement
”) with the Sponsor substantially in the form
annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement pursuant to
which the Sponsor will make available to the Company, on the terms
and subject to the conditions set forth therein, general and
administrative services including office space, utilities and
secretarial support for the Company’s use for $10,000 per
month payable until the earlier of the consummation by the Company
of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust
Account.
2.25.
Investment
Management Trust Agreement
. The Company has entered
into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the
Offering and the Private Placement substantially in the form filed
as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the
funds held in the Trust Account may be released under limited
circumstances. The Trust Agreement shall not be amended, modified
or otherwise changed in any way that modifies the rights or
obligations of the Company without the prior written consent of the
Representative.
2.26.
Intentionally
Omitted
.
2.27.
Business
Combination Marketing Agreement
. The Company and the Representative have entered
into a separate business combination marketing agreement
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement (the “
Business Combination Marketing
Agreement
”).
2.28.
Warrant
Agreement
. The Company has
entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants,
Representative’s Warrants and Private Warrants with CST&T
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement (the “
Warrant
Agreement
”).
2.29.
Rights
Agreement
. The Company has
entered into a rights agreement with respect to the Rights, the
Representative’s Rights and Private Rights with CST&T
substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration
Statement (the “
Rights
Agreement
”).
2.30.
Investments
.
No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in
Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
(“
Investment Company
Act
”)) of the Company’s total assets (exclusive
of cash items and “Government Securities,” as defined
in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) consist of, and
no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is
derived from, securities other than Government
Securities.
2.31.
Investment
Company Act
. The Company is not required, and upon the
issuance and sale of the Public Securities as herein contemplated
and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in
the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an
“investment company” under the Investment Company
Act.
2.32.
Subsidiaries
.
The Company does not own an interest in any corporation,
partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or
other business entity.
2.33.
Related
Party Transactions
. No relationship, direct or
indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any
Respondent, on the one hand, and any customer or supplier of the
Company or any Respondent, on the other hand, which is required by
the Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the
Prospectus, which is not so described as required. There are no
outstanding loans, advances 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 Statutory 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.
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,
2017
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2.34.
No
Influence
. The Company has not offered, or caused the
Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units to any person or entity with
the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier
of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the
customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with
the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to
write or publish favorable information about the Company or any
such affiliate.
2.35.
Sarbanes-Oxley
.
The Company is in material compliance with the provisions of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“
SOX
”), and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations
promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory entity or
agency, that are applicable to it as of the date
hereof.
2.36.
Nasdaq
Eligibility
. As of the Effective Date, the Public Securities
have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Markets
(“
NASDAQ
”),
subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory
distribution. There is and has been no failure on the part of the
Company or any of the Company's directors or officers, in their
capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and
immediately following the effectiveness of the Registration
Statement the Company will be in compliance with, the NASDAQ
Marketplace Rules, as amended.
2.37.
Emerging Growth
Status
. From the date of the Company’s 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
”).
2.38.
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 Securities Act or
institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of
Rule 501 under the Securities 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 other than those listed on
Schedule B hereto. “Testing-the-Waters Communication”
means any oral or written communication with potential investors
undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.
2.39.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
. The Company maintains effective
“disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under
Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act to the extent required by
such rule).
2.40.
[Intentionally
Omitted]
.
2.41.
Definition
of “Knowledge”
.
As used in herein, the term
“
knowledge of the
Company
” (or similar language) shall mean the
knowledge of the Company’s executive officers and directors,
with the assumption that such officers and directors shall have
made reasonable and diligent inquiry of the matters
presented.
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 or Prospectus proposed to be filed after
the Effective Date and shall not file any such amendment or
supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object in
writing.
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
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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 all reasonable 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 Public Securities in
accordance with the provisions hereof and the Prospectus. If
at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Public 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 Underwriters, the Statutory Prospectus
and 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 light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary during such period
to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the
Statutory Prospectus and 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 to the Registration Statement or amendment or
supplement to the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus (at the
expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission
or effect such compliance.
3.2.2.
Filing of Final
Prospectus
. The Company will promptly 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
. For a period of five years from the
Effective Date (except in connection with a going private
transaction), or until such earlier time upon which the Trust
Account is to be liquidated if a Business Combination has not been
consummated as required by its Charter Documents (the
“
Termination
Date
”), the Company (i) will use its best efforts to
maintain the registration of the Common Stock, Rights (until the
consummation of the Business Combination) and Warrants under the
provisions of the Exchange Act and (ii) will not deregister the
Common Stock, Rights (prior to the consummation of the Business
Combination) or Warrants under the Exchange Act without the prior
written consent of the Representative.
3.2.4.
Free Writing
Prospectuses
. 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.
3.2.5.
Sarbanes-Oxley
Compliance
. As soon as it is
legally required to do so, t
he Company shall take all
actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material
compliance with each applicable provision of SOX and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and
regulations promulgated by any other governmental or
self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the
Company.
3.3.
Emerging
Growth Company Status
. The Company will promptly notify the
Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth
Company at any time prior to the earlier of five years after the
consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination,
or the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination
is not consummated by the Termination Date.
EarlyBirdCapital,
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,
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3.4.
[Intentionally
Omitted]
.
3.5.
Delivery
of Materials to Underwriters
. The Company will deliver
to each of the several Underwriters, without charge and from time
to time during the period when a prospectus is required to be
delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies
of each Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus and all amendments and
supplements to such documents as such Underwriters may reasonably
request.
3.6.
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 during the period described in this
Section 3.6 hereof that, in the judgment of the Company or its
counsel, makes any statement of a material fact made in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus
untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus in
order to make the statements therein, (with respect to the
Prospectus and the Statutory Prospectus 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.
3.7.
Review
of Financial Statements
. Until the earlier of five
years from the Effective Date, or until the liquidation of the
Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated by the
Termination Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its
regularly engaged independent certified public accountants to
review (but not audit)
the
Company’s financial statements for each of the first three
fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial
information, the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q quarterly
report.
3.8.
Affiliated
Transactions
.
3.8.1.
Business
Combinations
. The Company will not consummate a
Business Combination with an entity that is affiliated with any
Respondent unless in each case the Company obtains an opinion from
an independent investment banking firm or another independent firm
that regularly renders fairness opinions on the type of target
business the Company is seeking to acquire that the Business
Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view
and a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent
directors (if there are any) approve such transaction.
3.8.2.
Compensation
.
Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Company
shall not pay any Respondent or any of their affiliates any fees or
compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in
connection with, either this Offering or the Business
Combination.
3.9.
Secondary Market Trading and Standard
& Poor’s
. If the Company does not maintain the
listing of the Public Securities on NASDAQ or another national
securities exchange, the Company will (i) apply to be included in
Standard & Poor’s Daily News and Corporation Records
Corporate Descriptions for a period of five years from the
consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) take such commercially
reasonable steps as may be necessary to obtain a secondary market
trading exemption for the Company’s securities in the State
of California and (iii) take such other action as may be reasonably
requested by the Representative to obtain a secondary market
trading exemption in such other states as may be requested by the
Representative; provided that no qualification shall be required in
any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be
subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign
corporation doing business in such jurisdiction.
3.10.
Investor Relations
Firm
. Promptly after the execution of a definitive agreement
for a Business Combination, the Company shall retain an investor
relations firm with the expertise necessary to assist the Company
both before and after the consummation of the Business Combination
for a term to be agreed upon by the Company and the
Representative.
3.11.
Reports
to the Representative
.
3.11.1.
Periodic
Reports, etc.
For a period of five years from the
Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is
required to be liquidated and dissolved, 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 which was released by the Company; (iii) a copy of
each Current Report on Form 8-K and any Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1
or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company; (iv) five copies of
each registration statement filed by the Company with the
Commission under the Securities 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
Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System
(
“EDGAR”
) shall
be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to
this section.
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3.11.2. 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&T is acceptable to the
Underwriters.
3.12.
Payment
of Expenses
. The Company hereby agrees to pay on each
of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the
extent not paid at Closing Date, or such later date as may be
agreed to by the Representative in its sole discretion, all fees
and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the
Company under this Agreement, including, but not limited to: (i)
the preparation, printing, filing and mailing (including the
payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the
Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the final
Prospectus 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; (ii) the printing,
engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, Common Stock, Rights
and Warrants
included
in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable
thereon; (iii) NASDAQ filing fees or, if necessary, the
qualification of the Public Securities under state or foreign
securities or Blue Sky laws; (iv) fees and expenses (including
legal fees of the Representative’s counsel not to exceed
$15,000) incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA; (v) fees
and disbursements of the transfer, rights agent and warrant agent;
(vi) the preparation and delivery of transaction lucite cubes or
similar commemorative items in a style and quantity as reasonably
requested by the Representative
(not
to exceed $
3,000
)
; (vii)
all costs and expenses of the Company associated with “road
show” marketing and “due diligence” trips for the
Company’s management to meet with prospective investors,
including without limitation, all travel, food and lodging expenses
associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such
management; and (viii) all other costs and expenses customarily
borne by an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations
hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this
Section 3.12.
The Company also
agrees that it will pay for an investigative search firm of the
Representative’s choice to conduct an investigation of the
principals of the Company as shall be mutually selected by the
Representative and the Company (not to exceed $3,500 per individual
or $21,000 in the aggregate).
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. It is acknowledged
that the Company has already paid $25,000 to the Representative. To
the extent that the Representative’s out-of-pocket expenses
are less than this advance, the Representative shall refund the
excess to the Company.
3.13.
Application
of Net Proceeds
. The Company will apply the net
proceeds from this Offering received by it in a manner
substantially consistent with the application described under the
caption “Use of Proceeds” in the
Prospectus.
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3.14.
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
sixteenth 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.
3.15.
Notice
to FINRA
.
3.15.1.
Assistance
with Business Combination
. For a period of ninety days
following the Effective Date, in the event any person or entity
(regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to
assist the Company in its search for a Business Combination
candidate or to provide any similar Business Combination-related
services, the Company will provide the following information (the
“
Business Combination
Information
”) to the Representative:
(i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements
governing such services (which details or agreements may be
appropriately redacted to account for privilege or confidentiality
concerns); and (ii) justification as to why the person or
entity providing the Business Combination-related services should
not be considered an “underwriter and related person”
with respect to the Company’s initial public offering, as
such term is defined in Rule 5110 of FINRA’s Conduct
Rules. The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of
such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the proxy
statement which the Company will file for purposes of soliciting
stockholder approval for the Business Combination. Upon the
Company’s delivery of the Business Combination Information to
the Representative, the Company hereby expressly authorizes the
Representative to provide such information directly to FINRA as a
result of representations the Representative have made to FINRA in
connection with the Offering.
3.15.2.
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 the
Representative.
3.16.
Stabilization
. Neither the
Company, nor, to its knowledge, any of its employees, officers,
directors or stockholders (without the consent of the
Representative) has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any
action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably
be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or
otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any
security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the
Units.
3.17.
Internal
Controls
. From and after the Closing Date, 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.
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3.18.
Accountants
.
For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such
earlier time upon which the Trust Account is required to be
liquidated, the Company shall retain Marcum or other independent
public accountants reasonably acceptable to the
Representative.
3.19.
Form
8-K’s
. The Company has retained
Marcum
to audit the
balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (the
“
Audited Balance
Sheet
”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the
proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placements. Within
four (4) Business Days of 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 Balance Sheet. If the
Over-Allotment Option has not been exercised on the Effective Date,
the Company will also file an amendment to the Form 8-K, or a new
Form 8-K, to provide updated financial information of the Company
to reflect the exercise and consummation of the Over-Allotment
Option.
3.20.
FINRA
.
Until the Option Closing Date, if any, the Company shall advise the
Representative 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.
3.21.
Corporate
Proceedings
. All corporate proceedings and other legal
matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and
the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been done to the
reasonable satisfaction to counsel for the
Underwriters.
3.22.
Investment
Company
. The Company shall cause the proceeds of the
Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as set
forth in the Trust Agreement as in effect on the date hereof 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 will be engaged in a business other than
that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading
securities.
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; provided that in no event shall the Company be
prohibited from issuing any press release or engaging in any other
publicity required by law.
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3.24.
Electronic
Prospectus
. The Company shall cause to be prepared and
delivered to the Representative, at its 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 other Underwriters to offerees and purchasers
of the Common Stock for at least the period during which a
Prospectus relating to the Common Stock 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).
The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in
the Prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR or otherwise with the
Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was
declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request
by an investor or his or her representative within the period when
a prospectus relating to the Common Stock is required to be
delivered under the Act, the Company shall transmit or cause to be
transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the
Prospectus.
3.25.
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 or in connection with
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.
3.26.
NASDAQ
Maintenance
. Until the consummation of a Business
Combination, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts
to maintain the listing by NASDAQ of the Units and the Common
Stock, Rights and Warrants included within the Units.
3.27.
Private
Placement Proceeds
. On the
Closing Date, the Company shall cause to be deposited $2,250,000 of
proceeds from the Private Placement into the Trust Account. On the
Option Closing Date, if any, the Company shall cause to be
deposited an amount of additional proceeds from the additional
Private
Units
sold
on the Option Closing Date into the Trust Account such that the
amount of funds in the Trust Account shall be $10.00 per Public
Share sold in the Offering.
3.28.
Reservation of
Shares
. The Company will reserve and keep
available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued
securities which are issuable pursuant to the Rights, Warrants, the
Private Rights, the Private Warrants, the Representative’s
Rights and the Representative’s Warrants outstanding from
time to time.
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3.29.
Testing-the-Waters
Communications
. If at any time
following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters
Communication, there occurred or occurs an event or development as
a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication
included or would include any untrue statement of a material fact
or omitted or would omit to state any material fact necessary to
make the statements therein in light of the circumstances existing
at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly
(i) notify the Representative so that use of the Written
Testing-the-Waters Communication may cease until it is amended or
supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement, at its own expense, such
Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct
such untrue statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment
or supplement to the Representative in such quantities as may be
reasonably requested.
4.
Conditions
.
4.1.
Conditions
of Underwriters’ Obligations
. The obligations of
the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Public
Securities, 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 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:
4.1.1.
Regulatory
Matters
.
4.1.1.1.
Effectiveness
of Registration Statement
. The Registration Statement
shall have become effective not later than 5:00 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, and, at the
Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the
Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings
for the purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or
contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the
Commission for additional information shall have been complied
with.
4.1.1.2.
FINRA
Clearance
. By the Effective Date, the Representative
shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of
compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described
in the Registration Statement.
4.1.1.3.
No
Commission Stop Order
. At the
Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened
to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has
not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to
institute any proceedings with respect to such an
order.
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4.1.1.4.
NASDAQ
Listing
. The Public Securities shall have been approved for
listing on NASDAQ, subject to official notice of issuance and
evidence of satisfactory distribution.
4.1.2.
Company
Counsel Matters
.
4.1.2.1.
Opinion
of Company Counsel
. On each of the Closing Date or the
Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received
the favorable opinions (along with negative assurance letters) of
Akerman LLP, counsel to the Company, addressed to the
Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and
in form mutually agreed to by the Company and the
Representative.
4.1.2.2.
Reliance
.
In rendering such opinions, such counsel may rely: (i) as to
matters involving the application of laws other than the laws of
the United States and jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to
the extent such counsel deems proper and to the extent specified in
such opinion, if at all, upon an opinion or opinions (in form and
substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) of other
counsel reasonably acceptable to the Representative, familiar with
the applicable laws; and (ii) 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 jurisdiction 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 Underwriters’ counsel if requested. The opinions of
counsel for the Company and any opinion relied upon by such 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.
4.1.3.
Cold
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 and the
Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such
term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange
Act;
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(ii) Stating
that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company
included in the Registration Statement 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 a limited 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 which would lead
them to believe that: (a) the unaudited financial statements of the
Company included in the Registration Statement 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 Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus; or (b) at a date
immediately prior to the Effective Date or 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, 2017 balance sheet included in the Registration
Statement, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the
Registration Statement, or, if there was any decrease, setting
forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from
September 18, 2017 to a specified date immediately prior to the
Effective Date or Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any
changes in revenues, net earnings (losses), or net earnings
(losses) per share of Common Stock, in each case as compared with
the Statement of Operations for the period from September 18, 2017
(inception) to September 30, 2017 included in the Registration
Statement, or, if there was any such change, setting forth the
amount of such change;
(iv) 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 in each case to the extent that such
amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be
derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets,
of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an
interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the
application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate
procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in
accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in
the letter and found them to be in agreement; and
(v) Statements
as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated
hereby as the Representative may reasonably request.
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4.1.4.
Officers’
Certificates
.
4.1.4.1.
Officers’
Certificate
. As of 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,
President or Chief Financial Officer (in their capacities as such),
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 and that the conditions set forth in
this Section 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and
that, as of Closing Date, 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 as
the Representative may reasonably request.
4.1.4.2.
Secretary’s
Certificate
. As of 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 President of the
Company, respectively, certifying: (i) that the Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws of the Company are
true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and
effect; (ii) that the resolutions relating to the Offering are in
full force and effect and have not been modified; (iii) all
correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the
Commission; (iv) all correspondence between the Company or its
counsel and NASDAQ; 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.
4.1.5.
No
Material Changes
. Prior to 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 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,
the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus; (ii) no action suit or
proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or
threatened against the Company or any Respondent before or by any
court or foreign, federal or state commission, board or other
administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or
finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations,
prospects or financial condition or income of the Company, except
as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory
Prospectus and Prospectus; (iii) no stop order shall have been
issued under the Act against the Company and no proceedings
therefor shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission;
and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Statutory 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 none of the Registration Statement, the
Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or
supplement thereto shall contain any 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 case of
the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus, in light of the
circumstances under which they were made), not
misleading.
4.1.6.
Delivery
of Agreements and Securities
. On the Effective Date, the
Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies
of the Trust Agreement, the Subscription Agreement, the Escrow
Agreement, the Services Agreement, the Business Combination
Marketing Agreement, the Rights Agreement, the Warrant Agreement,
the Registration Rights Agreement and all of the Insider Letters.
On the Closing Date, the Company shall have delivered to the
Representative the Representative’s Purchase Option and the
Representative’s Shares.
4.1.7.
Private
Units
. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as
applicable, the Private
Units have been
purchased
as provided for in the Subscription Agreement and
the purchase price for such securities shall be deposited into the
Trust Account.
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5.
Indemnification
.
5.1.
Indemnification
of 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 each
dealer selected by the Representative that participates in the
offer and sale of the Public Securities (each a “
Selected Dealer
”) and each of
their respective directors, officers, partners and employees and
each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter or Selected
Dealer (“
Controlling
Person
”) within the meaning of Section 15 of the
Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and its counsel,
against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense
whatsoever (including but not limited to any and all legal or other
expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or
defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or
any claim whatsoever, whether arising out of any action between any
of the Underwriters and the Company or between any of the
Underwriters and any third party or otherwise) to which they or any
of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any
other foreign, federal, state or local statute, law, rule,
regulation or ordinance or at common law or otherwise or under the
laws, rules and regulation of foreign countries, arising out of or
based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a
material fact contained in (i) any Preliminary Prospectus, the
Registration Statement, or the Prospectus (as from time to time
each may be amended and supplemented); (ii) in any post-effective
amendment or amendments or any new registration statement and
prospectus relating to any of the Public Securities; or (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, NASDAQ (in each
case other than statements contained in the section captioned
“Selling Restrictions”); or the omission or alleged
omission therefrom 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, unless
such statement or omission was 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 any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration
Statement the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereof, or
in any application, as the case may be, which furnished written
information, it is expressly agreed, consists solely of the
information described in clause (ii) of the last sentence of
Section 2.3.1. With respect to any untrue statement or
omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the
Preliminary Prospectus, the indemnity agreement contained in this
paragraph shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter to the
extent that any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense of such
Underwriter results from the fact that a copy of the Prospectus was
not given or sent to the person asserting any such loss, liability,
claim or damage at or prior to the written confirmation of sale of
the Public Securities to such person as required by the Act and the
Regulations, and if the untrue statement or omission has been
corrected in the Prospectus, unless such failure to deliver the
Prospectus was a result of non-compliance by the Company with its
obligations under Section 3.5 hereof. 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 Public Securities or in connection with the Preliminary
Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the
Prospectus.
5.1.2.
Procedure
.
If any action is brought against an Underwriter or controlling
person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the
Company pursuant to Section 5.1.1, such Underwriter shall
promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such
action and the Company shall assume the defense of such action,
including the employment and fees of counsel (subject to the
reasonable approval of such Underwriter) and payment of actual
expenses. Such Underwriter or controlling person shall have
the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but
the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of
such Underwriter or such controlling person unless: (i) the
employment of such counsel at the expense of the Company shall have
been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with the
defense of such action; (ii) the Company shall not have employed
counsel to have charge of the defense of such action; or (iii)
counsel to such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably
concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which
are different from or additional to those available to the Company
(in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the
defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or
parties), in any of which events the reasonable fees and expenses
of not more than one additional firm of attorneys selected by the
Underwriter and/or controlling person shall be borne by the
Company. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
herein, if the Underwriter or controlling person shall assume the
defense of such action as provided above, the Company shall have
the right to approve the terms of any settlement of such action
which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.
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5.2.
Indemnification
of the Company
. Each Underwriter, severally and not
jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its
directors, officers, and employees and agents who control the
Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or
Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and its counsel, against any
and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the
foregoing indemnity from the Company to the several 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, 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 the Underwriter expressly for use in such Registration
Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment
or supplement thereto or in any such application, which furnished
written information, it is expressly agreed, consists solely of the
information described in clause (ii) of the last sentence of
Section 2.3.1. In case any action shall be brought against
the Company or any other person so indemnified based on any
Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus
or any amendment or supplement thereto or any application, and in
respect of which indemnity may be sought against any Underwriter,
such Underwriter shall have the rights and duties given to the
Company, and the Company and each other person so indemnified shall
have the rights and duties given to the several Underwriters by the
provisions of Section 5.1.2.
5.3.
Contribution
.
5.3.1.
Contribution
Rights
. In order to provide for just and equitable
contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person
entitled to indemnification under this Section 5 makes claim
for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined
(by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent
jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of
the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be
enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this
Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii)
contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be
required on the part of any such person in circumstances for which
indemnification is provided under this Section 5 but is
unavailable, then, and in each such case, the Company and the
Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, liabilities,
claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said
indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and the Underwriters,
as incurred, in such proportions that the Underwriters are
responsible for that portion represented by the percentage that the
underwriting discount appearing on the cover page of the Prospectus
bears to the initial offering price appearing thereon and the
Company is responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person
guilty of a fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of
Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution
from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent
misrepresentation. Notwithstanding the provisions of this
Section 5.3.1, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute
any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at
which the Public Securities underwritten by it and distributed to
the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any
damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay in
respect of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and
expenses. For purposes of this Section, each director,
officer and employee of an Underwriter or the Company, as
applicable, and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter or
the Company, as applicable, within the meaning of Section 15
of the Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the
Underwriters or the Company, as applicable.
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5.3.2.
Contribution
Procedure
. Within fifteen days after receipt by any
party to this Agreement (or its representatives) of notice of the
commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if
a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against
another party (“
contributing
party
”), notify the contributing party of the
commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the
contributing party will not relieve it from any liability which it
may have to any other party other than for contribution
hereunder. In case any such action, suit or proceeding is
brought against any party, and such party notifies a contributing
party or its representatives of the commencement thereof within the
aforesaid fifteen days, the contributing party will be entitled to
participate therein with the notifying party and any other
contributing party similarly notified. Any such contributing
party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on
account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding
effected by such party seeking contribution on account of any
settlement of any claim, action or proceeding 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 5.3 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 3.12 and 5 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.
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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
. Except as described in the Registration
Statement, the Company hereby agrees that until the Company
consummates a Business Combination, it shall not issue any Common
Stock or any options or other securities convertible into Common
Stock or any shares of preferred stock which participate in any
manner in the Trust Account or which vote on a Business
Combination.
7.2.
Trust
Account Waiver Acknowledgments
. The Company hereby agrees
that, prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any
Target Business or obtaining the services of any vendor, it will
use its best efforts to have such Target Business or vendor
acknowledge in writing, whether through a letter of intent,
memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle 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
$50,000,000 for the benefit of the Public Stockholders and that,
except for the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust
Account that may be released to the Company for its tax
obligations, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account
only: (i) to the Public Stockholders in the event of the conversion
or sale of their shares upon consummation of a Business Combination
or certain amendments to the Company’s Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, (ii) to the Public Stockholders in
connection with the Company’s
liquidation
in the event the Company is
unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required
time period or (iii) to the Company concurrently with, or after it
consummates a Business Combination, and (b) for and in
consideration of the Company (1) agreeing to evaluate such Target
Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with
it or (2) 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 of 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
B
,
respectively.
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7.3.
Insider
Letters
. The Company shall not take any action or omit
to take any action which would cause a breach of any of the Insider
Letters executed between each Respondent and the Representative and
will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, such Insider
Letters without the prior written consent of the
Representative.
7.4.
Tender
Offer, Proxy and Other Information
. The Company shall
provide the Representative with copies of all proxy or tender offer
documentation and other information and all related material sent
to Public Stockholders in connection with a Business
Combination.
7.5.
Rule
419
. The Company agrees that it will use its best efforts to
prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act
prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including,
but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the
Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a
“penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the
Exchange Act during such period.
7.6.
Presentation
of Potential Target Businesses
. The Company shall
cause each of the Respondents to agree that, in order to minimize
potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple
affiliations, the Respondents will present to the Company for its
consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or
company, any suitable opportunity to acquire an operating business,
until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business
Combination or the liquidation of the Trust Account, subject to any
pre-existing fiduciary obligations the Respondents might
have.
7.7.
Target
Fair Market Value
. 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 (excluding any taxes)
at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business
Combination with such Target Business. The fair market value of
such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the
Company based upon standards generally accepted by the financial
community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow
and book value. If the Board of Directors of the Company is not
able to independently determine that the target business meets such
fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion
from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or
another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions
on the type of Target Business the Company is seeking to acquire.
The Company is not required to obtain such an opinion as to the
fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors
independently determines that the Target Business does have
sufficient fair market value.
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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 at the Closing Date or Option Closing
Date, as applicable, and such representations, warranties and
agreements of the Underwriters and 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 any Underwriter, the Company
or any controlling person, and shall survive termination of this
Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to
the several Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any
applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th) anniversary
of the Closing Date, 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 any Closing Date: (i) if any domestic or
international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted
or, in the Representative’s sole opinion, will in the
immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in
the United States; or (ii) if trading on the New York Stock
Exchange, the NYSE MKT LLC, NASDAQ or on the OTC Bulletin Board (or
successor trading market) 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 on the OTC
Bulletin Board 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 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
Common Stock, (vii) if any of the Company’s representations,
warranties or covenants hereunder are breached, or (viii) if the
Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of a
Material Adverse Effect on 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 Common Stock or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters
for the sale of the Common Stock.
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, the obligations of
the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the
transactions contemplated herein shall be governed by
Section 3.12 hereof.
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 effected by,
such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of
this Agreement or any part hereof.
10.
Miscellaneous
.
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10.1.
Notices
.
All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise
specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed by
certified mail (with return receipt), delivered by hand or
reputable overnight courier, delivered by facsimile transmission
(with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed, or by
electronic transmission via PDF and shall be deemed given when so
mailed, delivered, or faxed or transmitted (or if mailed, five days
after such mailing):
If to
the Representative:
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue
New
York, New York 10017
Fax
No.: (212) 661-4936
Attn:
Steven Levine
Email:
slevine@ebcap.com
With a
copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Graubard
Miller
405
Lexington Avenue
New
York, New York 10174
Fax
No.: (212) 818-8881
Attn:
David Alan Miller, Esq.
Email:
dmiller@graubard.com
If to
the Company, to:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Attn:
Richard Ackerman, Chief Executive Officer
Email:
_________________
With a
copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Akerman
LLP
Three
Brickell City Centre
98
Southeast Seventh Street
Suite
1100
Miami,
Florida 33131
Fax
No.: (305) 374-5095
Attn:
Michael Francis, Esq.
Email:
michael.francis@akerman.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 Company and the controlling persons, directors
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.
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10.6.
Governing
Law, Venue, etc.
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
conflict of laws. Each of the Company and the Representative hereby
agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out
of, relating in any way to this Agreement 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. Each of the Company and the Representative 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 or the Representative, respectively,
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, respectively,
in any action, proceeding or claim. Each of the Company and the
Representative agrees that the prevailing party(ies) in any such
action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all
of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to
such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the
preparation therefor.
10.7.
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 fax or email/.pdf transmission
shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery
thereof.
10.8.
Waiver,
etc.
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.
10.9.
No
Fiduciary Relationship
. The Company hereby acknowledges that
the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection
with the offering of the Public Securities. The Company further
acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a
contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered
into on an arm's length basis and 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 the offering of the
Public Securities, either before or after the date hereof. 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 and the
Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their
own independent judgments 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
Public 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.
[Signature
Page Follows]
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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,
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
By:
________________________________________
Name:
Title:
Agreed to and accepted
as of the date first written above:
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.
, as Representative of the several
Underwriters
By:
________________________________________
Name:
Title:
[Signature
Page to Underwriting Agreement, dated ___________,
2017]
SCHEDULE A
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
5,000,000
Units
Underwriter
|
|
Number of Firm Units
to be Purchased
|
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL
|
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5,000,000
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SCHEDULE B
EXHIBIT A
Form of Target Business Letter
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus
of
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), dated [_____], 2017
(the
“
Prospectus
”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise
defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the
Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand
that
the Company
has
established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least
$
50,000,000
, for the benefit of
the Public Stockholders and that, except for the interest earned on
the amounts held in the Trust Account that may be released to pay
for the Company’s tax obligations,
the Company
may disburse monies from the Trust
Account only: (i)
to the Public Stockholders in the event of
the conversion or sale of their shares upon consummation of a
Business Combination or certain amendments to the Company’s
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation as described in
the Prospectus, (ii) to the Public Stockholders in connection with
the Company’s
liquidation
in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business
Combination within the required time period or (iii) to the Company
concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business
Combination.
For and in consideration of
the Company
agreeing to evaluate the undersigned
for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the
undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title,
interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust
Account (each, a “
Claim
”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have
in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations,
contracts or agreements with
the Company
and will not seek recourse against the Trust
Account for any reason whatsoever.
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Print Name of Target Business
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Authorized Signature of Target Business
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EXHIBIT B
Form of Vendor Letter
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Reference is made to the Final Prospectus
of
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), dated [_____], 2017 (the
“
Prospectus
”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise
defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the
Prospectus.
We have read the Prospectus and understand
that
the Company
has
established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least
$
50,000,000
, for the benefit of
the Public Stockholders and that, except for the interest earned on
the amounts held in the Trust Account that may be released to pay
for the Company’s tax obligations,
the Company
may disburse monies from the Trust
Account only: (i)
to the Public Stockholders in the event of
the conversion or sale of their shares upon consummation of a
Business Combination or certain amendments to the Company’s
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation
as described in the Prospectus,
(ii) to the Public Stockholders in connection with the
Company’s
liquidation
in
the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business
Combination within the required time period or (iii) to the Company
concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business
Combination
.
For and in consideration of
the Company
agreeing to use the services of the
undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have
any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies
in the Trust Account (each, a “
Claim
”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have
in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services
provided to
the Company
and
will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason
whatsoever.
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Print Name of Vendor
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Authorized Signature of Vendor
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Exhibit 1.2
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.
366 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10017
____________,
2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Attn:
Richard Ackerman
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This is
to confirm our agreement whereby Big Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp., a Delaware corporation (“
Company
”), has requested
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the “
Advisor
”) to assist it in
connection with the Company merging with, acquiring, engaging in a
share exchange, share reconstruction and amalgamation, purchasing
all or substantially all of the assets of, entering into
contractual arrangements, or engaging in any other similar business
combination (in each case, a “
Business Combination
”) with one or
more businesses or entities (each a “
Target
”) as described in the
Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No.
333-220947) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“
Registration
Statement
”) in connection with its initial public
offering (“
IPO
”).
1.
Services
and Fees
.
(a) The
Advisor will:
(i)
Hold meetings with
Company stockholders to discuss the Business Combination and the
Target’s attributes;
(ii)
Introduce the
Company to potential investors to purchase the Company’s
securities in connection with the Business
Combination;
(iii)
Assist the Company
in trying to obtain stockholder approval for the Business
Combination, including assistance with the Company’s proxy
statement or tender offer materials; and
(iv)
Assist the Company
with any press releases and filings related to the Business
Combination or the Target.
(b) As
compensation for the foregoing services, the Company will pay the
Advisor a cash fee equal to 4% of the gross proceeds received by
the Company in the IPO (“
Fee
”). The Fee shall be payable in
cash and is due and payable to the Advisor by wire transfer at the
closing of the Business Combination (“
Closing
”). If a proposed Business
Combination is not consummated for any reason, no Fee shall be due
or payable to the Advisor hereunder. The Fee shall be exclusive of
any finder’s fees which may become payable to the Advisor
pursuant to any other agreement between the Advisor and the Company
or the Target.
2.
Expenses
.
At the
Closing, the Company shall reimburse the Advisor for all reasonable
costs and expenses incurred by the Advisor (including reasonable
fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection with the
performance of its services hereunder; provided, however, all
expenses in excess of $5,000 in the aggregate shall be subject to
the Company’s prior written approval, which approval shall
not be unreasonably withheld.
3.
Company
Cooperation
.
The
Company will provide full cooperation to the Advisor as may be
necessary for the efficient performance by the Advisor of its
obligations hereunder, including, but not limited to, providing to
the Advisor and its counsel, on a timely basis, all documents and
information regarding the Company and Target that the Advisor may
reasonably request or that are otherwise relevant to the
Advisor’s performance of its obligations hereunder
(collectively, the “
Information
”); making the
Company’s management, auditors, suppliers, customers,
consultants and advisors available to the Advisor; and, using
commercially reasonable efforts to provide the Advisor with
reasonable access to the management, auditors, suppliers,
customers, consultants and advisors of Target. The Company will
promptly notify the Advisor of any change in facts or circumstances
or new developments affecting the Company or Target or that might
reasonably be considered material to the Advisor’s engagement
hereunder.
4.
Representations;
Warranties and Covenants
.
The
Company represents, warrants and covenants to the Advisor that all
Information it makes available to the Advisor by or on behalf of
the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations
hereunder will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact
or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make
statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they
were made, not misleading as of the date thereof and as of the
consummation of the Business Combination.
5.
Indemnity
.
The
Company shall indemnify the Advisor and its affiliates and
directors, officers, employees, shareholders, representatives and
agents in accordance with the indemnification provisions set forth
in Annex I hereto, all of which are incorporated herein by
reference.
Notwithstanding the
foregoing and Annex 1, the Advisor agrees, if there is no Closing,
(i) that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of
any kind in or to any monies in the Company’s trust account
(“
Trust
Account
”) established in connection with the IPO with
respect to the Fee (each, a “
Claim
”); (ii) to waive any Claim
it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any
services provided to the Company hereunder; and (iii) to not seek
recourse against the Trust Account with respect to the
Fee.
6.
Use
of Name and Reports
.
Without
the Advisor’s prior written consent, neither the Company nor
any of its affiliates (nor any director, officer, manager, partner,
member, employee or agent thereof) shall quote or refer to (i) the
Advisor’s name or (ii) any advice rendered by the Advisor to
the Company or any communication from the Advisor in connection
with performance of their services hereunder, except as required by
applicable federal or state law, regulation or securities exchange
rule.
7.
Status
as Independent Contractor
.
The
Advisor shall perform its services as an independent contractor and
not as an employee of the Company or affiliate thereof. It is
expressly understood and agreed to by the parties that the Advisor
shall have no authority to act for, represent or bind the Company
or any affiliate thereof in any manner, except as may be expressly
agreed to by the Company in writing. In rendering such services,
the Advisor will be acting solely pursuant to a contractual
relationship on an arm’s-length basis. This Agreement is not
intended to create a fiduciary relationship between the parties and
neither the Advisor nor any of the Advisor’s officers,
directors or personnel will owe any fiduciary duty to the Company
or any other person in connection with any of the matters
contemplated by this Agreement.
8.
Potential
Conflicts
.
The
Company acknowledges that the Advisor is a full-service securities
firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities and
providing investment banking and advisory services from which
conflicting interests may arise. In the ordinary course of
business, the Advisor and its affiliates may at any time hold long
or short positions, and may trade or otherwise effect transactions,
for their own account or the accounts of customers, in debt or
equity securities of the Company, its affiliates or other entities
that may be involved in the transactions contemplated hereby.
Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit or restrict
the Advisor or any of its affiliates in conducting such
business.
9.
Entire
Agreement
.
This
Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties
with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior
agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect
thereto. This Agreement may not be modified or terminated orally or
in any manner other than by an agreement in writing signed by the
parties hereto.
10.
Notices
.
Any
notices required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in
writing and shall be deemed given when mailed by certified mail or
private courier service, return receipt requested, addressed to
each party at its respective addresses set forth above, or such
other address as may be given by a party in a notice given pursuant
to this Section.
11.
Successors
and Assigns
.
This
Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the written
consent of the other. This Agreement shall be binding upon and
shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and, except where
prohibited, to their successors and assigns.
12.
Non-Exclusivity
.
Nothing
herein shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the engagement by
the Company of other consultants providing the same or similar
services or the payment by the Company of fees to such parties. The
Company’s engagement of any other consultant(s) shall not
affect the Advisor’s right to receive the Fee and
reimbursement of expenses pursuant to this Agreement.
13.
Applicable
Law; Venue
.
This
Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the
laws of the State of New York without giving effect to conflict of
laws.
In the
event of any dispute under this Agreement, then and in such event,
each party hereto agrees that the dispute shall be brought and
enforced in the courts of the State of New York, County of New York
under the accelerated adjudication procedures of the Commercial
Division, or the United States District Court for the Southern
District of New York, in each event at the discretion of the party
initiating the dispute. Each party irrevocably submits to such
jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each party
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 a party may be served by transmitting a
copy thereof by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid,
addressed to such party at the address set forth at the beginning
of this Agreement. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service
and shall be legal and binding upon the party being served in any
action, proceeding or claim. The parties agree that the prevailing
party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the
other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and
expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in
connection with the preparation therefor.
14.
Counterparts
.
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.
If the
foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the
Advisor and the Company with respect to the foregoing, please so
indicate your agreement by signing in the place provided below, at
which time this letter shall become a binding
contract.
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EARLYBIRDCAPITAL,
INC.
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Date
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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AGREED
AND ACCEPTED BY:
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
Name:
Title:
[Signature
Page to Business Combination Marketing Agreement]
ANNEX
I
Indemnification
In
connection with the Company's engagement of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
(the “
Advisor
”)
pursuant to that certain letter agreement (“
Agreement
”) of which this Annex
forms a part, Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“
Company
”)
hereby agrees, subject to the second paragraph of Section 5 of the
Agreement, to indemnify and hold harmless the Advisor and its
affiliates and its respective directors, officers, shareholders,
agents and employees of any of the foregoing (collectively the
“
Indemnified
Persons
”), from and against any and all claims,
actions, suits, proceedings (including those of stockholders),
damages, liabilities and expenses incurred by any of them
(including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), as
incurred, (collectively a “
Claim
”), that (A) are related to
or arise out of (i) any actions taken or omitted to be taken
(including any untrue statements made or any statements omitted to
be made) by the Company, or (ii) any actions taken or omitted to be
taken by any Indemnified Person in connection with the Company's
engagement of the Advisor, or (B) otherwise relate to or arise out
of the Advisor's activities on the Company's behalf under the
Advisor's engagement, and the Company shall reimburse any
Indemnified Person for all expenses (including the reasonable fees
and expenses of counsel) as incurred by such Indemnified Person in
connection with investigating, preparing or defending any such
claim, action, suit or proceeding, whether or not in connection
with pending or threatened litigation in which any Indemnified
Person is a party. The Company will not, however, be responsible
for any Claim that is finally judicially determined to have
resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of any
person seeking indemnification for such Claim. The Company further
agrees that no Indemnified Person shall have any liability to the
Company for or in connection with the Company's engagement of the
Advisor except for any Claim incurred by the Company as a result of
such Indemnified Person's gross negligence or willful
misconduct.
The
Company further agrees that it will not, without the prior written
consent of the Advisor, settle, compromise or consent to the entry
of any judgment in any pending or threatened Claim in respect of
which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not any
Indemnified Person is an actual or potential party to such Claim),
unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an
unconditional, irrevocable release of each Indemnified Person from
any and all liability arising out of such Claim.
Promptly upon
receipt by an Indemnified Person of notice of any complaint or the
assertion or institution of any Claim with respect to which
indemnification is being sought hereunder, such Indemnified Person
shall notify the Company in writing of such complaint or of such
assertion or institution but failure to so notify the Company shall
not relieve the Company from any obligation it may have hereunder,
except and only to the extent such failure results in the
forfeiture by the Company of substantial rights and defenses. If
the Company so elects or is requested by such Indemnified Person,
the Company will assume the defense of such Claim, including the
employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified
Person and the payment of the fees and expenses of such counsel. In
the event, however, that legal counsel to such Indemnified Person
reasonably determines that having common counsel would present such
counsel with a conflict of interest or if the defendant in, or
target of, any such Claim, includes an Indemnified Person and the
Company, and legal counsel to such Indemnified Person reasonably
concludes that there may be legal defenses available to it or other
Indemnified Persons different from or in addition to those
available to the Company, then such Indemnified Person may employ
its own separate counsel to represent or defend him, her or it in
any such Claim and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and
expenses of such counsel. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, if the Company fails timely or diligently to defend,
contest, or otherwise protect against any Claim, the relevant
Indemnified Party shall have the right, but not the obligation, to
defend, contest, compromise, settle, assert crossclaims, or
counterclaims or otherwise protect against the same, and shall be
fully indemnified by the Company therefor, including without
limitation, for the reasonable fees and expenses of its counsel and
all amounts paid as a result of such Claim or the compromise or
settlement thereof.
In
addition, with respect to any Claim in which the Company assumes
the defense, the Indemnified Person shall have the right to
participate in such Claim and to retain his, her or its own counsel
therefor at his, her or its own expense.
The
Company agrees that if any indemnity sought by an Indemnified
Person hereunder is held by a court to be unavailable for any
reason then (whether or not the Advisor is an Indemnified Person),
the Company and the Advisor shall contribute to the Claim for which
such indemnity is held unavailable in such proportion as is
appropriate to reflect the relative benefits to the Company, on the
one hand, and the Advisor on the other, in connection with the
Advisor's engagement referred to above, subject to the limitation
that in no event shall the amount of the Advisor's contribution to
such Claim exceed the amount of fees actually received by the
Advisor from the Company pursuant to the Advisor's engagement. The
Company hereby agrees that the relative benefits to the Company, on
the one hand, and the Advisor on the other, with respect to the
Advisor's engagement shall be deemed to be in the same proportion
as (a) the total value paid or proposed to be paid or received by
the Company or its stockholders as the case may be, pursuant to the
transaction (whether or not consummated) for which the Advisor is
engaged to render services bears to (b) the fee paid or proposed to
be paid to the Advisor in connection with such
engagement.
The
Company's indemnity, reimbursement and contribution obligations
under this Agreement (a) shall be in addition to, and shall in no
way limit or otherwise adversely affect any rights that any
Indemnified Party may have at law or at equity and (b) shall be
effective whether or not the Company is at fault in any
way.
6
Exhibit 3.2
AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE
OF INCORPORATION
OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
_________, 2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a corporation organized and
existing under the laws of the State of Delaware (the
“Corporation”), DOES HEREBY CERTIFY AS
FOLLOWS:
1. The
name of the Corporation is “Big Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp.” The original certificate of incorporation of the
Corporation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of
Delaware (the “Secretary of State”) on September 18,
2017 (the “Original Certificate”).
2. This
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the
“Amended and Restated Certificate”), which both
restates and amends the provisions of the Original Certificate, as
amended, was duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245
of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and by
written consent of the Corporation’s stockholders in
accordance with Section 228 of the General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
3. The
text of the Original Certificate, as amended, is hereby restated
and amended in its entirety to read as follows:
ARTICLE I
NAME
The
name of the corporation is Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Corporation”).
ARTICLE II
PURPOSE
The
purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or
activity for which corporations may be organized under the DGCL. In
addition to the powers and privileges conferred upon the
Corporation by law and those incidental thereto, the Corporation
shall possess and may exercise all the powers and privileges that
are necessary or convenient to the conduct, promotion or attainment
of the business or purposes of the Corporation, including, but not
limited to, effecting a merger, capital stock exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or
similar business combination, involving the Corporation and one or
more businesses or entities (a “Business
Combination”).
ARTICLE III
REGISTERED AGENT
The
street address of the registered office of the Corporation in the
State of Delaware is 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, County of New
Castle, State of Delaware 19801, and the name of the
Corporation’s registered agent at such address is The
Corporation Trust Company.
CAPITALIZATION
Section
4.1
Authorized Capital Stock. The total number of shares of all classes
of capital stock, each with a par value of $0.001 per share, which
the Corporation is authorized to issue is 101,000,000 shares,
consisting of (a) 100,000,000 shares of common stock, par value
$0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), and (b)
1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share
(the “Preferred Stock”).
Section
4.2
Preferred Stock. Subject to Article IX of this Amended and Restated
Certificate, the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the
“Board”) is hereby expressly authorized to provide out
of the unissued shares of the Preferred Stock for one or more
series of Preferred Stock and to establish from time to time the
number of shares to be included in each such series and to fix the
voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences and
relative, participating, optional, special and other rights, if
any, of each such series and any qualifications, limitations and
restrictions thereof, as shall be stated in the resolution or
resolutions adopted by the Board providing for the issuance of such
series and included in a certificate of designation (a
“Preferred Stock Designation”) filed pursuant to the
DGCL, and the Board is hereby expressly vested with the authority
to the full extent provided by law, now or hereafter, to adopt any
such resolution or resolutions.
Section
4.3
Common Stock.
(a)
Except
as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated
Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), the
holders of shares of Common Stock shall be entitled to one vote for
each such share on each matter properly submitted to the
stockholders on which the stockholders generally are entitled to
vote.
(b)
Except
as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated
Certificate (including any Preferred Stock Designation), at any
annual or special meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation,
the holders of the Common Stock 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, and no holder of
any series of Preferred Stock, as such, shall be entitled to any
voting powers in respect thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
except as otherwise required by law or this Amended and Restated
Certificate (including a Preferred Stock Designation), the holders
of the Common Stock shall not be entitled to vote on any amendment
to this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any amendment
to any Preferred Stock Designation) that relates solely to the
terms of one or more outstanding series of the Preferred Stock if
the holders of such affected series are entitled, either separately
or together with the holders of one or more other such series, to
vote thereon pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate
(including any Preferred Stock Designation) or the
DGCL.
(c)
Subject
to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any
outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of
Article IX hereof, the holders of the Common Stock shall be
entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions (payable
in cash, property or capital stock of the Corporation) when, as and
if declared thereon by the Board from time to time out of any
assets or funds of the Corporation legally available therefor, and
shall share equally on a per share basis in such dividends and
distributions.
(d)
Subject
to applicable law, the rights, if any, of the holders of any
outstanding series of the Preferred Stock and the provisions of
Article IX hereof, in the event of any voluntary or involuntary
liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Corporation, after
payment or provision for payment of the debts and other liabilities
of the Corporation, the holders of the 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 the Common Stock held by
them.
Section
4.4
Rights and Options. The Corporation has the authority to create and
issue rights, warrants and options entitling the holders thereof to
acquire from the Corporation any shares of its capital stock of any
class or classes, with such rights, warrants and options to be
evidenced by or in instrument(s) approved by the Board. The Board
is empowered to set the exercise price, duration, times for
exercise and other terms and conditions of such rights, warrants or
options; provided , however , that the consideration to be received
for any shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise thereof may
not be less than the par value thereof.
ARTICLE V
BOARD OF
DIRECTORS
Section
5.1
Board Powers. The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be
managed by, or under the direction of, the Board. In addition to
the powers and authority expressly conferred upon the Board by
statute, this Amended and Restated Certificate or the Bylaws of the
Corporation (“Bylaws”), the Board is hereby empowered
to exercise all such powers and do all such acts and things as may
be exercised or done by the Corporation, subject, nevertheless, to
the provisions of the DGCL, this Amended and Restated Certificate,
and the Bylaws.
Section
5.2
Number, Election and Term.
(a)
The
number of directors of the Corporation shall be fixed from time to
time in the manner provided in the Bylaws.
(b)
Subject
to Section 5.5 hereof, the Board shall be divided into two classes,
as nearly equal in number as possible and designated Class I and
Class II. The Board is authorized to assign members of the Board
already in office to Class I or Class II. The term of the initial
Class I Directors shall expire at the first annual meeting of the
stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this
Amended and Restated Certificate; the term of the initial Class II
Directors shall expire at the second annual meeting of the
stockholders of the Corporation following the effectiveness of this
Amended and Restated Certificate. At each succeeding annual meeting
of the stockholders of the Corporation, beginning with the first
annual meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation following the
effectiveness of this Amended and Restated Certificate, successors
to the class of directors whose term expires at that annual meeting
shall be elected for a two-year term or until the election and
qualification of their respective successors in office, subject to
their earlier death, resignation or removal. Subject to Section 5.5
hereof, if the number of directors is changed, any increase or
decrease shall be apportioned by the Board among the classes so as
to maintain the number of directors in each class as nearly equal
as possible, but in no case shall a decrease in the number of
directors shorten the term of any incumbent director. The Board is
hereby expressly authorized, by resolution or resolutions thereof,
to assign members of the Board already in office to the aforesaid
classes at the time this Amended and Restated Certificate (and
therefore such classification) becomes effective in accordance with
the DGCL.
(c)
Subject
to Section 5.5 hereof, a director shall hold office until the
annual meeting for the year in which his or her term expires and
until his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject,
however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation,
retirement, disqualification or removal.
(d)
Unless
and except to the extent that the Bylaws shall so require, the
election of directors need not be by written ballot.
Section
5.3
Newly Created Directorships and Vacancies. Subject to Section 5.5
hereof, newly created directorships resulting from an increase in
the number of directors and any vacancies on the Board resulting
from death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, removal or
other cause may be filled solely and exclusively by a majority vote
of the remaining directors then in office, even if less than a
quorum, or by a sole remaining director (and not by stockholders),
and any director so chosen shall hold office for the remainder of
the full term of the class of directors to which the new
directorship was added or in which the vacancy occurred and until
his or her successor has been elected and qualified, subject,
however, to such director’s earlier death, resignation,
retirement, disqualification or removal.
Section
5.4
Removal. Subject to Section 5.5 hereof, any or all of the directors
may be removed from office at any time with cause and only by the
affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the voting power of
all then outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation
entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting
together as a single class.
Section
5.5
Preferred Stock - Directors. Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Article V, and except as otherwise required by law, whenever
the holders of one or more series of the Preferred Stock shall have
the right, voting separately by class or series, to elect one or
more directors, the term of office, the filling of vacancies, the
removal from office and other features of such directorships shall
be governed by the terms of such series of the Preferred Stock as
set forth in this Amended and Restated Certificate (including any
Preferred Stock Designation) and such directors shall not be
included in any of the classes created pursuant to this Article V
unless expressly provided by such terms.
ARTICLE VI
BYLAWS
In
furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred upon it
by law, the Board shall have the power and is expressly authorized
to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the Bylaws. The affirmative vote
of a majority of the Board 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 Amended
and Restated Certificate (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.
ARTICLE VII
MEETINGS OF
STOCKHOLDERS; ADVANCE NOTICE
Section
7.1
Meetings. Subject to the rights, if any, of the holders of any
outstanding series of the Preferred Stock, and to the requirements
of applicable law, special meetings of stockholders of the
Corporation may be called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer of the Corporation, or the Board pursuant to a
resolution adopted by a majority of the Board, and the ability of
the stockholders to call a special meeting is hereby specifically
denied. Except as provided in the foregoing sentence, special
meetings of stockholders may not be called by another person or
persons.
Section
7.2
Advance Notice. Advance notice of stockholder nominations for the
election of directors and of business to be brought by stockholders
before any meeting of the stockholders of the Corporation shall be
given in the manner provided in the Bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII
LIMITED LIABILITY;
INDEMNIFICATION
Section
8.1
Limitation of Director Liability. A director of the Corporation
shall not be personally liable to the Corporation or its
stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a
director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or
limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL as the same
exists or may hereafter be amended unless they violated their duty
of loyalty to the Company or its stockholders, acted in bad faith,
knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized unlawful
payments of dividends, unlawful stock purchases or unlawful
redemptions, or derived improper personal benefit from their
actions as directors. Any amendment, modification or repeal of the
foregoing sentence shall not adversely affect any right or
protection of a director of the Corporation hereunder in respect of
any act or omission occurring prior to the time of such amendment,
modification or repeal.
Section
8.2
Indemnification and Advancement of Expenses.
(a)
To
the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, as the same exists
or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation shall indemnify and
hold harmless each person who is or was made a party or is
threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise involved in any
threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding,
whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (a
“proceeding”) by reason of the fact that he or she is
or was a director or officer of the Corporation or, while a
director or officer of the Corporation, is or was serving at the
request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee or
agent of another corporation or of a partnership, joint venture,
trust, other enterprise or nonprofit entity, including service with
respect to an employee benefit plan (an “indemnitee”),
whether the basis of such proceeding is alleged action in an
official capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent, or in
any other capacity while serving as a director, officer, employee
or agent, against all liability and loss suffered and expenses
(including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments,
fines, ERISA excise taxes and penalties and amounts paid in
settlement) reasonably incurred by such indemnitee in connection
with such proceeding. The Corporation shall to the fullest extent
not prohibited by applicable law pay the expenses (including
attorneys’ fees) incurred by an indemnitee in defending or
otherwise participating in any proceeding in advance of its final
disposition; provided , however , that, to the extent required by
applicable law, such payment of expenses in advance of the final
disposition of the proceeding shall be made only upon receipt of an
undertaking, by or on behalf of the indemnitee, to repay all
amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined that the
indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this Section 8.2
or otherwise. The rights to indemnification and advancement of
expenses conferred by this Section 8.2 shall be contract rights and
such rights shall continue as to an indemnitee who has ceased to be
a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the
benefit of his or her heirs, executors and administrators.
Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section 8.2(a),
except for proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification and
advancement of expenses, the Corporation shall indemnify and
advance expenses to an indemnitee in connection with a proceeding
(or part thereof) initiated by such indemnitee only if such
proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the
Board.
(b)
The
rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses conferred on
any indemnitee by this Section 8.2 shall not be exclusive of any
other rights that any indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire
under law, this Amended and Restated Certificate, the Bylaws, an
agreement, vote of stockholders or disinterested directors, or
otherwise.
(c)
Any
repeal or amendment of this Section 8.2 by the stockholders of the
Corporation or by changes in law, or the adoption of any other
provision of this Amended and Restated Certificate inconsistent
with this Section 8.2, shall, unless otherwise required by law, be
prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or change in
law permits the Corporation to provide broader indemnification
rights on a retroactive basis than permitted prior thereto), and
shall not in any way diminish or adversely affect any right or
protection existing at the time of such repeal or amendment or
adoption of such inconsistent provision in respect of any
proceeding (regardless of when such proceeding is first threatened,
commenced or completed) arising out of, or related to, any act or
omission occurring prior to such repeal or amendment or adoption of
such inconsistent provision.
(d)
This
Section 8.2 shall not limit the right of the Corporation, to the
extent and in the manner authorized or permitted by law, to
indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than
indemnitees.
ARTICLE IX
BUSINESS
COMBINATION REQUIREMENTS; EXISTENCE
Section
9.1
General. The provisions of this Article IX shall apply during the
period commencing upon the effectiveness of this Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation and terminating upon the
consummation of the Corporation’s initial Business
Combination and may not be amended unless the Corporation provides
dissenting holders of Offering Shares (defined below) with the
opportunity to convert their Offering Shares to cash in accordance
with Section 9.3(b). The target business or target businesses
acquired in the Corporation’s initial Business Combination
must together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the
assets held in the Trust Account (defined below), excluding taxes
payable on the income earned on the Trust Account, 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 IX
will be determined by the Board 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 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 on the type of target
business the Company is seeking to acquire, with respect to the
satisfaction of such criteria.
Section
9.2
Approval. 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.
Section
9.3
Proxy Solicitation.
(a)
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.
(b)
In
the event that a Business Combination is approved in accordance
with Section 9.3(a) and is consummated by the Corporation, any
holder of shares of Common Stock sold in the Company’s
initial public offering (the “Offering” and the shares
sold in such Offering, the “Offering 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 Offering 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 Offering Shares
then outstanding (such price being referred to as the
“Conversion Price”). “Trust Account” shall
mean the trust account established by the Corporation at the
consummation of its Offering and into which a certain amount of the
net proceeds of the Offering and a simultaneous private placement
is deposited, all as described in the Registration Statement on
Form S-1 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“Commission”) in connection with the Offering. The
Corporation may require any holder of Offering Shares who demands
that the Corporation convert such Offering 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 Offering
Shares to be set forth in the proxy materials relating to such
Business Combination.
Section
9.4
Tender Offer. 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 Offering 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 Offering Shares in any such
Tender Offer.
Section
9.5
Minimum Assets. The Corporation will not consummate any Business
Combination unless it has net tangible assets of at least
$5,000,001 upon consummation of such Business
Combination.
Section
9.6
Termination. In the event that the Corporation has not consummated
a Business Combination within 12 months from the consummation of
the Offering, the Board of Directors may extend the period of time
to consummate a Business Combination up to two times (the latest
such date being referred to as the “Termination Date”),
each by an additional three months, for an aggregate of six
additional months, providing that (i) for each such extension the
sponsor (or its designees) must deposit into the Trust Account
$500,000 (or up to $575,000 if the underwriters’
over-allotment option is exercised in full) per extension in
exchange for a non-interest bearing, unsecured promissory note, for
maximum aggregate proceeds to the Corporation of $1,000,000 (or up
to $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full) if two extensions occur and (ii) the procedures
relating to any such extension, as set forth in the Trust
Agreement, shall have been complied with. The gross proceeds from
the issuance of such promissory notes will be added to the proceeds
from the Offering to be held in the Trust Account and shall be used
to fund the redemption of the IPO Shares in accordance with this
Section 9.6. In the event that the Corporation does not consummate
a Business Combination by 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 Offering 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 any income or franchise taxes payable, divided by the total
number of Offering 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 DGCL, including the adoption of a resolution by
the Board pursuant to Section 275(a) of the DGCL finding the
dissolution of the Corporation advisable and the provision of such
notices as are required by said Section 275(a) of the DGCL,
dissolve and liquidate the balance of the Corporation’s net
assets to its remaining stockholders, as part of the
Corporation’s plan of dissolution and liquidation, subject
(in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above) to the
Corporation’s obligations under the DGCL to provide for
claims of creditors and other requirements of applicable
law.
Section
9.7
Distributions from the Trust Account. A holder of Offering 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 Section 9.3(b) in connection with any Proxy Solicitation, (ii)
he sells his shares to the Corporation in accordance with Section
9.4 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 IX prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. In
no other circumstances shall a holder of Offering Shares have any
right or interest of any kind in or to the Trust Fund.
Section
9.8
No Transactions with Other Blank Check Companies. Unless and until
the Corporation has consummated its initial Business Combination as
permitted under this Article IX, 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.
Section
9.9
Transactions with Affiliates. The Corporation shall not consummate
a Business Combination with an entity that is affiliated with any
of the Corporation’s officers, directors or sponsors or their
respective affiliates unless the Corporation has obtained an
opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another
independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions on the
type of target business the Company is seeking to acquire 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.
Section
9.10
Share
Issuances. 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 a Business Combination.
ARTICLE X
FORUM
Section
10.1
Forum. 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 DGCL or 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.
Section
10.2
Foreign Action. If any action the subject matter of which is within
the scope of Section 10.1 is filed in a court other than a court
located within the State of Delaware (a “Foreign
Action”) in the name of any stockholder, such stockholder
shall be deemed to have consented to (i) the personal jurisdiction
of the state and federal courts located within the State of
Delaware in connection with any action brought in any such court to
enforce Section 10.1 (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.
Section
10.3
Severability. If any provision or provisions of this Article X
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 X
(including, without limitation, each portion of any sentence of
this Article X 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 X.
ARTICLE XI
CORPORATE OPPORTUNITY
The
doctrine of corporate opportunity, or any other analogous doctrine,
shall not apply with respect to the Corporation or any of its
officers or directors, or any of their respective affiliates, in
circumstances 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 Amended and Restated Certificate or
in the future.
ARTICLE XII
AMENDMENT
OF AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF
INCORPORATION
The
Corporation reserves the right at any time and from time to time to
amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this
Amended and Restated Certificate (including any Preferred Stock
Designation), and other provisions authorized by the laws of the
State of Delaware at the time in force that may be added or
inserted, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by this Amended
and Restated Certificate and the DGCL; and, except as set forth in
Article VIII, all rights, preferences and privileges of whatever
nature herein conferred upon stockholders, directors or any other
persons by and pursuant to this Amended and Restated Certificate in
its present form or as hereafter amended are granted subject to the
right reserved in this Article XII; provided , however , that
Article IX of this Amended and Restated Certificate may be amended
only as provided therein.
[Signature
Page Follows]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. has caused
this Amended and Restated Certificate to be duly executed and
acknowledged in its name and on its behalf by an authorized officer
as of the date first set forth above.
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name:
Richard Ackerman
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Title:
Chief Executive Officer
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[Signature
Page to Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation]
Exhibit
3.4
AMENDED AND RESTATED
BY
LAWS
OF
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
(THE
“CORPORATION”)
ARTICLE
I.
OFFICES
Section
1.1
Registered Office.
The registered office of the Corporation within the State of
Delaware shall be located at either (a) the principal place of
business of the Corporation in the State of Delaware or (b) the
office of the corporation or individual acting as the
Corporation’s registered agent in Delaware.
Section
1.2
Additional Offices.
The Corporation may, in addition to its registered office in the
State of Delaware, have such other offices and places of business,
both within and outside the State of Delaware, as the Board of
Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”) may from
time to time determine or as the business and affairs of the
Corporation may require.
ARTICLE
II.
STOCKHOLDERS MEETINGS
Section
2.1
Annual Meetings.
The annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place,
either within or without the State of Delaware and time and on such
date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the notice
of the meeting, provided that the Board may in its sole discretion
determine that the meeting shall not be held at any place, but may
instead be held solely by means of remote communication pursuant to
Section 9.5(a). At each annual meeting, the stockholders entitled
to vote on such matters shall elect those directors of the
Corporation to fill any term of a directorship that expires on the
date of such annual meeting and may transact any other business as
may properly be brought before the meeting.
Section
2.2
Special Meetings.
Subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding series of
the preferred stock of the Corporation (“Preferred
Stock”), and to the requirements of applicable law, special
meetings of stockholders, for any purpose or purposes, may be
called only by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer,
or the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the
Board, and may not be called by any other person. Special meetings
of stockholders shall be held at such place, either within or
without the State of Delaware, and at such and time and on such
date as shall be determined by the Board and stated in the
Corporation’s notice of the meeting, provided that the Board
may in its sole discretion determine that the meeting shall not be
held at any place, but may instead be held solely by means of
remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5(a).
Section
2.3
Notices. Written
notice of each stockholders meeting stating the place, if any,
date, and time of the meeting, and the means of remote
communication, if any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may
be deemed to be present in person and vote at such meeting and the
record date for determining the stockholders entitled to vote at
the meeting, if such date is different from the record date for
determining stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, shall
be given in the manner permitted by Section 9.3 to each stockholder
entitled to vote thereat as of the record date for determining the
stockholders entitled to notice of the meeting, by the Corporation
not less than 10 nor more than 60 days before the date of the
meeting unless otherwise required by the General Corporation Law of
the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). If said notice is
for a stockholders meeting other than an annual meeting, it shall
in addition state the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is
called, and the business transacted at such meeting shall be
limited to the matters so stated in the Corporation’s notice
of meeting (or any supplement thereto). Any meeting of stockholders
as to which notice has been given may be postponed, and any meeting
of stockholders as to which notice has been given may be cancelled,
by the Board upon public announcement (as defined in Section
2.7(c)) given before the date previously scheduled for such
meeting.
Section
2.4
Quorum. Except as
otherwise provided by applicable law, the Corporation’s
Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended or
restated from time to time (the “Certificate of
Incorporation”) or these By Laws, the presence, in person or
by proxy, at a stockholders meeting of the holders of shares of
outstanding capital stock of the Corporation representing a
majority of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital
stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting shall
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at such
meeting, except that when specified business is to be voted on by a
class or series of stock voting as a class, the holders of shares
representing a majority of the voting power of the outstanding
shares of such class or series shall constitute a quorum of such
class or series for the transaction of such business. If a quorum
shall not be present or represented by proxy at any meeting of the
stockholders of the Corporation, the chairman of the meeting may
adjourn the meeting from time to time in the manner provided in
Section 2.6 until a quorum shall attend. The stockholders present
at a duly convened meeting may continue to transact business until
adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough stockholders
to leave less than a quorum. Shares of its own stock belonging to
the Corporation or to another corporation, if a majority of the
voting power of the shares entitled to vote in the election of
directors of such other corporation is held, directly or
indirectly, by the Corporation, shall neither be entitled to vote
nor be counted for quorum purposes; provided, however, that the
foregoing shall not limit the right of the Corporation or any such
other corporation to vote shares held by it in a fiduciary
capacity.
Section
2.5
Voting of
Shares.
(a)
Voting Lists. The
Secretary of the Corporation (the “Secretary”) shall
prepare, or shall cause the officer or agent who has charge of the
stock ledger of the Corporation to prepare and make, at least 10
days before every meeting of stockholders, a complete list of the
stockholders of record entitled to vote at such meeting; provided,
however, that if the record date for determining the stockholders
entitled to vote is less than 10 days before the meeting date, the
list shall reflect the stockholders entitled to vote as of the
tenth day before the meeting date, arranged in alphabetical order
and showing the address and the number and class of shares
registered in the name of each stockholder. Nothing contained in
this Section 2.5(a) shall require the Corporation to include
electronic mail addresses or other electronic contact information
on such list. Such list shall be open to the examination of any
stockholder, for any purpose germane to the meeting, during
ordinary business hours for a period of at least 10 days prior to
the meeting: (i) on a reasonably accessible electronic network,
provided that the information required to gain access to such list
is provided with the notice of the meeting, or (ii) during ordinary
business hours, at the principal place of business of the
Corporation. In the event that the Corporation determines to make
the list available on an electronic network, the Corporation may
take reasonable steps to ensure that such information is available
only to stockholders of the Corporation. If the meeting is to be
held at a place, then the list shall be produced and kept at the
time and place of the meeting during the whole time thereof, and
may be inspected by any stockholder who is present. If a meeting of
stockholders is to be held solely by means of remote communication
as permitted by Section 9.5(a), the list shall be open to the
examination of any stockholder during the whole time of the meeting
on a reasonably accessible electronic network, and the information
required to access such list shall be provided with the notice of
meeting. The stock ledger shall be the only evidence as to who are
the stockholders entitled to examine the list required by this
Section 2.5(a) or to vote in person or by proxy at any meeting of
stockholders.
(b)
Manner of Voting.
At any stockholders meeting, every stockholder entitled to vote may
vote in person or by proxy. If authorized by the Board, the voting
by stockholders or proxy holders at any meeting conducted by remote
communication may be effected by a ballot submitted by electronic
transmission (as defined in Section 9.3), provided that any such
electronic transmission must either set forth or be submitted with
information from which the Corporation can determine that the
electronic transmission was authorized by the stockholder or proxy
holder. The Board, in its discretion, or the chairman of the
meeting of stockholders, in such person’s discretion, may
require that any votes cast at such meeting shall be cast by
written ballot.
(c)
Proxies. Each
stockholder entitled to vote at a meeting of stockholders or to
express consent or dissent to corporate action in writing without a
meeting may authorize another person or persons to act for such
stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted
upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for
a longer period. Proxies need not be filed with the Secretary until
the meeting is called to order, but shall be filed with the
Secretary before being voted. Without limiting the manner in which
a stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for
such stockholder as proxy, either of the following shall constitute
a valid means by which a stockholder may grant such authority. No
stockholder shall have cumulative voting rights.
(i)
A stockholder may
execute a writing authorizing another person or persons to act for
such stockholder as proxy. Execution may be accomplished by the
stockholder or such stockholder’s authorized officer,
director, employee or agent signing such writing or causing such
person’s signature to be affixed to such writing by any
reasonable means, including, but not limited to, by facsimile
signature.
(ii)
A
stockholder may authorize another person or persons to act for such
stockholder as proxy by transmitting or authorizing the
transmission of an electronic transmission to the person who will
be the holder of the proxy or to a proxy solicitation firm, proxy
support service organization or like agent duly authorized by the
person who will be the holder of the proxy to receive such
transmission, provided that any such electronic transmission must
either set forth or be submitted with information from which it can
be determined that the electronic transmission was authorized by
the stockholder. Any copy, facsimile telecommunication or other
reliable reproduction of the writing or transmission authorizing
another person or persons to act as proxy for a stockholder may be
substituted or used in lieu of the original writing or transmission
for any and all purposes for which the original writing or
transmission could be used; provided that such copy, facsimile
telecommunication or other reproduction shall be a complete
reproduction of the entire original writing or
transmission.
(d)
Required Vote.
Subject to the rights of the holders of one or more series of
Preferred Stock, voting separately by class or series, to elect
directors pursuant to the terms of one or more series of Preferred
Stock, at all meetings of stockholders at which a quorum is
present, the election of directors shall be determined by a
plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person
or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote
thereon. All other matters presented to the stockholders at a
meeting at which a quorum is present shall be determined by the
vote of a majority of the votes cast by the stockholders present in
person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote
thereon, unless the matter is one upon which, by applicable law,
the Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or applicable stock
exchange rules, a different vote is required, in which case such
provision shall govern and control the decision of such
matter.
(e)
Inspectors of
Election. The Board may, and shall if required by law, in advance
of any meeting of stockholders, designate one or more persons as
inspectors of election, who may be employees of the Corporation or
otherwise serve the Corporation in other capacities, to act at such
meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof and to make a
written report thereof. The Board may appoint one or more persons
as alternate inspectors to replace any inspector who fails to act.
If no inspectors of election or alternates are appointed by the
Board, the chairman of the meeting shall appoint one or more
inspectors to act at the meeting. Each inspector, before
discharging his or her duties, shall take and sign an oath
faithfully to execute the duties of inspector with strict
impartiality and according to the best of his or her ability. The
inspectors shall ascertain and report the number of outstanding
shares and the voting power of each; determine the number of shares
present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and the
validity of proxies and ballots; count all votes and ballots and
report the results; determine and retain for a reasonable period a
record of the disposition of any challenges made to any
determination by the inspectors; and certify their determination of
the number of shares represented at the meeting and their count of
all votes and ballots. No person who is a candidate for an office
at an election may serve as an inspector at such election. Each
report of an inspector shall be in writing and signed by the
inspector or by a majority of them if there is more than one
inspector acting at such meeting. If there is more than one
inspector, the report of a majority shall be the report of the
inspectors.
Section
2.6
Adjournments. Any
meeting of stockholders, annual or special, may be adjourned by the
chairman of the meeting, from time to time, whether or not there is
a quorum, to reconvene at the same or some other place. Notice need
not be given of any such adjourned meeting if the date, time, and
place, if any, thereof, and the means of remote communication, if
any, by which stockholders and proxy holders may be deemed to be
present in person and vote at such adjourned meeting are announced
at the meeting at which the adjournment is taken. At the adjourned
meeting the stockholders, or the holders of any class or series of
stock entitled to vote separately as a class, as the case may be,
may transact any business that might have been transacted at the
original meeting. If the adjournment is for more than 30 days,
notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given to each stockholder
of record entitled to vote at the meeting. If after the adjournment
a new record date for stockholders entitled to vote is fixed for
the adjourned meeting, the Board shall fix a new record date for
notice of such adjourned meeting in accordance with Section 9.2,
and shall give notice of the adjourned meeting to each stockholder
of record entitled to vote at such adjourned meeting as of the
record date fixed for notice of such adjourned
meeting.
Section
2.7
Advance Notice for
Business.
(a)
Annual Meetings of
Stockholders. No business may be transacted at an annual meeting of
stockholders, other than business that is either (i) specified
in the Corporation’s notice of meeting (or any supplement
thereto) given by or at the direction of the Board,
(ii) otherwise properly brought before the annual meeting by
or at the direction of the Board or (iii) otherwise properly
brought before the annual meeting by any stockholder of the
Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to
vote at such annual meeting on the date of the giving of the notice
provided for in this Section 2.7(a) and on the record date for the
determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such annual
meeting and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set
forth in this Section 2.7(a). Notwithstanding anything in this
Section 2.7(a) to the contrary, only persons nominated for election
as a director to fill any term of a directorship that expires on
the date of the annual meeting pursuant to Section 3.2 will be
considered for election at such meeting.
(i)
In addition to any
other applicable requirements, for business (other than
nominations) to be properly brought before an annual meeting by a
stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof
in proper written form to the Secretary and such business must
otherwise be a proper matter for stockholder action. Subject to
Section 2.7(a)(iii), a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary
with respect to such business, to be timely, must be received by
the Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation
not later than the close of business on the 90th day nor earlier
than the opening of business on the 120th day before the
anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of
stockholders; provided, however, that in the event that the annual
meeting is called for a date that is not within 30 days before or
after such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely
must be so received not earlier than the opening of business on the
120th day before the meeting and not later than the later of (x)
the close of business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the
close of business on the 10th day following the day on which public
announcement of the date of the annual meeting is first made by the
Corporation. The public announcement of an adjournment of an annual
meeting shall not commence a new time period for the giving of a
stockholder’s notice as described in this Section
2.7(a).
(ii)
To
be in proper written form, a stockholder’s notice to the
Secretary with respect to any business (other than nominations)
must set forth as to each such matter such stockholder proposes to
bring before the annual meeting (A) a brief description of the
business desired to be brought before the annual meeting, the text
of the proposal or business (including the text of any resolutions
proposed for consideration and in the event such business includes
a proposal to amend these By Laws, the language of the proposed
amendment) and the reasons for conducting such business at the
annual meeting, (B) the name and record address of such stockholder
and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose
behalf the proposal is made, (C) the class or series and number of
shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned
beneficially and of record by such stockholder and by the
beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made, (D)
a description of all arrangements or understandings between such
stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
proposal is made and any other person or persons (including their
names) in connection with the proposal of such business by such
stockholder, (E) any material interest of such stockholder and the
beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the proposal is made in
such business and (F) a representation that such stockholder (or a
qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to appear in
person or by proxy at the annual meeting to bring such business
before the meeting.
(iii)
The
foregoing notice requirements of this Section 2.7(a) shall be
deemed satisfied by a stockholder as to any proposal (other than
nominations) if the stockholder has notified the Corporation of
such stockholder’s intention to present such proposal at an
annual meeting in compliance with Rule 14a-8 (or any successor
thereof) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the
“Exchange Act”), and such stockholder has complied with
the requirements of such rule for inclusion of such proposal in a
proxy statement prepared by the Corporation to solicit proxies for
such annual meeting. No business shall be conducted at the annual
meeting of stockholders except business brought before the annual
meeting in accordance with the procedures set forth in this Section
2.7(a), provided, however, that once business has been properly
brought before the annual meeting in accordance with such
procedures, nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be deemed to
preclude discussion by any stockholder of any such business. If the
Board or the chairman of the annual meeting determines that any
stockholder proposal was not made in accordance with the provisions
of this Section 2.7(a) or that the information provided in a
stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information
requirements of this Section 2.7(a), such proposal shall not be
presented for action at the annual meeting. Notwithstanding the
foregoing provisions of this Section 2.7(a), if the stockholder (or
a qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at
the annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present
the proposed business, such proposed business shall not be
transacted, notwithstanding that proxies in respect of such matter
may have been received by the Corporation.
(iv)
In
addition to the provisions of this Section 2.7(a), a stockholder
shall also comply with all applicable requirements of the Exchange
Act and the rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the
matters set forth herein. Nothing in this Section 2.7(a) shall be
deemed to affect any rights of stockholders to request inclusion of
proposals in the Corporation’s proxy statement pursuant to
Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act.
(b)
Special Meetings of
Stockholders. Only such business shall be conducted at a special
meeting of stockholders as shall have been brought before the
meeting pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting.
Nominations of persons for election to the Board may be made at a
special meeting of stockholders at which directors are to be
elected pursuant to the Corporation’s notice of meeting only
pursuant to Section 3.2.
(c)
Public
Announcement. For purposes of these By Laws, “public
announcement” shall mean disclosure in a press release
reported by the Dow Jones News Service, Associated Press or
comparable national news service or in a document publicly filed by
the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission
pursuant to Sections 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (or any
successor thereto).
Section
2.8
Conduct of
Meetings. The chairman of each annual and special meeting of
stockholders shall be the Chairman of the Board or, in the absence
(or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the
Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) or, in
the absence (or inability or refusal to act of the Chief Executive
Officer or if the Chief Executive Officer is not a director, the
President (if he or she shall be a director) or, in the absence (or
inability or refusal to act) of the President or if the President
is not a director, such other person as shall be appointed by the
Board. The date and time of the opening and the closing of the
polls for each matter upon which the stockholders will vote at a
meeting shall be announced at the meeting by the chairman of the
meeting. The Board may adopt such rules and regulations for the
conduct of the meeting of stockholders as it shall deem
appropriate. Except to the extent inconsistent with these By Laws
or such rules and regulations as adopted by the Board, the chairman
of any meeting of stockholders shall have the right and authority
to convene and to adjourn the meeting, to prescribe such rules,
regulations and procedures and to do all such acts as, in the
judgment of such chairman, are appropriate for the proper conduct
of the meeting. Such rules, regulations or procedures, whether
adopted by the Board or prescribed by the chairman of the meeting,
may include, without limitation, the following: (a) the
establishment of an agenda or order of business for the meeting;
(b) rules and procedures for maintaining order at the meeting and
the safety of those present; (c) limitations on attendance at or
participation in the meeting to stockholders of record of the
Corporation, their duly authorized and constituted proxies or such
other persons as the chairman of the meeting shall determine; (d)
restrictions on entry to the meeting after the time fixed for the
commencement thereof; and (e) limitations on the time allotted to
questions or comments by participants. Unless and to the extent
determined by the Board or the chairman of the meeting, meetings of
stockholders shall not be required to be held in accordance with
the rules of parliamentary procedure. The secretary of each annual
and special meeting of stockholders shall be the Secretary or, in
the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary, an
Assistant Secretary so appointed to act by the chairman of the
meeting. In the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the
Secretary and all Assistant Secretaries, the chairman of the
meeting may appoint any person to act as secretary of the
meeting.
ARTICLE
III.
DIRECTORS
Section
3.1
Powers and Number.
The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed by or
under the direction of the Board, which may exercise all such
powers of the Corporation and do all such lawful acts and things as
are not by statute or by the Certificate of Incorporation or by
these By Laws required to be exercised or done by the stockholders.
Directors need not be stockholders or residents of the State of
Delaware.
Except as otherwise provided
by law or the Certificate of Incorporation, the property, affairs,
and business of the corporation shall be managed by its board of
directors, consisting of not less than one nor more than ten
persons, as fixed from time to time by resolution of the board of
directors or stockholders, and shall initially be set at seven (7).
The directors shall have power, from time to time and at any time
when the stockholders as such are not assembled in a meeting, to
increase or decrease their own number by an amendment to these
bylaws. If the number of directors is increased, the additional
directors may be elected by a majority of the directors in office
at the time of the increase, or if not so elected prior to the next
meeting of the stockholders, the additional directors shall be
elected by the stockholders. Directors need not be stockholders of
the corporation.
Section
3.2
Advance Notice for
Nomination of Directors.
(a)
Only persons who
are nominated in accordance with the following procedures shall be
eligible for election as directors of the Corporation, except as
may be otherwise provided by the terms of one or more series of
Preferred Stock with respect to the rights of holders of one or
more series of Preferred Stock to elect directors. Nominations of
persons for election to the Board at any annual meeting of
stockholders, or at any special meeting of stockholders called for
the purpose of electing directors as set forth in the
Corporation’s notice of such special meeting, may be made (i)
by or at the direction of the Board or (ii) by any stockholder of
the Corporation (x) who is a stockholder of record entitled to vote
in the election of directors on the date of the giving of the
notice provided for in this Section 3.2 and on the record date for
the determination of stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting
and (y) who complies with the notice procedures set forth in this
Section 3.2.
(b)
In addition to any
other applicable requirements, for a nomination to be made by a
stockholder, such stockholder must have given timely notice thereof
in proper written form to the Secretary. To be timely, a
stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must be received by the
Secretary at the principal executive offices of the Corporation
(i) in the case of an annual meeting, not later than the close
of business on the 90th day nor earlier than the opening of
business on the 120th day before the anniversary date of the
immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders; provided,
however, that in the event that the annual meeting is called for a
date that is not within 30 days before or after such anniversary
date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so received
not earlier than the opening of business on the 120th day before
the meeting and not later than the later of (x) the close of
business on the 90th day before the meeting or (y) the close
of business on the 10th day following the day on which public
announcement of the date of the annual meeting was first made by
the Corporation; and (ii) in the case of a special meeting of
stockholders called for the purpose of electing directors, not
later than the close of business on the 10th day following the day
on which public announcement of the date of the special meeting is
first made by the Corporation. In no event shall the public
announcement of an adjournment or postponement of an annual meeting
or special meeting commence a new time period (or extend any time
period) for the giving of a stockholder’s notice as described
in this Section 3.2.
(c)
Notwithstanding
anything in paragraph (b) to the contrary, in the event that the
number of directors to be elected to the Board at an annual meeting
is greater than the number of directors whose terms expire on the
date of the annual meeting and there is no public announcement by
the Corporation naming all of the nominees for the additional
directors to be elected or specifying the size of the increased
Board before the close of business on the 90th day prior to the
anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of
stockholders, a stockholder’s notice required by this Section
3.2 shall also be considered timely, but only with respect to
nominees for the additional directorships created by such increase
that are to be filled by election at such annual meeting, if it
shall be received by the Secretary at the principal executive
offices of the Corporation not later than the close of business on
the 10th day following the date on which such public announcement
was first made by the Corporation.
(d)
To be in proper
written form, a stockholder’s notice to the Secretary must
set forth (i) as to each person whom the stockholder proposes to
nominate for election as a director (A) the name, age, business
address and residence address of the person, (B) the principal
occupation or employment of the person, (C) the class or series and
number of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned
beneficially or of record by the person and (D) any other
information relating to the person that would be required to be
disclosed in a proxy statement or other filings required to be made
in connection with solicitations of proxies for election of
directors pursuant to Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules
and regulations promulgated thereunder; and (ii) as to the
stockholder giving the notice (A) the name and record address of
such stockholder as they appear on the Corporation’s books
and the name and address of the beneficial owner, if any, on whose
behalf the nomination is made, (B) the class or series and number
of shares of capital stock of the Corporation that are owned
beneficially and of record by such stockholder and the beneficial
owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is made, (C) a
description of all arrangements or understandings relating to the
nomination to be made by such stockholder among such stockholder,
the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the nomination is
made, each proposed nominee and any other person or persons
(including their names), (D) a representation that such stockholder
(or a qualified representative of such stockholder) intends to
appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the persons
named in its notice and (E) any other information relating to such
stockholder and the beneficial owner, if any, on whose behalf the
nomination is made that would be required to be disclosed in a
proxy statement or other filings required to be made in connection
with solicitations of proxies for election of directors pursuant to
Section 14 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations
promulgated thereunder. Such notice must be accompanied by a
written consent of each proposed nominee to being named as a
nominee and to serve as a director if elected.
(e)
If the Board or the
chairman of the meeting of stockholders determines that any
nomination was not made in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 3.2, or that the information provided in a
stockholder’s notice does not satisfy the information
requirements of this Section 3.2, then such nomination shall not be
considered at the meeting in question. Notwithstanding the
foregoing provisions of this Section 3.2, if the stockholder (or a
qualified representative of the stockholder) does not appear at the
meeting of stockholders of the Corporation to present the
nomination, such nomination shall be disregarded, notwithstanding
that proxies in respect of such nomination may have been received
by the Corporation.
(f)
In addition to the
provisions of this Section 3.2, a stockholder shall also comply
with all of the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and the
rules and regulations thereunder with respect to the matters set
forth herein. Nothing in this Section 3.2 shall be deemed to affect
any rights of the holders of Preferred Stock to elect directors
pursuant to the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section
3.3
Vacancies.
In case one or more vacancies shall
occur in the board of directors by reason of death, resignation, or
otherwise, except insofar as otherwise provided in the case of a
vacancy or vacancies occurring by reason of removal by the
stockholders, the remaining directors, although less than a quorum,
may by a vote of the majority of the directors then in office elect
a successor or successors for the unexpired term or
terms.
Section
3.4
Compensation.
Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of Incorporation or
these By Laws, the Board shall have the authority to fix the
compensation of directors. The directors may be reimbursed their
expenses, if any, of attendance at each meeting of the Board,
including for service on a committee of the Board, and may be paid
either a fixed sum for attendance at each meeting of the Board or
other compensation as director. No such payment shall preclude any
director from serving the Corporation in any other capacity and
receiving compensation therefor. Members of committees of the Board
may be allowed like compensation and reimbursement of expenses for
service on the committee.
ARTICLE
IV.
BOARD
MEETINGS
Section
4.1
Annual Meetings.
The Board shall meet as soon as practicable after the adjournment
of each annual stockholders meeting at the place of the annual
stockholders meeting unless the Board shall fix another time and
place and give notice thereof in the manner required herein for
special meetings of the Board. No notice to the directors shall be
necessary to legally convene this meeting, except as provided in
this Section 4.1.
Section
4.2
Regular Meetings.
Regularly scheduled, periodic meetings of the Board may be held
without notice at such times, dates and places (within or without
the State of Delaware) as shall from time to time be determined by
the Board.
Section
4.3
Special Meetings.
Special meetings of the Board (a) may be called by the Chairman of
the Board or President and (b) shall be called by the Chairman of
the Board, President or Secretary on the written request of at
least a majority of directors then in office, or the sole director,
as the case may be, and shall be held at such time, date and place
(within or without the State of Delaware) as may be determined by
the person calling the meeting or, if called upon the request of
directors or the sole director, as specified in such written
request. Notice of each special meeting of the Board shall be
given, as provided in Section 9.3, to each director (i) at
least 24 hours before the meeting if such notice is oral notice
given personally or by telephone or written notice given by hand
delivery or by means of a form of electronic transmission and
delivery; (ii) at least two days before the meeting if such
notice is sent by a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service; and (iii) at least five days before the meeting if
such notice is sent through the United States mail. If the
Secretary shall fail or refuse to give such notice, then the notice
may be given by the officer who called the meeting or the directors
who requested the meeting. Any and all business that may be
transacted at a regular meeting of the Board may be transacted at a
special meeting. Except as may be otherwise expressly provided by
applicable law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or these By Laws,
neither the business to be transacted at, nor the purpose of, any
special meeting need be specified in the notice or waiver of notice
of such meeting. A special meeting may be held at any time without
notice if all the directors are present or if those not present
waive notice of the meeting in accordance with Section
9.4.
Section
4.4
Quorum; Required
Vote. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business at any meeting of the Board, and the act of
a majority of the directors present at any meeting at which there
is a quorum shall be the act of the Board, except as may be
otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the Certificate
of Incorporation or these By Laws. If a quorum shall not be present
at any meeting, a majority of the directors present may adjourn the
meeting from time to time, without notice other than announcement
at the meeting, until a quorum is present.
Section
4.5
Consent In Lieu of
Meeting. Unless otherwise restricted by the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws, any action required or permitted to
be taken at any meeting of the Board or any committee thereof may
be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board or
committee, as the case may be, consent thereto in writing or by
electronic transmission, and the writing or writings or electronic
transmission or transmissions (or paper reproductions thereof) are
filed with the minutes of proceedings of the Board or committee.
Such filing shall be in paper form if the minutes are maintained in
paper form and shall be in electronic form if the minutes are
maintained in electronic form.
Section
4.6
Organization. The
chairman of each meeting of the Board shall be the Chairman of the
Board or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the
Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if he or she
shall be a director) or, in the absence (or inability or refusal to
act) of the Chief Executive Officer or if the Chief Executive
Officer is not a director, the President (if he or she shall be a
director) or in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the
President or if the President is not a director, a chairman elected
from the directors present. The Secretary shall act as secretary of
all meetings of the Board. In the absence (or inability or refusal
to act) of the Secretary, an Assistant Secretary shall perform the
duties of the Secretary at such meeting. In the absence (or
inability or refusal to act) of the Secretary and all Assistant
Secretaries, the chairman of the meeting may appoint any person to
act as secretary of the meeting.
ARTICLE
V.
COMMITTEES
OF DIRECTORS
Section
5.1
Establishment. The
Board may by resolution passed by a majority of the Board designate
one or more committees, each committee to consist of one or more of
the directors of the Corporation. Each committee shall keep regular
minutes of its meetings and report the same to the Board when
required. The Board shall have the power at any time to fill
vacancies in, to change the membership of, or to dissolve any such
committee.
Section
5.2
Available Powers.
Any committee established pursuant to Section 5.1 hereof, to the
extent permitted by applicable law and by resolution of the Board,
shall have and may exercise all of the powers and authority of the
Board in the management of the business and affairs of the
Corporation, and may authorize the seal of the Corporation to be
affixed to all papers that may require it.
Section
5.3
Alternate Members.
The Board may designate one or more directors as alternate members
of any committee, who may replace any absent or disqualified member
at any meeting of such committee. In the absence or
disqualification of a member of the committee, the member or
members thereof present at any meeting and not disqualified from
voting, whether or not he, she or they constitute a quorum, may
unanimously appoint another member of the Board to act at the
meeting in place of any such absent or disqualified
member.
Section
5.4
Procedures. Unless
the Board otherwise provides, the time, date, place, if any, and
notice of meetings of a committee shall be determined by such
committee. At meetings of a committee, a majority of the number of
members of the committee (but not including any alternate member,
unless such alternate member has replaced any absent or
disqualified member at the time of, or in connection with, such
meeting) shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
The act of a majority of the members present at any meeting at
which a quorum is present shall be the act of the committee, except
as otherwise specifically provided by applicable law, the
Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws or the Board. If a
quorum is not present at a meeting of a committee, the members
present may adjourn the meeting from time to time, without notice
other than an announcement at the meeting, until a quorum is
present. Unless the Board otherwise provides and except as provided
in these By Laws, each committee designated by the Board may make,
alter, amend and repeal rules for the conduct of its business. In
the absence of such rules each committee shall conduct its business
in the same manner as the Board is authorized to conduct its
business pursuant to Article III and Article IV of these By
Laws.
ARTICLE
VI.
OFFICERS
Section
6.1
Officers. The
officers of the Corporation elected by the Board shall be a
Chairman of the Board, a Chief Executive Officer, a President, a
Chief Financial Officer, a Secretary and such other officers
(including without limitation, Vice Presidents, Assistant
Secretaries and a Treasurer) as the Board from time to time may
determine. Officers elected by the Board shall each have such
powers and duties as generally pertain to their respective offices,
subject to the specific provisions of this Article VI. Such
officers shall also have such powers and duties as from time to
time may be conferred by the Board. The Chief Executive Officer or
President may also appoint such other officers (including without
limitation one or more Vice Presidents and Controllers) as may be
necessary or desirable for the conduct of the business of the
Corporation. Such other officers shall have such powers and duties
and shall hold their offices for such terms as may be provided in
these By Laws or as may be prescribed by the Board or, if such
officer has been appointed by the Chief Executive Officer or
President, as may be prescribed by the appointing
officer.
(a)
Chairman of the
Board. The Chairman of the Board shall preside when present at all
meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The Chairman of the
Board shall have general supervision and control of the acquisition
activities of the Corporation subject to the ultimate authority of
the Board, and shall be responsible for the execution of the
policies of the Board with respect to such matters. In the absence
(or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the Board, the
Chief Executive Officer (if he or she shall be a director) shall
preside when present at all meetings of the stockholders and the
Board. The powers and duties of the Chairman of the Board shall not
include supervision or control of the preparation of the financial
statements of the Corporation (other than through participation as
a member of the Board). The position of Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer may be held by the same
person.
(b)
Chief Executive
Officer. The Chief Executive Officer shall be the chief executive
officer of the Corporation, shall have general supervision of the
affairs of the Corporation and general control of all of its
business subject to the ultimate authority of the Board, and shall
be responsible for the execution of the policies of the Board with
respect to such matters, except to the extent any such powers and
duties have been prescribed to the Chairman of the Board pursuant
to Section 6.1(a) above. In the absence (or inability or refusal to
act) of the Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive Officer (if
he or she shall be a director) shall preside when present at all
meetings of the stockholders and the Board. The position of Chief
Executive Officer and President may be held by the same
person.
(c)
President. The
President shall make recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer
on all operational matters that would normally be reserved for the
final executive responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer. In
the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the Chairman of the
Board and Chief Executive Officer, the President (if he or she
shall be a director) shall preside when present at all meetings of
the stockholders and the Board. The President shall also perform
such duties and have such powers as shall be designated by the
Board. The position of President and Chief Executive Officer may be
held by the same person.
(d)
Vice Presidents. In
the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the President, the
Vice President (or in the event there be more than one Vice
President, the Vice Presidents in the order designated by the
Board) shall perform the duties and have the powers of the
President. Any one or more of the Vice Presidents may be given an
additional designation of rank or function.
(e)
Secretary.
(i)
The Secretary shall
attend all meetings of the stockholders, the Board and (as
required) committees of the Board and shall record the proceedings
of such meetings in books to be kept for that purpose. The
Secretary shall give, or cause to be given, notice of all meetings
of the stockholders and special meetings of the Board and shall
perform such other duties as may be prescribed by the Board, the
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or President. The
Secretary shall have custody of the corporate seal of the
Corporation and the Secretary, or any Assistant Secretary, shall
have authority to affix the same to any instrument requiring it,
and when so affixed, it may be attested by his or her signature or
by the signature of such Assistant Secretary. The Board may give
general authority to any other officer to affix the seal of the
Corporation and to attest the affixing thereof by his or her
signature.
(ii)
The
Secretary shall keep, or cause to be kept, at the principal
executive office of the Corporation or at the office of the
Corporation’s transfer agent or registrar, if one has been
appointed, a stock ledger, or duplicate stock ledger, showing the
names of the stockholders and their addresses, the number and
classes of shares held by each and, with respect to certificated
shares, the number and date of certificates issued for the same and
the number and date of certificates cancelled.
(f)
Assistant
Secretaries. The Assistant Secretary or, if there be more than one,
the Assistant Secretaries in the order determined by the Board
shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of the
Secretary, perform the duties and have the powers of the
Secretary.
(g)
Chief Financial
Officer. The Chief Financial Officer shall perform all duties
commonly incident to that office (including, without limitation,
the care and custody of the funds and securities of the
Corporation, which from time to time may come into the Chief
Financial Officer’s hands and the deposit of the funds of the
Corporation in such banks or trust companies as the Board, the
Chief Executive Officer or the President may
authorize).
(h)
Treasurer. The
Treasurer shall, in the absence (or inability or refusal to act) of
the Chief Financial Officer, perform the duties and exercise the
powers of the Chief Financial Officer.
Section
6.2
Term of Office;
Removal; Vacancies. The elected officers of the Corporation shall
be appointed by the Board and shall hold office until their
successors are duly elected and qualified by the Board or until
their earlier death, resignation, retirement, disqualification, or
removal from office. Any officer may be removed, with or without
cause, at any time by the Board. Any officer appointed by the Chief
Executive Officer or President may also be removed, with or without
cause, by the Chief Executive Officer or President, as the case may
be, unless the Board otherwise provides. Any vacancy occurring in
any elected office of the Corporation may be filled by the Board.
Any vacancy occurring in any office appointed by the Chief
Executive Officer or President may be filled by the Chief Executive
Officer, or President, as the case may be, unless the Board then
determines that such office shall thereupon be elected by the
Board, in which case the Board shall elect such
officer.
Section
6.3
Other Officers. The
Board may delegate the power to appoint such other officers and
agents, and may also remove such officers and agents or delegate
the power to remove same, as it shall from time to time deem
necessary or desirable.
Section
6.4
Multiple
Officeholders; Stockholder and Director Officers. Any number of
offices may be held by the same person unless the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws otherwise provide. Officers need not
be stockholders or residents of the State of Delaware.
ARTICLE
VII.
SHARES
Section
7.1
Certificated and
Uncertificated Shares. The shares of the Corporation may be
certificated or uncertificated, subject to the sole discretion of
the Board and the requirements of the DGCL.
Section
7.2
Multiple Classes of
Stock. If the Corporation shall be authorized to issue more than
one class of stock or more than one series of any class, the
Corporation shall (a) cause the powers, designations, preferences
and relative, participating, optional or other special rights of
each class of stock or series thereof and the qualifications,
limitations or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights to be
set forth in full or summarized on the face or back of any
certificate that the Corporation issues to represent shares of such
class or series of stock or (b) in the case of uncertificated
shares, within a reasonable time after the issuance or transfer of
such shares, send to the registered owner thereof a written notice
containing the information required to be set forth on certificates
as specified in clause (a) above; provided, however, that, except
as otherwise provided by applicable law, in lieu of the foregoing
requirements, there may be set forth on the face or back of such
certificate or, in the case of uncertificated shares, on such
written notice a statement that the Corporation will furnish
without charge to each stockholder who so requests the powers,
designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or
other special rights of each class of stock or series thereof and
the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of such preferences
or rights.
Section
7.3
Signatures. Each
certificate representing capital stock of the Corporation shall be
signed by or in the name of the Corporation by (a) the Chairman of
the Board, Chief Executive Officer, the President or a Vice
President and (b) the Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, the
Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Corporation. Any or all
the signatures on the certificate may be a facsimile. In case any
officer, transfer agent or registrar who has signed or whose
facsimile signature has been placed upon a certificate shall have
ceased to be such officer, transfer agent or registrar before such
certificate is issued, such certificate may be issued by the
Corporation with the same effect as if such person were such
officer, transfer agent or registrar on the date of
issue.
Section
7.4
Consideration and
Payment for Shares.
(a)
Subject to
applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares of
stock may be issued for such consideration, having in the case of
shares with par value a value not less than the par value thereof,
and to such persons, as determined from time to time by the Board.
The consideration may consist of any tangible or intangible
property or any benefit to the Corporation including cash,
promissory notes, services performed, contracts for services to be
performed or other securities, or any combination
thereof.
(b)
Subject to
applicable law and the Certificate of Incorporation, shares may not
be issued until the full amount of the consideration has been paid,
unless upon the face or back of each certificate issued to
represent any partly paid shares of capital stock or upon the books
and records of the Corporation in the case of partly paid
uncertificated shares, there shall have been set forth the total
amount of the consideration to be paid therefor and the amount paid
thereon up to and including the time said certificate representing
certificated shares or said uncertificated shares are
issued.
Section
7.5
Lost, Destroyed or
Wrongfully Taken Certificates.
(a)
If an owner of a
certificate representing shares claims that such certificate has
been lost, destroyed or wrongfully taken, the Corporation shall
issue a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in
uncertificated form if the owner: (i) requests such a new
certificate before the Corporation has notice that the certificate
representing such shares has been acquired by a protected
purchaser; (ii) if requested by the Corporation, delivers to the
Corporation a bond sufficient to indemnify the Corporation against
any claim that may be made against the Corporation on account of
the alleged loss, wrongful taking or destruction of such
certificate or the issuance of such new certificate or
uncertificated shares; and (iii) satisfies other reasonable
requirements imposed by the Corporation.
(b)
If a certificate
representing shares has been lost, apparently destroyed or
wrongfully taken, and the owner fails to notify the Corporation of
that fact within a reasonable time after the owner has notice of
such loss, apparent destruction or wrongful taking and the
Corporation registers a transfer of such shares before receiving
notification, the owner shall be precluded from asserting against
the Corporation any claim for registering such transfer or a claim
to a new certificate representing such shares or such shares in
uncertificated form.
Section
7.6
Transfer of
Stock.
(a)
If a certificate
representing shares of the Corporation is presented to the
Corporation with an endorsement requesting the registration of
transfer of such shares or an instruction is presented to the
Corporation requesting the registration of transfer of
uncertificated shares, the Corporation shall register the transfer
as requested if:
(i)
in the case of
certificated shares, the certificate representing such shares has
been surrendered;
(ii)
(A)
with respect to certificated shares, the endorsement is made by the
person specified by the certificate as entitled to such shares; (B)
with respect to uncertificated shares, an instruction is made by
the registered owner of such uncertificated shares; or (C) with
respect to certificated shares or uncertificated shares, the
endorsement or instruction is made by any other appropriate person
or by an agent who has actual authority to act on behalf of the
appropriate person;
(iii)
the
Corporation has received a guarantee of signature of the person
signing such endorsement or instruction or such other reasonable
assurance that the endorsement or instruction is genuine and
authorized as the Corporation may request;
(iv)
the
transfer does not violate any restriction on transfer imposed by
the Corporation that is enforceable in accordance with Section
7.8(a); and
(v)
such other
conditions for such transfer as shall be provided for under
applicable law have been satisfied.
(b)
Whenever any
transfer of shares shall be made for collateral security and not
absolutely, the Corporation shall so record such fact in the entry
of transfer if, when the certificate for such shares is presented
to the Corporation for transfer or, if such shares are
uncertificated, when the instruction for registration of transfer
thereof is presented to the Corporation, both the transferor and
transferee request the Corporation to do so.
Section
7.7
Registered
Stockholders. Before due presentment for registration of transfer
of a certificate representing shares of the Corporation or of an
instruction requesting registration of transfer of uncertificated
shares, the Corporation may treat the registered owner as the
person exclusively entitled to inspect for any proper purpose the
stock ledger and the other books and records of the Corporation,
vote such shares, receive dividends or notifications with respect
to such shares and otherwise exercise all the rights and powers of
the owner of such shares, except that a person who is the
beneficial owner of such shares (if held in a voting trust or by a
nominee on behalf of such person) may, upon providing documentary
evidence of beneficial ownership of such shares and satisfying such
other conditions as are provided under applicable law, may also so
inspect the books and records of the Corporation.
Section
7.8
Effect of the
Corporation’s Restriction on Transfer.
(a)
A written
restriction on the transfer or registration of transfer of shares
of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the Corporation
that may be owned by any person or group of persons, if permitted
by the DGCL and noted conspicuously on the certificate representing
such shares or, in the case of uncertificated shares, contained in
a notice, offering circular or prospectus sent by the Corporation
to the registered owner of such shares within a reasonable time
prior to or after the issuance or transfer of such shares, may be
enforced against the holder of such shares or any successor or
transferee of the holder including an executor, administrator,
trustee, guardian or other fiduciary entrusted with like
responsibility for the person or estate of the holder.
(b)
A restriction
imposed by the Corporation on the transfer or the registration of
shares of the Corporation or on the amount of shares of the
Corporation that may be owned by any person or group of persons,
even if otherwise lawful, is ineffective against a person without
actual knowledge of such restriction unless: (i) the shares are
certificated and such restriction is noted conspicuously on the
certificate; or (ii) the shares are uncertificated and such
restriction was contained in a notice, offering circular or
prospectus sent by the Corporation to the registered owner of such
shares prior to or within a reasonable time after the issuance or
transfer of such shares.
Section
7.9
Regulations. The
Board shall have power and authority to make such additional rules
and regulations, subject to any applicable requirement of law, as
the Board may deem necessary and appropriate with respect to the
issue, transfer or registration of transfer of shares of stock or
certificates representing shares. The Board may appoint one or more
transfer agents or registrars and may require for the validity
thereof that certificates representing shares bear the signature of
any transfer agent or registrar so appointed.
ARTICLE
VIII.
INDEMNIFICATION
Section
8.1
Right to
Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law,
as the same exists or may hereafter be amended, the Corporation
shall indemnify and hold harmless each person who was or is made a
party or is threatened to be made a party to or is otherwise
involved in any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or
proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or
investigative (hereinafter a “proceeding”), by reason
of the fact that he or she is or was a director or officer of the
Corporation or, while a director or officer of the Corporation, is
or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a
partnership, joint venture, trust, other enterprise or nonprofit
entity, including service with respect to an employee benefit plan
(hereinafter an “Indemnitee”), whether the basis of
such proceeding is alleged action in an official capacity as a
director, officer, employee or agent, or in any other capacity
while serving as a director, officer, employee or agent, against
all liability and loss suffered and expenses (including, without
limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, ERISA excise
taxes and penalties and amounts paid in settlement) reasonably
incurred by such Indemnitee in connection with such proceeding;
provided, however, that, except as provided in Section 8.3 with
respect to proceedings to enforce rights to indemnification, the
Corporation shall indemnify an Indemnitee in connection with a
proceeding (or part thereof) initiated by such Indemnitee only if
such proceeding (or part thereof) was authorized by the
Board.
Section
8.2
Right to
Advancement of Expenses. In addition to the right to
indemnification conferred in Section 8.1, an Indemnitee shall also
have the right to be paid by the Corporation to the fullest extent
not prohibited by applicable law the expenses (including, without
limitation, attorneys’ fees) incurred in defending or
otherwise participating in any such proceeding in advance of its
final disposition (hereinafter an “advancement of
expenses”); provided, however, that, if the DGCL requires, an
advancement of expenses incurred by an Indemnitee in his or her
capacity as a director or officer of the Corporation (and not in
any other capacity in which service was or is rendered by such
Indemnitee, including, without limitation, service to an employee
benefit plan) shall be made only upon the Corporation’s
receipt of an undertaking (hereinafter an
“undertaking”), by or on behalf of such Indemnitee, to
repay all amounts so advanced if it shall ultimately be determined
that such Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified under this
Article VIII or otherwise.
Section
8.3
Right of Indemnitee
to Bring Suit. If a claim under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 is not
paid in full by the Corporation within 60 days after a written
claim therefor has been received by the Corporation, except in the
case of a claim for an advancement of expenses, in which case the
applicable period shall be 20 days, the Indemnitee may at any time
thereafter bring suit against the Corporation to recover the unpaid
amount of the claim. If successful in whole or in part in any such
suit, or in a suit brought by the Corporation to recover an
advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking,
the Indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of
prosecuting or defending such suit. In (a) any suit brought by the
Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification hereunder (but not
in a suit brought by an Indemnitee to enforce a right to an
advancement of expenses) it shall be a defense that, and (b) in any
suit brought by the Corporation to recover an advancement of
expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking, the Corporation
shall be entitled to recover such expenses upon a final judicial
decision from which there is no further right to appeal
(hereinafter a “final adjudication”) that, the
Indemnitee has not met any applicable standard for indemnification
set forth in the DGCL. Neither the failure of the Corporation
(including its directors who are not parties to such action, a
committee of such directors, independent legal counsel, or its
stockholders) to have made a determination prior to the
commencement of such suit that indemnification of the Indemnitee is
proper in the circumstances because the Indemnitee has met the
applicable standard of conduct set forth in the DGCL, nor an actual
determination by the Corporation (including a determination by its
directors who are not parties to such action, a committee of such
directors, independent legal counsel, or its stockholders) that the
Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall
create a presumption that the Indemnitee has not met the applicable
standard of conduct or, in the case of such a suit brought by the
Indemnitee, shall be a defense to such suit. In any suit brought by
the Indemnitee to enforce a right to indemnification or to an
advancement of expenses hereunder, or by the Corporation to recover
an advancement of expenses pursuant to the terms of an undertaking,
the burden of proving that the Indemnitee is not entitled to be
indemnified, or to such advancement of expenses, under this Article
VIII or otherwise shall be on the Corporation.
Section
8.4
Non-Exclusivity of
Rights. The rights provided to any Indemnitee pursuant to this
Article VIII shall not be exclusive of any other right, which such
Indemnitee may have or hereafter acquire under applicable law, the
Certificate of Incorporation, these By Laws, an agreement, a vote
of stockholders or disinterested directors, or
otherwise.
Section
8.5
Insurance. The
Corporation may maintain insurance, at its expense, to protect
itself and/or any director, officer, employee or agent of the
Corporation or another corporation, partnership, joint venture,
trust or other enterprise against any expense, liability or loss,
whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify
such person against such expense, liability or loss under the
DGCL.
Section
8.6
Indemnification of
Other Persons. This Article VIII shall not limit the right of the
Corporation to the extent and in the manner authorized or permitted
by law to indemnify and to advance expenses to persons other than
Indemnitees. Without limiting the foregoing, the Corporation may,
to the extent authorized from time to time by the Board, grant
rights to indemnification and to the advancement of expenses to any
employee or agent of the Corporation and to any other person who is
or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director,
officer, employee or agent of another corporation or of a
partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, including
service with respect to an employee benefit plan, to the fullest
extent of the provisions of this Article VIII with respect to the
indemnification and advancement of expenses of Indemnitees under
this Article VIII.
Section
8.7
Amendments. Any
repeal or amendment of this Article VIII by the Board or the
stockholders of the Corporation or by changes in applicable law, or
the adoption of any other provision of these By Laws inconsistent
with this Article VIII, will, to the extent permitted by applicable
law, be prospective only (except to the extent such amendment or
change in applicable law permits the Corporation to provide broader
indemnification rights to Indemnitees on a retroactive basis than
permitted prior thereto), and will not in any way diminish or
adversely affect any right or protection existing hereunder in
respect of any act or omission occurring prior to such repeal or
amendment or adoption of such inconsistent provision; provided
however, that amendments or repeals of this Article VIII shall
require the affirmative vote of the stockholders holding at least
66.7% of the voting power of all outstanding shares of capital
stock of the Corporation.
Section
8.8
Certain
Definitions. For purposes of this Article VIII, (a) references to
“other enterprise” shall include any employee benefit
plan; (b) references to “fines” shall include any
excise taxes assessed on a person with respect to an employee
benefit plan; (c) references to “serving at the request of
the Corporation” shall include any service that imposes
duties on, or involves services by, a person with respect to any
employee benefit plan, its participants, or beneficiaries; and (d)
a person who acted in good faith and in a manner such person
reasonably believed to be in the interest of the participants and
beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan shall be deemed to have
acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interest of the
Corporation” for purposes of Section 145 of the
DGCL.
Section
8.9
Contract Rights.
The rights provided to Indemnitees pursuant to this Article VIII
shall be contract rights and such rights shall continue as to an
Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, agent or
employee and shall inure to the benefit of the Indemnitee’s
heirs, executors and administrators.
Section
8.10
Severability. If
any provision or provisions of this Article VIII shall be held to
be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a)
the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining
provisions of this Article VIII shall not in any way be affected or
impaired thereby; and (b) to the fullest extent possible, the
provisions of this Article VIII (including, without limitation,
each such portion of this Article VIII containing any such
provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be
construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested by the
provision held invalid, illegal or unenforceable.
ARTICLE
IX.
MISCELLANEOUS
Section
9.1
Place of Meetings.
If the place of any meeting of stockholders, the Board or committee
of the Board for which notice is required under these By Laws is
not designated in the notice of such meeting, such meeting shall be
held at the principal business office of the Corporation; provided,
however, if the Board has, in its sole discretion, determined that
a meeting shall not be held at any place, but instead shall be held
by means of remote communication pursuant to Section 9.5 hereof,
then such meeting shall not be held at any place.
Section
9.2
Fixing Record
Dates.
(a)
In order that the
Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to notice of
any meeting of stockholders or any adjournment thereof, the Board
may fix a record date, which shall not precede the date upon which
the resolution fixing the record date is adopted by the Board, and
which record date shall not be more than 60 nor less than 10 days
before the date of such meeting. If the Board so fixes a date, such
date shall also be the record date for determining the stockholders
entitled to vote at such meeting unless the Board determines, at
the time it fixes such record date, that a later date on or before
the date of the meeting shall be the date for making such
determination. If no record date is fixed by the Board, the record
date for determining stockholders entitled to notice of and to vote
at a meeting of stockholders shall be at the close of business on
the business day next preceding the day on which notice is given,
or, if notice is waived, at the close of business on the business
day next preceding the day on which the meeting is held. A
determination of stockholders of record entitled to notice of or to
vote at a meeting of stockholders shall apply to any adjournment of
the meeting; provided, however, that the Board may fix a new record
date for the adjourned meeting, and in such case shall also fix as
the record date for stockholders entitled to notice of such
adjourned meeting the same or an earlier date as that fixed for
determination of stockholders entitled to vote in accordance with
the foregoing provisions of this Section 9.2(a) at the adjourned
meeting.
(b)
In order that the
Corporation may determine the stockholders entitled to receive
payment of any dividend or other distribution or allotment of any
rights or the stockholders entitled to exercise any rights in
respect of any change, conversion or exchange of stock, or for the
purpose of any other lawful action, the Board may fix a record
date, which record date shall not precede the date upon which the
resolution fixing the record date is adopted, and which record date
shall be not more than 60 days prior to such action. If no record
date is fixed, the record date for determining stockholders for any
such purpose shall be at the close of business on the day on which
the Board adopts the resolution relating thereto.
Section
9.3
Means of Giving
Notice.
(a)
Notice to
Directors. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws notice is required to be given to
any director, such notice shall be given either (i) in writing and
sent by mail, or by a nationally recognized delivery service, (ii)
by means of facsimile telecommunication or other form of electronic
transmission, or (iii) by oral notice given personally or by
telephone. A notice to a director will be deemed given as follows:
(i) if given by hand delivery, orally, or by telephone, when
actually received by the director, (ii) if sent through the United
States mail, when deposited in the United States mail, with postage
and fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at the
director’s address appearing on the records of the
Corporation, (iii) if sent for next day delivery by a nationally
recognized overnight delivery service, when deposited with such
service, with fees thereon prepaid, addressed to the director at
the director’s address appearing on the records of the
Corporation, (iv) if sent by facsimile telecommunication, when sent
to the facsimile transmission number for such director appearing on
the records of the Corporation, (v) if sent by electronic mail,
when sent to the electronic mail address for such director
appearing on the records of the Corporation, or (vi) if sent by any
other form of electronic transmission, when sent to the address,
location or number (as applicable) for such director appearing on
the records of the Corporation.
(b)
Notice to
Stockholders. Whenever under applicable law, the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws notice is required to be given to
any stockholder, such notice may be given (i) in writing and sent
either by hand delivery, through the United States mail, or by a
nationally recognized overnight delivery service for next day
delivery, or (ii) by means of a form of electronic transmission
consented to by the stockholder, to the extent permitted by, and
subject to the conditions set forth in Section 232 of the DGCL. A
notice to a stockholder shall be deemed given as follows: (i) if
given by hand delivery, when actually received by the stockholder,
(ii) if sent through the United States mail, when deposited in the
United States mail, with postage and fees thereon prepaid,
addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s address
appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, (iii) if sent for
next day delivery by a nationally recognized overnight delivery
service, when deposited with such service, with fees thereon
prepaid, addressed to the stockholder at the stockholder’s
address appearing on the stock ledger of the Corporation, and (iv)
if given by a form of electronic transmission consented to by the
stockholder to whom the notice is given and otherwise meeting the
requirements set forth above, (A) if by facsimile transmission,
when directed to a number at which the stockholder has consented to
receive notice, (B) if by electronic mail, when directed to an
electronic mail address at which the stockholder has consented to
receive notice, (C) if by a posting on an electronic network
together with separate notice to the stockholder of such specified
posting, upon the later of (1) such posting and (2) the giving of
such separate notice, and (D) if by any other form of electronic
transmission, when directed to the stockholder. A stockholder may
revoke such stockholder’s consent to receiving notice by
means of electronic communication by giving written notice of such
revocation to the Corporation. Any such consent shall be deemed
revoked if (1) the Corporation is unable to deliver by electronic
transmission two consecutive notices given by the Corporation in
accordance with such consent and (2) such inability becomes known
to the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary or to the
Corporation’s transfer agent, or other person responsible for
the giving of notice; provided, however, the inadvertent failure to
treat such inability as a revocation shall not invalidate any
meeting or other action.
(c)
Electronic
Transmission. “Electronic transmission” means any form
of communication, not directly involving the physical transmission
of paper, that creates a record that may be retained, retrieved and
reviewed by a recipient thereof, and that may be directly
reproduced in paper form by such a recipient through an automated
process, including but not limited to transmission by telex,
facsimile telecommunication, electronic mail, telegram and
cablegram.
(d)
Notice to
Stockholders Sharing Same Address. Without limiting the manner by
which notice otherwise may be given effectively by the Corporation
to stockholders, any notice to stockholders given by the
Corporation under any provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws shall be effective if given by a
single written notice to stockholders who share an address if
consented to by the stockholders at that address to whom such
notice is given. A stockholder may revoke such stockholder’s
consent by delivering written notice of such revocation to the
Corporation. Any stockholder who fails to object in writing to the
Corporation within 60 days of having been given written notice by
the Corporation of its intention to send such a single written
notice shall be deemed to have consented to receiving such single
written notice.
(e)
Exceptions to
Notice Requirements. Whenever notice is required to be given, under
the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, to any
person with whom communication is unlawful, the giving of such
notice to such person shall not be required and there shall be no
duty to apply to any governmental authority or agency for a license
or permit to give such notice to such person. Any action or meeting
that shall be taken or held without notice to any such person with
whom communication is unlawful shall have the same force and effect
as if such notice had been duly given. In the event that the action
taken by the Corporation is such as to require the filing of a
certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the
certificate shall state, if such is the fact and if notice is
required, that notice was given to all persons entitled to receive
notice except such persons with whom communication is
unlawful.
Whenever
notice is required to be given by the Corporation, under any
provision of the DGCL, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By
Laws, to any stockholder to whom (1) notice of two consecutive
annual meetings of stockholders and all notices of stockholder
meetings or of the taking of action by written consent of
stockholders without a meeting to such stockholder during the
period between such two consecutive annual meetings, or (2) all,
and at least two payments (if sent by first-class mail) of
dividends or interest on securities during a 12-month period, have
been mailed addressed to such stockholder at such
stockholder’s address as shown on the records of the
Corporation and have been returned undeliverable, the giving of
such notice to such stockholder shall not be required. Any action
or meeting that shall be taken or held without notice to such
stockholder shall have the same force and effect as if such notice
had been duly given. If any such stockholder shall deliver to the
Corporation a written notice setting forth such stockholder’s
then current address, the requirement that notice be given to such
stockholder shall be reinstated. In the event that the action taken
by the Corporation is such as to require the filing of a
certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, the
certificate need not state that notice was not given to persons to
whom notice was not required to be given pursuant to Section 230(b)
of the DGCL. The exception in subsection (1) of the first sentence
of this paragraph to the requirement that notice be given shall not
be applicable to any notice returned as undeliverable if the notice
was given by electronic transmission.
Section
9.4
Waiver of Notice.
Whenever any notice is required to be given under applicable law,
the Certificate of Incorporation, or these By Laws, a written
waiver of such notice, signed before or after the date of such
meeting by the person or persons entitled to said notice, or a
waiver by electronic transmission by the person entitled to said
notice, shall be deemed equivalent to such required notice. All
such waivers shall be kept with the books of the Corporation.
Attendance at a meeting shall constitute a waiver of notice of such
meeting, except where a person attends for the express purpose of
objecting to the transaction of any business on the ground that the
meeting was not lawfully called or convened.
Section
9.5
Meeting Attendance
via Remote Communication Equipment.
(a)
Stockholder
Meetings. If authorized by the Board in its sole discretion, and
subject to such guidelines and procedures as the Board may adopt,
stockholders entitled to vote at such meeting and proxy holders not
physically present at a meeting of stockholders may, by means of
remote communication:
(i)
participate in a
meeting of stockholders; and
(ii)
be
deemed present in person and vote at a meeting of stockholders,
whether such meeting is to be held at a designated place or solely
by means of remote communication, provided that (A) the Corporation
shall implement reasonable measures to verify that each person
deemed present and permitted to vote at the meeting by means of
remote communication is a stockholder or proxy holder, (B) the
Corporation shall implement reasonable measures to provide such
stockholders and proxy holders a reasonable opportunity to
participate in the meeting and, if entitled to vote, to vote on
matters submitted to the applicable stockholders, including an
opportunity to read or hear the proceedings of the meeting
substantially concurrently with such proceedings, and (C) if any
stockholder or proxy holder votes or takes other action at the
meeting by means of remote communication, a record of such votes or
other action shall be maintained by the Corporation.
(b)
Board Meetings.
Unless otherwise restricted by applicable law, the Certificate of
Incorporation or these By Laws, members of the Board or any
committee thereof may participate in a meeting of the Board or any
committee thereof by means of conference telephone or other
communications equipment by means of which all persons
participating in the meeting can hear each other. Such
participation in a meeting shall constitute presence in person at
the meeting, except where a person participates in the meeting for
the express purpose of objecting to the transaction of any business
on the ground that the meeting was not lawfully called or
convened.
Section
9.6
Dividends. The
Board may from time to time declare, and the Corporation may pay,
dividends (payable in cash, property or shares of the
Corporation’s capital stock) on the Corporation’s
outstanding shares of capital stock, subject to applicable law and
the Certificate of Incorporation.
Section
9.7
Reserves. The Board
may set apart out of the funds of the Corporation available for
dividends a reserve or reserves for any proper purpose and may
abolish any such reserve.
Section
9.8
Contracts and
Negotiable Instruments. Except as otherwise provided by applicable
law, the Certificate of Incorporation or these By Laws, any
contract, bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument may be
executed and delivered in the name and on behalf of the Corporation
by such officer or officers or other employee or employees of the
Corporation as the Board may from time to time authorize. Such
authority may be general or confined to specific instances as the
Board may determine. The Chairman of the Board, the Chief Executive
Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer
or any Vice President may execute and deliver any contract, bond,
deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on behalf
of the Corporation. Subject to any restrictions imposed by the
Board, the Chairman of the Board Chief Executive Officer,
President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Treasurer or any Vice
President may delegate powers to execute and deliver any contract,
bond, deed, lease, mortgage or other instrument in the name and on
behalf of the Corporation to other officers or employees of the
Corporation under such person’s supervision and authority, it
being understood, however, that any such delegation of power shall
not relieve such officer of responsibility with respect to the
exercise of such delegated power.
Section
9.9
Fiscal Year. The
fiscal year of the Corporation shall be fixed by the
Board.
Section
9.10
Seal. The Board may
adopt a corporate seal, which shall be in such form as the Board
determines. The seal may be used by causing it or a facsimile
thereof to be impressed, affixed or otherwise
reproduced.
Section
9.11
Books and Records.
The books and records of the Corporation may be kept within or
outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may from
time to time be designated by the Board.
Section
9.12
Resignation. Any
director, committee member or officer may resign by giving notice
thereof in writing or by electronic transmission to the Chairman of
the Board, the Chief Executive Officer, the President or the
Secretary. The resignation shall take effect at the time specified
therein, or at the time of receipt of such notice if no time is
specified or the specified time is earlier than the time of such
receipt. Unless otherwise specified therein, the acceptance of such
resignation shall not be necessary to make it
effective.
Section
9.13
Surety Bonds. Such
officers, employees and agents of the Corporation (if any) as the
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the
Board may direct, from time to time, shall be bonded for the
faithful performance of their duties and for the restoration to the
Corporation, in case of their death, resignation, retirement,
disqualification or removal from office, of all books, papers,
vouchers, money and other property of whatever kind in their
possession or under their control belonging to the Corporation, in
such amounts and by such surety companies as the Chairman of the
Board, Chief Executive Officer, President or the Board may
determine. The premiums on such bonds shall be paid by the
Corporation and the bonds so furnished shall be in the custody of
the Secretary.
Section
9.14
Securities of Other
Corporations. Powers of attorney, proxies, waivers of notice of
meeting, consents in writing and other instruments relating to
securities owned by the Corporation may be executed in the name of
and on behalf of the Corporation by the Chairman of the Board,
Chief Executive Officer, President, any Vice President or any
officers authorized by the Board. Any such officer, may, in the
name of and on behalf of the Corporation, take all such action as
any such officer may deem advisable to vote in person or by proxy
at any meeting of security holders of any corporation in which the
Corporation may own securities, or to consent in writing, in the
name of the Corporation as such holder, to any action by such
corporation, and at any such meeting or with respect to any such
consent shall possess and may exercise any and all rights and power
incident to the ownership of such securities and which, as the
owner thereof, the Corporation might have exercised and possessed.
The Board may from time to time confer like powers upon any other
person or persons.
Section
9.15
Amendments. The
Board shall have the power to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By
Laws. The affirmative vote of a majority of the Board shall be
required to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By Laws. The By Laws
also may be adopted, amended, altered or repealed by the
stockholders; provided, however, that in addition to any vote of
the holders of any class or series of capital stock of the
Corporation required by applicable law or the Certificate of
Incorporation, the affirmative vote of the holders of at least a
majority of the voting power (except as otherwise provided in
Section 8.7) of all outstanding shares of capital stock of the
Corporation entitled to vote generally in the election of
directors, voting together as a single class, shall be required for
the stockholders to adopt, amend, alter or repeal the By
Laws.
Exhibit 4.1
SEE REVERSE FOR
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
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CUSIP 089482 202
UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE SHARE OF COMMON STOCK, ONE RIGHT TO
RECEIVE
ONE-TENTH OF ONE SHARE OF COMMON STOCK, AND ONE HALF OF ONE
WARRANT
EACH WHOLE WARRANT TO PURCHASE ONE SHARE OF COMMON
STOCK
Each Unit (“ Unit ”) consists of one (1) share of
common stock, par value $0.001 per share (“Common
Stock”), of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware
corporation (the “ Company ”), one right to receive
one-tenth of one share of Common Stock (the “Right”)
and one half (1/2) of one warrant (the “Warrant(s)”).
Each whole Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) share of
Common Stock for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Each
whole Warrant will become exercisable on the later of (i) the
Company’s completion of a merger, share exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or
other similar business combination (“ Business Combination
”) and (ii) twelve (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 (the “Expiration
Date”). The Common Stock, Rights and Warrants comprising the
Units represented by this certificate are not transferable
separately prior to the 90th day after the date of the prospectus
relating to the Company’s IPO, subject to earlier separation
in the discretion of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., provided that the
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a
Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet
reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of the
IPO and issued a press release announcing when separate trading
will begin. The terms of the Rights are governed by a Rights
Agreement, dated as of
,
2017, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
(“ Continental ”), as Rights Agent, and are subject to
the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and
provisions the holder of this certificates consents to by
acceptance hereof. The terms of the Warrants are governed by a
Warrant Agreement, dated as of
,
2017, between the Company and Continental, 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 Rights Agreement and Warrant
Agreement are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at 1 State
Street, 30th Floor, New York, NY 10004-1561, and are
available to any Right or 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
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Chairman of the Board
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Secretary
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Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
The Company will furnish without charge to each stockholder 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
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT-
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Custodian
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TEN ENT
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as tenants by the entireties
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(Cust)
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(Minor)
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JT TEN
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as joint tenants with right of survivorship
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under Uniform Gifts to Minors
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and not as tenants in common
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Act
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(State)
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Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above
list.
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For value received,
hereby sell, assign and transfer unto
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PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER
IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE
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(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF
ASSIGNEE)
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represented by the within Certificate, and do hereby irrevocably
constitute and appoint
the said Units on the books of the within named Company will full
power of substitution in the premises.
Dated____________
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Notice:
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The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the certificate in every particular,
without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatever.
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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THE SIGNATURE(S) 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).
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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
C
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE
COMMON STOCK
SEE REVERSE FOR
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
This Certifies that
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CUSIP
089482 103
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is the owner of
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FULLY PAID AND NON-ASSESSABLE SHARES OF THE PAR VALUE OF $0.001
EACH
OF THE COMMON STOCK OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
transferable on the books of the Corporation in person or by duly
authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly
endorsed. The Corporation will be forced to liquidate if it is
unable to complete an initial business combination within the
period of time as set forth in the Corporation’s Amended and
Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended
from time to time, all as more fully described in the
Corporation’s final prospectus
dated ,
2017
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer
Agent and registered by the Registrar.
Witness the facsimile seal of the Corporation and the facsimile
signatures of its duly authorized officers.
Dated:
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CHAIRMAN
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[INSERT SEAL HERE]
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SECRETARY
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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
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT-
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Custodian
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TEN ENT
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as tenants by the entireties
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(Cust)
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(Minor)
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JT TEN
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as joint tenants with right of survivorship
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under Uniform Gifts to Minors
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and not as tenants in common
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Act
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(State)
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Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above
list.
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
The Corporation will furnish without charge to each stockholder who
so requests the powers, designations, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights of each class of
stock or series thereof of the Corporation and the qualifications,
limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or
rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby
are issued and shall be held subject to all the provisions of the
Certificate of Incorporation and all amendments thereto and
resolutions of the Board of Directors providing for the issue of
shares of Preferred Stock (copies of which may be obtained from the
secretary of the Corporation), to all of which the holder of this
certificate by acceptance hereof assents.
For value
received,
hereby sell, assign and transfer unto
PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER
IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE
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(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF
ASSIGNEE)
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of the capital stock represented by the within Certificate, and do
hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint
to transfer the said stock on the books of the within named
Corporation will full power of substitution in the
premises.
Dated_____________
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Notice:
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The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the certificate in every particular,
without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatever.
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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THE SIGNATURE(S) 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).
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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
______R
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF DELAWARE
RIGHT
SEE REVERSE FOR
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
CUSIP 089482 129
THIS CERTIFIES THAT, for value received
is the registered holder of a right or rights (the
“Right” or “Rights,” respectively) to
receive one-tenth of one share of common stock, par value $.001 per
share (“Common Stock”), of BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP. (the “Company”) for each Right
evidenced by this Right Certificate on the Company’s
completion of an initial business combination (as defined in the
prospectus relating to the Company’s initial public offering
(“Prospectus”)) upon surrender of this Right
Certificate pursuant to the Rights Agreement (the “Rights
Agreement”) between the Company and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (the “Rights Agent”). In
no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any
Right.
Upon liquidation of the Company in the event an initial business
combination is not consummated during the required period as
identified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate
of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, the
Right(s) shall expire and be worthless. The holder of a Right or
Rights shall have no right or interest of any kind in the
Company’s trust account (as defined in the
Prospectus).
Upon due presentment for registration of transfer of the Right
Certificate at the office or agency of the Rights Agent a new Right
Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in
the aggregate a like number of Rights shall be issued to the
transferee in exchange for this Right Certificate, without charge
except for any applicable tax or other governmental
charge.
The Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the registered
holder as the absolute owner of this Right Certificate
(notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon
made by anyone), for the purpose of any conversion hereof, of any
distribution to the registered holder, and for all other purposes,
and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by
any notice to the contrary.
Holders of a Right or Rights are not entitled to any of the rights
of a stockholder of the Company.
Dated:
Secretary
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[Corporate Seal]
Delaware
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Chairman of the Board
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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 –
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as tenants in common
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UNIF GIFT MIN ACT - _____ Custodian ______
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TEN ENT –
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as tenants by the entireties
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(Cust)
(Minor)
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JT TEN –
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as joint tenants with right of survivorship
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and not as tenants in common
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under
Uniform Gifts to Minors
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Act
______________
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(State)
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Additional Abbreviations may also be used though not in the above
list.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS 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 rights represented thereby are issued and
shall be held subject to all the provisions of the Rights
Agreement, and all amendments thereto, 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 OTHERIDENTIFYING NUMBER OF
ASSIGNEE
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(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF
ASSIGNEE)
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Rights represented by the within Certificate, and do hereby
irrevocably constitute and appoint
the said Rights on the books of the within named Company will full
power of substitution in the premises.
Dated
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Notice:
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The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the certificate in every particular,
without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatever.
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Signature(s) Guaranteed:
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).
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Exhibit 4.4
NUMBER
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(SEE REVERSE SIDE FOR LEGEND)
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WARRANTS
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__________–
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THIS WARRANT WILL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO
THE EXPIRATION DATE (DEFINED BELOW)
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
CUSIP 089482 111
WARRANT
THIS CERTIFIES THAT, for value received
is the registered holder of a warrant or warrants (the
“Warrant(s)”) to purchase one fully paid and
non-assessable share of Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share
(“Shares”), of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), expiring at 5:00
p.m., New York City time, on the five year anniversary (the
“Expiration Date”) of the completion 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 (a
“Business Combination”). The Warrant entitles the
holder thereof to purchase from the Company, commencing on the
later of (i) the Company’s completion of a Business
Combination and
(ii) ,
2018, such number of Shares of the Company at the price of $11.50
per share, upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment
of the Warrant Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent,
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 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 the warrant exercise. The Warrant Agreement provides that
upon the occurrence of certain events the Warrant Price and the
number of Warrant 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.
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 hereof 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 30 days’ notice of
such call at any time after the Warrant becomes exercisable if the
last sale price of the Shares has been at least $21.00 per share
for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending on
the third business day prior to the date on which notice of such
call is given, if, and only if, there is a current registration
statement in effect with respect to the Shares underlying the
Warrant. 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
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Secretary
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Chairman of the Board
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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 shares
of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of such Warrants, and
requests that Certificates for such shares shall be issued in the
name of
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(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME AND ADDRESS)
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(SOCIAL SECURITY OR TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)
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and be delivered to
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(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE NAME AND ADDRESS)
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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:
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Dated:
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(SIGNATURE)
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(ADDRESS)
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(TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)
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ASSIGNMENT
To Be Executed by the Registered Holder in Order to Assign
Warrants
For Value
Received, hereby
sell, assign, and transfer unto
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(PLEASE TYPE OR PRINT NAME AND ADDRESS)
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(SOCIAL SECURITY OR TAX IDENTIFICATION NUMBER)
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and be delivered to
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(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPE NAME AND ADDRESS)
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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.
the signature to the assignment of the subscription form must
correspond to the name written upon the face of this warrant
certificate 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 american stock
exchange, new york stock exchange, pacific stock exchange or
chicago stock exchange.
3
Exhibit 4.5
FORM OF RIGHT AGREEMENT
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
and
CONTINENTAL
STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
RIGHT
AGREEMENT
Dated
as of ____, 2017
This
Right Agreement (this “Agreement”) is made as of
______, 2017 between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation
(“Rights Agent”).
WHEREAS, the
Company is engaged in an initial public offering (the
“Offering”) of units of the Company’s equity
securities (each, a “Unit” and collectively, the
“Units”) to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the
“Representative”), as representative of the several
underwriters (the “Underwriters”), each such Unit
comprised of one share of common stock of the Company, par value
$.001 per share (“Common Stock”), one right to receive
one-tenth of one share of Common Stock (each, a “Public
Right” and collectively, the “Public Rights”)
upon the happening of an “Exchange Event” (defined
herein), and one-half of one warrant to purchase one share of
Common Stock, and in connection therewith, has determined to issue
and deliver up to 5,750,000 Public Rights (including up to 750,000
Public Rights subject to the over-allotment option) to public
investors in the Offering; and
WHEREAS, the
Company has agreed to sell to Big Rock Partners
Sponsor, LLC an aggregate of up to 243,710 Units in a private
placement, including 243,710 rights underlying such Units (the
"Private Rights"); and
WHEREAS, the
Company has entered into that certain Unit Purchase Option, dated
as of _______, 2017, pursuant to which the Company will issue and
deliver to the Representative an aggregate of 500,000 Units,
including 500,000 rights underlying such Units (the “Purchase
Option Rights” and together with the Private Rights and the
Public Rights, the “Rights”); and
WHEREAS, the
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a
registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-220947, and the
prospectus forming a part thereof (the “Prospectus”),
for the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended,
of the Units and each of the securities comprising the Units, and
the shares of Common Stock underlying the Public Rights and
Purchase Option Rights; and
WHEREAS, the
Company desires the Rights Agent to act on behalf of the Company,
and the Rights Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the
issuance, registration, transfer and exchange of the Rights;
and
WHEREAS, the
Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the
Rights, the terms upon which they shall be issued, and the
respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the
Company, the Rights Agent, and the holders of the Rights;
and
WHEREAS, all acts
and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make
the Rights, when executed on behalf of the Company and
countersigned by or on behalf of the Rights 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 Rights Agent
.
The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for
the Company for the Rights, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts
such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with
the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2.
Rights
.
2.1
Form of Right
. Each Right 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 and the 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 Right
shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person
signed the Right before such Right 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
Effect of Countersignature
.
Unless and until countersigned by the Rights Agent pursuant to this
Agreement, a Right shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be
exchanged for shares of Common Stock.
2.3
Registration.
2.3.1
Right
Register
. The Rights Agent shall maintain books
(“Right Register”) for the registration of original
issuance and the registration of transfer of the Rights. Upon the
initial issuance of the Rights, the Rights Agent shall issue and
register the Rights in the names of the respective holders thereof
in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions
delivered to the Rights Agent by the Company.
2.3.2
Registered
Holder
. Prior to due presentment for registration of
transfer of any Right, the Company and the Rights Agent may deem
and treat the person in whose name such Right shall be registered
upon the Right Register (“registered holder”) as the
absolute owner of such Right and of each Right represented thereby
(notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the
Right Certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the
Rights Agent), for the purpose of the exchange thereof, and for all
other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall
be affected by any notice to the contrary.
2.4
Detachability of Rights
. The
securities comprising the Units, including the Rights, will not be
separately transferable until the earlier to occur of: (i) the 90th
day following the date of the Prospectus or (ii) the announcement
by EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. of its intention to allow separate
earlier trading, except that in no event will the securities
comprising the Units be separately tradeable until the Company
files 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 Offering including the proceeds received by the
Company from the exercise of the over-allotment option, if the
over-allotment option is exercised by the date thereof and the
Company issues a press release and files a Current Report on Form
8-K announcing when such separate trading shall begin.
3.
Terms and Exchange of
Rights
.
3.1
Rights
. Each Right shall
entitle the holder thereof to receive one-tenth of one share of
Common Stock upon the happening of an Exchange Event (defined
below). No additional consideration shall be paid by a holder of
Rights in order to receive his, her or its shares of Common Stock
upon an Exchange Event as the purchase price for such shares of
Common Stock has been included in the purchase price for the Units.
In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the
Rights. The provisions of this Section 3.1 may not be modified,
amended or deleted without the prior written consent of the
Representative.
3.2
Exchange Event
. An
“Exchange Event” shall occur upon the Company’s
consummation of an initial Business Combination (as defined in the
Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of
Incorporation).
3.3
Exchange of
Rights
.
3.3.1
Issuance
of Certificates
. As soon as practicable upon the occurrence
of an Exchange Event, the Company shall direct holders of the
Rights to return their Rights Certificates to the Rights Agent.
Upon receipt of a valid Rights Certificate, the Company shall issue
to the registered holder of such Right(s) a certificate or
certificates for the number of full shares 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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, or
any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, in no
event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Rights.
The Company shall not issue fractional shares upon exchange of
Rights. At the time of an Exchange Event, the Company will either
instruct the Rights Agent to round up to the nearest whole share of
Common Stock or otherwise inform it how fractional shares will be
addressed, in accordance with Section 155 of the Delaware General
Corporation Law. Each holder of a Right will be required to
affirmatively convert his, her or its rights in order to receive
the 1/10 of a share underlying each right (without paying any
additional consideration) upon consummation of the Exchange Event.
Each holder of a Right will be required to indicate his, her or its
election to convert the Rights into the underlying shares as well
as to return the original certificates evidencing the Rights to the
Company.
3.3.2
Valid
Issuance
. All shares of Common Stock issued upon an Exchange
Event in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued,
fully paid and nonassessable.
3.3.3
Date
of Issuance
. Each person in whose name any such 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 of the Exchange Event, irrespective of the date of delivery of
such certificate.
3.3.4
Company
Not Surviving Following Exchange Event
. Upon an Exchange
Event in which the Company does not continue as the publicly held
reporting entity, the definitive agreement will provide for the
holders of Rights to receive the same per share consideration the
holders of the shares of Common Stock will receive in such
transaction, for the number of shares such holder is entitled to
pursuant to Section 3.3.1 above.
3.3.5
Duration
of Rights
. If an Exchange Event does not occur within the
time period set forth in the Company’s Certificate of
Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, the
Rights shall expire and shall be worthless.
4.
Transfer and Exchange of
Rights
.
4.1
Registration of Transfer
. The
Rights Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any
outstanding Right upon the Right Register, upon surrender of such
Right for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures properly
guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for
transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Right representing an equal
aggregate number of Rights shall be issued and the old Right shall
be cancelled by the Rights Agent. The Rights so cancelled shall be
delivered by the Rights Agent to the Company from time to time upon
request.
4.2
Procedure for Surrender of
Rights
. Rights may be surrendered to the Rights Agent,
together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and
thereupon the Rights Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or
more new Rights as requested by the registered holder of the Rights
so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Rights;
provided, however, that in the event that a Right surrendered for
transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Rights Agent shall not
cancel such Right and issue new Rights in exchange therefor until
the Rights Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company
stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the
new Rights must also bear a restrictive legend.
4.3
Fractional Rights
. The Rights
Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer
or exchange which will result in the issuance of a Right
Certificate for a fraction of a Right.
4.4
Service Charges
. No service
charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer
of Rights.
4.5
Right Execution and
Countersignature
. The Rights Agent is hereby authorized to
countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement, the Rights required to be issued pursuant to the
provisions of this Section 4, and the Company, whenever required by
the Rights Agent, will supply the Rights Agent with Rights duly
executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.
5.
Other Provisions Relating to Rights of
Holders of Rights
.
5.1
No Rights as Shareholder
. Until
exchange of a Right for shares of Common Stock as provided for
herein, a Right does not entitle the registered holder thereof to
any of the rights of a shareholder 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 shareholders in respect of the meetings of
shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any
other matter.
5.2
Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed
Rights
. If any Right is lost, stolen, mutilated, or
destroyed, the Company and the Rights 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 Right, include the
surrender thereof), issue a new Right of like denomination, tenor,
and date as the Right so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any
such new Right shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation
of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen,
mutilated, or destroyed Right shall be at any time enforceable by
anyone.
5.3
Reservation 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 exchange of all outstanding Rights issued
pursuant to this Agreement.
6.
Concerning the Rights Agent and Other
Matters
.
6.1
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 Rights Agent in respect of the
issuance or delivery of shares of Common Stock upon the exchange of
Rights, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer
taxes in respect of the Rights or such shares.
6.2
Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger
of Rights Agent
.
6.2.1
Appointment
of Successor Rights Agent
. The Rights 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 Rights Agent becomes vacant by resignation or
incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in
writing a successor Rights Agent in place of the Rights Agent. If
the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of
30 days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation
or incapacity by the Rights Agent or by the holder of the Right
(who shall, with such notice, submit his, her or its Right for
inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Right may apply
to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New
York for the appointment of a successor Rights Agent at the
Company’s cost. Any successor Rights 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 Rights Agent shall be vested with all the authority,
powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its
predecessor Rights Agent with like effect as if originally named as
Rights Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for
any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor
Rights Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the
Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Rights Agent
all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Rights
Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Rights 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 Rights Agent all such authority,
powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.
6.2.2
Notice
of Successor Rights Agent
. In the event a successor Rights
Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to
the predecessor Rights Agent and the transfer agent for the Common
Stock not later than the effective date of any such
appointment.
6.2.3
Merger
or Consolidation of Rights Agent
. Any corporation into which
the Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated
or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to
which the Rights Agent shall be a party shall be the successor
Rights Agent under this Agreement without any further
act.
6.3
Fees and Expenses of Rights
Agent
.
6.3.1
Remuneration
.
The Company agrees to pay the Rights Agent reasonable remuneration
for its services as such Rights Agent hereunder and will reimburse
the Rights Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Rights
Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties
hereunder.
6.3.2
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
Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions
of this Agreement.
6.4
Liability of Rights
Agent
.
6.4.1
Reliance
on Company Statement
. Whenever in the performance of its
duties under this Agreement, the Rights 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, Chief Operating Officer or Chief Financial
Officer and delivered to the Rights Agent. The Rights Agent may
rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good
faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this
Agreement.
6.4.2
Indemnity
.
The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross
negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. Subject to Section 6.6
below, the Company agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent and save it
harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments,
costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by
the Rights Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a
result of the Rights Agent’s gross negligence, willful
misconduct, or bad faith.
6.4.3
Exclusions
.
The Rights Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the
validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or
execution of any Right (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 Right;
nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any
representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation
of any Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any
Right or as to whether any Common Stock will when issued be valid
and fully paid and nonassessable.
6.5
Acceptance of Agency
. The
Rights Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this
Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and
conditions herein set forth.
6.6
Waiver
. The Rights Agent hereby
waives any right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or
claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution
of, the Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment
Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and
between the Company and the Rights Agent as trustee thereunder) and
hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or
satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason
whatsoever.
7.
Miscellaneous
Provisions
.
7.1
Successors
. All the covenants
and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the
Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of
their respective successors and assigns.
7.2
Notices
. Any notice, statement
or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the
Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right 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 days after deposit of such notice, postage
prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by
the Company with the Rights Agent), as follows:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
Attention: Richard
Ackerman, Chief Executive Officer
Any
notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be
given or made by the holder of any Right or by the Company to or on
the Rights 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 Rights Agent with the Company), as
follows:
Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street Plaza, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attention:
Compliance Department
with a
copy to:
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue, 8th Floor
New
York, New York 10017
Attention:Steven
Levine
7.3
Applicable Law
. The validity,
interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and of the Rights
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 7.2 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service
and shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action,
proceeding or claim.
7.4
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 Rights and, for the purposes of Sections 3.1, 7.4
and 7.8 hereof, the Representative, any right, remedy, or claim
under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition,
stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. The Representative shall
be deemed to be a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement with
respect to Sections 3.1, 7.4 and 7.8 hereof. All covenants,
conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in
this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the
parties hereto (and the Representative with respect to the Sections
3, 7.4 and 7.8 hereof) and their successors and assigns and of the
registered holders of the Rights. The provisions of this Section
7.4 may not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior
written consent of the Representative.
7.5
Examination of the Right
Agreement
. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at
all reasonable times at the office of the Rights Agent in the
Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by
the registered holder of any Right. The Rights Agent may require
any such holder to submit his, her or its Right for inspection by
it.
7.6
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.
7.7
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.
7.8
Amendments
. This Agreement may
be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any
registered holder 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.
All other modifications or amendments shall require the written
consent or vote of the registered holders of a majority of the then
outstanding Rights. The provisions of this Section 7.8 may not be
modified, amended or deleted without the prior written consent of
the Representative.
7.9
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.
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Title
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CONTINENTAL STOCK
TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
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By:
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Name
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Exhibit 4.6
WARRANT AGREEMENT
THIS
WARRANT AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) dated as of
[ ],
2017 is between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware
corporation, (“Company”), and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation
(“Warrant Agent”).
WHEREAS, the
Company has received a binding commitment from its sponsor
("Sponsor") to purchase an aggregate of 225,000 units
(or up to 243,750 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment
is exercised in full), each unit (“Unit”) comprised of
one share of common stock of the Company, $0.001 par value
(“Common Stock”), one right to receive one-tenth of one
share of Common Stock and one half of one warrant to purchase one
share of Common Stock for $11.50 per whole share, subject to
adjustment as described herein, pursuant to a Unit Subscription
Agreement (the “Sponsor Unit Purchase Agreement”), and
in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to an aggregate
of 112,500 warrants (or up to 121,875 warrants if the
underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full)
(“Placement Warrants”), upon consummation of such
private placement (the “Private Offering”);
and
WHEREAS, in order
to finance the Company’s transaction costs in connection with
an intended initial Business Combination (defined below), the
Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or the Company’s
executive officers and directors or their affiliates may loan to
the Company funds as may be required, of which up to $1,500,000 of
such loans may be convertible into up to an additional 150,000
Units, including 75,000 warrants ("Working Capital
Warrants");
WHEREAS, the
Company is engaged in a public offering (“Public
Offering”) of Units and, in connection therewith, will issue
and deliver up to 2,500,000 warrants (or up to 2,875,000 warrants
if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full)
(“Public Warrants”) to the public investors and (ii)
250,000 warrants (underlying unit purchase options) to EBC or its
designees (“EBC Warrants” and, together with the
Placement Warrants, Working Capital Warrants and
Public Warrants, the “Warrants”); and
WHEREAS, the
Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a
Registration Statement on Form S-1, No. 333-220947
(“Registration Statement”) for the registration, under
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), of,
among other securities, the Warrants; 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 90
th
day following
the date of the prospectus or, if such 90
th
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
EBC, but in no event will EBC 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’ over-allotment option in
the Public Offering, if the over-allotment 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.
Placement
Warrants Attributes
. The Placement
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 the Placement
Warrants are held by the initial purchasers or their affiliates and
permitted transferees (as prescribed in Section 5.6 hereof).
Once a Placement 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.
EBC Warrants
. The
EBC Warrants shall be exercisable only upon the exercise of the
purchase options issued to EBC and/or its
designees and shall have the same terms and be in the same
form as the Public Warrants. The provisions of this Section 2.7 may
not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior written
consent of EBC.
2.8
Working Capital Warrants
. The
Working Capital Warrants shall have the same terms and be in the
same form as the Placement Warrants.
3.
Terms
and Exercise of Warrants
3.1.
Warrant Price
. Each whole
Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, 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 (“Exercise Period”) commencing on the later 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 and (ii) the Redemption Date
as provided in Section 6.2 of this Agreement (“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), 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 as otherwise agreed to by the Company);
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 reported last sale price of the Common Stock for the five
(5) 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
Placement Warrants
or Working Capital
Warrants
, so long as such Placement Warrants
or Working Capital Warrants are held by the initial
purchasers of the Placement Warrants or their permitted
transferees, by surrendering such Placement 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 five (5) 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 ninety (90) 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 five (5) trading days ending on the day prior
to the date of exercise.
3.3.2.
Issuance
of Certificates
. 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 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 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 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 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 and rights to receive 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 such
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 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 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 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 9.8% (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 Warrant Agent 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, 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.
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; and 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.
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
. No fractional Warrants
will be issued hereunder. Additionally, 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,
provided, however, that under no circumstances shall the Warrants
be adjusted pursuant to this Section 4 as a result of any issuance
of securities in connection with the Business Combination. 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 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. The Warrants so cancelled shall be
delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time
upon request.
5.2.
Procedure
for Surrender of Warrants
. Warrants may be surrendered
to the Warrant Agent, together with a written request for exchange
or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in
exchange therefor one or more new Warrants as requested by the
registered holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an
equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that 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 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.
Placement
Warrants
. The Warrant Agent shall not register any transfer
of Placement Warrants until the consummation by the Company of an
initial Business Combination, except for transfers (i) to the
Company’s Sponsor, officers, directors,
employees, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a
holder’s officers, directors, employees or members, 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 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 or (vii) by private sales
made at or prior to the consummation of a Business Combination at
prices no greater than the price at which the Placement Warrants
were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi)) 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 Unit
Purchase Agreements 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 Public
Warrants may be redeemed, at the option of the Company, at any time
during the Exercise Period (so long as there is a current
registration statement in effect with respect to the shares of
Common Stock underlying the Warrants), 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 $21.00
per share (subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4
hereof), for any twenty (20) trading days within a thirty (30)
trading day period ending on the third business day prior to the
notice of redemption.
6.2.
Date
Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption
. In the event the
Company shall elect to redeem all of the Public Warrants, 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 apply only to outstanding
warrants. To the extent a person holds rights to purchase warrants,
such purchase rights shall not be extinguished by redemption.
However, once such purchase rights are expired the Company may
redeem the warrants issued upon such exercise provided that the
criteria for redemption is met. Additionally, the Company agrees
that the redemption rate shall not apply to the Placement
Warrants if at the time of the redemption such Placement Warrants
continue to be held by the initial purchasers or their permitted
transferees. However, once such Placement Warrants are transferred
(other than to permitted transferees under Section 5.6), the
Company may redeem the Placement Warrants in the same manner as the
Public Warrants. The EBC Warrants shall not be redeemable until
after the exercise of the purchase option issued to EBC. The
provisions of this Section 6.4 may not be modified, amended or
deleted without the prior written consent of EBC.
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 after the closing of its initial Business
Combination, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days
after such closing, 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. If any such registration statement has not
been declared effective by the 90th day following the closing of
the Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the
right, during the period beginning on the 91st 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, 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 Section 7.4. The provisions of this Section 7.4 may not be
modified, amended or deleted without the prior written consent of
EBC.
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 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 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:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
Attn: Chief
Executive Officer
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, 30th Floor
New
York, NY 10004-1561
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
Akerman
LLP
Three
Brickell City Centre
98
Southeast 7
th
Street,
Suite
1100
Miami,
FL 33131
Attn: Michael
Francis, Esq.
and
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue, 8
th
Floor
New
York, New York 10017
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 2.7, 6.4, 7.4, 9.4 and 9.8 hereof, EBC, any
right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of
any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement
hereof. EBC shall be deemed to be a third-party beneficiary of
this Agreement with respect to Sections 2.7, 6.4, 7.4, 9.4 and 9.8
hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and
agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and
exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and EBC with respect to
the Sections 2.7, 6.4, 7.4, 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 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. 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 a majority of the then outstanding
Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower
the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period
pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent
of the registered holders. The provisions of this Section 9.8 may
not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior written
consent of EBC.
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.
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BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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CONTINENTAL
STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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11
Exhibit
4.7
THE
REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS PURCHASE OPTION BY ITS ACCEPTANCE HEREOF,
AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER OR ASSIGN THIS PURCHASE
OPTION EXCEPT AS HEREIN PROVIDED AND THE REGISTERED HOLDER OF THIS
PURCHASE OPTION AGREES THAT IT WILL NOT SELL, TRANSFER, ASSIGN,
PLEDGE OR HYPOTHECATE THIS PURCHASE OPTION FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS
FOLLOWING THE EFFECTIVE DATE (DEFINED BELOW) TO ANYONE OTHER THAN
(I) EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC. (“
EBC
”)
OR AN UNDERWRITER OR SELECTED DEALER IN CONNECTION WITH THE
OFFERING, OR (II) A BONA FIDE OFFICER OR PARTNER OF EBC OR OF ANY
SUCH UNDERWRITER OR SELECTED DEALER, EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH
FINRA RULE 5110(G)(2). ADDITIONALLY, PURSUANT TO FINRA CONDUCT RULE
5110(G), THE PURCHASE OPTION (OR THE COMMON STOCK, RIGHTS AND
WARRANTS UNDERLYING THIS PURCHASE OPTION) WILL NOT BE THE SUBJECT
OF ANY HEDGING, SHORT SALE, DERIVATIVE, PUT OR CALL TRANSACTION
THAT WOULD RESULT IN THE ECONOMIC DISPOSITION OF THE SECURITIES BY
ANY PERSON FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE
EFFECTIVE DATE.
THIS
PURCHASE OPTION IS NOT EXERCISABLE PRIOR TO THE LATER OF THE
CONSUMMATION BY BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
(“
COMPANY
”)
OF A MERGER, SHARE EXCHANGE, ASSET ACQUISITION, SHARE PURCHASE,
RECAPITALIZATION, REORGANIZATION OR OTHER SIMILAR BUSINESS
COMBINATION WITH ONE OR MORE BUSINESSES OR ENTITIES
(“
BUSINESS
COMBINATION
”) (AS DESCRIBED MORE FULLY IN THE
COMPANY’S REGISTRATION STATEMENT (DEFINED HEREIN)) AND
_____________, 2018. VOID AFTER 5:00 P.M. NEW YORK CITY LOCAL TIME,
ON THE EXPIRATION DATE (DEFINED HEREIN).
UNIT PURCHASE OPTION
FOR THE PURCHASE OF
500,000 UNITS
OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
1.
Purchase
Option
.
THIS
CERTIFIES THAT, in consideration of $100 duly paid by or on behalf
of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“
Holder
”),
as registered owner of this Purchase Option, to Big Rock Partners
Acquisition Corp. (“
Company
”),
Holder is entitled, at any time or from time to time upon the later
of the consummation of a Business Combination or _____________,
2018 (“
Commencement
Date
”), and at or before 5:00 p.m., New York City
local time, on the five year anniversary of the effective date
(“
Effective
Date
”) of the Company’s registration statement
(“
Registration
Statement
”) pursuant to which Units are offered for
sale to the public (“
Offering
”),
but not thereafter (“
Expiration
Date
”), to subscribe for, purchase and receive, in
whole or in part, up to five hundred thousand (500,000) units
(“
Units
”)
of the Company, each Unit consisting of one share of common stock
of the Company, par value
$0.0001 per share
(“
Common
Stock
”), one right (“
Right(s)
”) entitling the Holder to
receive one tenth (1/10) of a share of Common Stock upon
consummation of a Business Combination, and one-half of one warrant
(“
Warrant(s)
”),
each whole warrant to purchase one share of Common
Stock. Each Right is the same as the right included in
the Units being registered for sale to the public by way of the
Registration Statement. Each Warrant is the same as the warrant
included in the Units being registered for sale to the public by
way of the Registration Statement (“
Public
Warrants
”). If the Expiration Date is a day
on which banking institutions are authorized by law to close, then
this Purchase Option may be exercised on the next succeeding day
which is not such a day in accordance with the terms herein.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Holder agrees that it
will not be permitted to exercise this Purchase Option or the
Warrants underlying this Purchase Option after the five year
anniversary of the Effective Date. During the period ending on the
Expiration Date, the Company agrees not to take any action that
would terminate the Purchase Option. This Purchase Option is
initially exercisable at $10.00 per Unit so purchased; provided,
however, that upon the occurrence of any of the events specified in
Section 6 hereof, the rights granted by this Purchase Option,
including the exercise price per Unit and the number of Units (and
shares of Common Stock, Rights and Warrants) to be received upon
such exercise, shall be adjusted as therein specified. The term
“
Exercise
Price
” shall mean the initial exercise price or the
adjusted exercise price, depending on the context.
2.
Exercise.
2.1
Exercise
Form
. In order to exercise this Purchase Option, the
exercise form attached hereto must be duly executed and completed
and delivered to the Company, together with this Purchase Option
and payment of the Exercise Price for the Units being purchased
payable in cash or by certified check or official bank check. If
the subscription rights represented hereby shall not be exercised
at or before 5:00 p.m., New York City local time, on the Expiration
Date this Purchase Option shall become and be void without further
force or effect, and all rights represented hereby shall cease and
expire.
2.2
Legend
.
Each certificate for the securities purchased under this Purchase
Option shall bear a legend as follows unless such securities have
been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(“
Act
”):
“The
securities represented by this certificate have not been registered
under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”) or
applicable state law. The securities may not be offered for sale,
sold or otherwise transferred except pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Act, or pursuant to an exemption
from registration under the Act and applicable state
law.”
2.3
Cashless
Exercise
.
2.3.1
Determination
of Amount
. In lieu of the payment of the Exercise Price
multiplied by the number of Units for which this Purchase Option is
exercisable (and in lieu of being entitled to receive shares of
Common Stock and Warrants) in the manner required by Section 2.1,
and subject to Section 6.1 hereof, the Holder shall have the right
(but not the obligation) to convert any exercisable but unexercised
portion of this Purchase Option into Units (“
Cashless Exercise
Right
”) as follows: upon exercise of the
Cashless Exercise Right, the Company shall deliver to the Holder
(without payment by the Holder of any of the Exercise Price in
cash) that number of Units (or that number of shares of Common
Stock, Rights and Warrants comprising that number of Units) equal
to the number of Units to be exercised multiplied by the quotient
obtained by dividing (x) the “Value” (as defined below)
of the portion of the Purchase Option being exercised by (y) the
Current Market Value (as defined below). The
“Value” of the portion of the Purchase Option being
exercised shall equal the remainder derived from subtracting (a)
(i) the Exercise Price multiplied by (ii) the number of Units
underlying the portion of this Purchase Option being exercised from
(b) the Current Market Value of a Unit multiplied by the number of
Units underlying the portion of the Purchase Option being
exercised. As used herein, the term “Current
Market Value” per Unit at any date means: (A) in the event
that the Units, Common Stock and Public Warrants are still trading,
(i) if the Units are listed on a national securities exchange or
quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (or successor exchange), the
average reported last sale price of the Units in the principal
trading market for the Units as reported by the exchange, Nasdaq or
the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“
FINRA
”),
as the case may be, for the three trading days preceding the date
in question; or (ii) if the Units are not listed on a national
securities exchange or quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (or
successor exchange), but is traded in the residual over-the-counter
market, the average reported last sale price for Units for the
three trading days preceding the date in question for which such
quotations are reported by the Pink Sheets, LLC or similar
publisher of such quotations; (B) in the event that the Units are
not still trading but the Common Stock and Public Warrants
underlying the Units are still trading, the aggregate of (i) the
product of (x) the Current Market Price of the Common Stock and (y)
the number of shares of Common Stock underlying one Unit (which
shall include the portion of a share of Common Stock the holder of
a Unit would automatically receive in connection with the Right
included in each such Unit) plus (ii) the product of (x) the
Current Market Price of the Public Warrants and (y) the number of
the Warrants included in one Unit; or (C) in the event that neither
the Units nor Public Warrants are still trading, the aggregate of
(i) the product of (x) the Current Market Price of the Common Stock
and (y) the number of shares of Common Stock underlying one Unit
(which shall include the portion of a share of Common Stock the
holder of a Unit would automatically receive in connection with the
Right included in each such Unit) plus (ii) the remainder derived
from subtracting (x) the exercise price of the Warrants multiplied
by the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of
the Warrants underlying one Unit from (y) the product of (aa) the
Current Market Price of the Common Stock multiplied by (bb) the
number of shares of Common Stock underlying the Warrants included
in each such Unit. The “
Current Market
Price
” shall mean (i) if the Common Stock (or Public
Warrants, as the case may be) is listed on a national securities
exchange or quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (or successor
exchange), the average reported last sale price of the Common Stock
(or Public Warrants) in the principal trading market for the Common
Stock (or Public Warrants) as reported by the exchange, Nasdaq or
FINRA, as the case may be, for the three trading days preceding the
date in question; (ii) if the Common Stock (or Public Warrants, as
the case may be) is not listed on a national securities exchange or
quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board (or successor exchange), but is
traded in the residual over-the-counter market, the average
reported last sale price for the Common Stock (or Public Warrants)
on for the three trading days preceding the date in question for
which such quotations are reported by the Pink Sheets, LLC or
similar publisher of such quotations; and (iii) if the fair market
value of the Common Stock cannot be determined pursuant to clause
(i) or (ii) above, such price as the Board of Directors of the
Company shall determine, in good faith. In the event the
Public Warrants have expired and are no longer exercisable, no
“Value” shall be attributed to the Warrants underlying
this Purchase Option or Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the
Warrant.
2.3.2
Mechanics
of Cashless Exercise
. The Cashless Exercise Right may be
exercised by the Holder on any business day on or after the
Commencement Date and not later than the Expiration Date by
delivering the Purchase Option with the duly executed exercise form
attached hereto with the cashless exercise section completed to the
Company, exercising the Cashless Exercise Right and specifying the
total number of Units the Holder will purchase pursuant to such
Cashless Exercise Right.
2.4
No
Obligation to Net Cash Settle
. Notwithstanding anything to
the contrary contained in this Purchase Option, in no event will
the Company be required to net cash settle the exercise of the
Purchase Option or the Rights or Warrants underlying the Purchase
Option. The holder of the Purchase Option and the Warrants
underlying the Purchase Option will not be entitled to exercise the
Purchase Option or the Warrants underlying such Purchase Option
unless it exercises such Purchase Option pursuant to the Cashless
Exercise Right or a registration statement is effective, or an
exemption from the registration requirements is available at such
time and, if the holder is not able to exercise the Purchase Option
or underlying Warrants, the Purchase Option and/or the underlying
Warrants, as applicable, will expire worthless.
3.
Transfer
.
3.1
General
Restrictions
. The registered Holder of this Purchase Option,
by its acceptance hereof, agrees that it will not sell, transfer,
assign, pledge or hypothecate this Purchase Option (or the Common
Stock, Rights and Warrants underlying this Purchase Option) for a
period of 180 days pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(g)(1)
following the Effective Date to anyone other than (i) EBC or
an underwriter or selected dealer in connection with the Offering,
or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of EBC or of any such
underwriter or selected dealer. Additionally, pursuant to FINRA
Conduct Rule 5110(g), the Purchase Option (or the Common Stock,
Rights and Warrants underlying this Purchase Option) will not be
the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call
transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the
securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately
following the Effective Date. On and after the 181
st
day following the
Effective Date, transfers to others may be made subject to
compliance with or exemptions from applicable securities laws. In
order to make any permitted assignment, the Holder must deliver to
the Company the assignment form attached hereto duly executed and
completed, together with the Purchase Option and payment of all
transfer taxes, if any, payable in connection therewith. The
Company shall within five business days transfer this Purchase
Option on the books of the Company and shall execute and deliver a
new Purchase Option or Purchase Options of like tenor to the
appropriate assignee(s) expressly evidencing the right to purchase
the aggregate number of Units purchasable hereunder or such portion
of such number as shall be contemplated by any such
assignment.
3.2
Restrictions
Imposed by the Act
. The securities evidenced by this
Purchase Option shall not be transferred unless and until
(i) the Company has received the opinion of counsel for the
Holder that the securities may be transferred pursuant to an
exemption from registration under the Act and applicable state
securities laws, the availability of which is established to the
reasonable satisfaction of the Company (the Company hereby agreeing
that the opinion of Graubard Miller shall be deemed satisfactory
evidence of the availability of an exemption), or (ii) a
registration statement or a post-effective amendment to the
Registration Statement relating to such securities has been filed
by the Company and declared effective by the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “
Commission
”)
and compliance with applicable state securities law has been
established.
4.
New
Purchase Options to be Issued
.
4.1
Partial
Exercise or Transfer
. Subject to the restrictions in Section
3 hereof, this Purchase Option may be exercised or assigned in
whole or in part. In the event of the exercise or
assignment hereof in part only, upon surrender of this Purchase
Option for cancellation, together with the duly executed exercise
or assignment form and funds sufficient to pay any Exercise Price
(except to the extent that the Holder elects to exercise this
Purchase Option by means of a cashless exercise as provided in
Section 2.3 above) and/or transfer tax, the Company shall cause to
be delivered to the Holder without charge a new Purchase Option of
like tenor to this Purchase Option in the name of the Holder
evidencing the right of the Holder to purchase the number of Units
purchasable hereunder as to which this Purchase Option has not been
exercised or assigned.
4.2
Lost
Certificate
. Upon receipt by the Company of evidence
satisfactory to it of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of
this Purchase Option and of reasonably satisfactory indemnification
or the posting of a bond, the Company shall execute and deliver a
new Purchase Option of like tenor and date. Any such new Purchase
Option executed and delivered as a result of such loss, theft,
mutilation or destruction shall constitute a substitute contractual
obligation on the part of the Company.
5.
Registration
Rights
.
5.1
Demand
Registration
.
5.1.1
Grant
of Right
. The Company, upon written demand
(“
Initial Demand
Notice
”) of the Holder(s) of at least 51% of the
Purchase Options and/or the underlying Units and/or the underlying
securities (“
Majority
Holders
”), agrees to use its best efforts to register
(the “
Demand
Registration
”) under the Act on one occasion, all or
any portion of the Purchase Options requested by the Majority
Holders in the Initial Demand Notice and all of the securities
underlying such Purchase Options, including the Units, Common
Stock, the Warrants and the Common Stock underlying the Rights and
Warrants (collectively, the “
Registrable
Securities
”). On such occasion, the Company will use
its best efforts to file a registration statement or a
post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement covering the
Registrable Securities within sixty days after receipt of the
Initial Demand Notice and use its best efforts to have such
registration statement or post-effective amendment declared
effective as soon as possible thereafter. The demand for
registration may be made at any time during a period of five years
beginning on the Effective Date. The Initial Demand
Notice shall specify the number of shares of Registrable Securities
proposed to be sold and the intended method(s) of distribution
thereof. The Company will notify all holders of the Purchase
Options and/or Registrable Securities of the demand within ten days
from the date of the receipt of any such Initial Demand Notice.
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 fifteen
(15) 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 5.1.4. The Company shall
not be obligated to effect more than one (1) Demand Registration
under this Section 5.1 in respect of all Registrable
Securities.
5.1.2
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.
5.1.3
Underwritten
Offering
. If the Majority Holders so elect and such holders
so advise the Company as part of the Initial Demand Notice, 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 securities through such underwriting shall enter
into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the
underwriter or underwriters selected for such underwriting by the
Majority Holders.
5.1.4
Reduction
of Offering
. If the managing underwriter or underwriters for
a Demand Registration that is to be an underwritten offering
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
Common Stock or other securities which the Company desires to sell
and the 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 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 Common Stock or other securities registrable pursuant
to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement between the
Company and the initial investors in the Company and EBC (and/or
its designees), dated as of [_____], 2017 (the “
Registration Rights
Agreement
” and such registrable securities, the
“
Investor
Securities
”) as to which “piggy-back”
registration has been requested by the holders thereof, Pro Rata,
that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares;
and (iv) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of
Shares have not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i),
(ii), and (iii), the 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.
5.1.5
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 the
Company does not have to continue its obligations under
Section 5.1 with respect to such proposed
offering.
5.1.6
Terms.
The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to
registering the Registrable Securities, including the expenses of
any legal counsel selected by the Holders to represent them in
connection with the sale of the Registrable Securities, but the
Holders shall pay any and all underwriting commissions. The Company
agrees to use its reasonable best efforts to qualify or register
the Registrable Securities in such states as are reasonably
requested by the Majority Holder(s); provided, however, that in no
event shall the Company be required to register the Registrable
Securities in a state in which such registration would cause (i)
the Company to be obligated to qualify to do business in such
state, or would subject the Company to taxation as a foreign
corporation doing business in such jurisdiction or (ii) the
principal stockholders of the Company to be obligated to escrow
their shares of Common Stock of the Company. The Company shall use
its best efforts to cause any registration statement or
post-effective amendment filed pursuant to the demand rights
granted under Section 5.1.1 to remain effective for a period of
nine consecutive months from the effective date of such
registration statement or post-effective amendment.
5.2
Piggy-Back
Registration
.
5.2.1
Piggy-Back
Rights
. If at any time during the seven year period
commencing on the Effective Date the Company proposes to file a
registration statement under the 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 stockholders of the Company for
their account (or by the Company and by stockholders of the Company
including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 5.1), other than
a registration statement (i) filed in connection with any
employee share option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an
exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the
Company’s existing stockholders, (iii) for an offering
of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company
or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company
shall (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 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.
5.2.2
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 Common
Stock, if any, as to which registration has been demanded pursuant
to written contractual arrangements with persons other than the
holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Registrable
Securities as to which registration has been requested under this
Section 5.2, and the 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) first, the Common Stock or other securities that the
Company desires to sell 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, if any,
comprised of Registrable Securities and Investor
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) third, to the
extent that the Maximum Number of shares has not been reached under
the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the 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;
(b) If
the registration is a Demand Registration undertaken at the demand
of holders of Investor Securities, (A) first, the Common Stock
or other securities for the account of the demanding persons, Pro
Rata, 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), the shares of Registrable Securities, Pro Rata, as to
which registration has been requested pursuant to the terms hereof,
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 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;
and
(c) If
the registration is a Demand Registration undertaken at the demand
of persons other than either the holders of Registrable Securities
or of Investor Securities, (A) first, the 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 and Investor
Securities, Pro Rata, as to which registration has been requested
pursuant to the terms hereof and of the Registration Rights
Agreement, 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 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.
5.2.3
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
the 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 5.2.4.
5.2.4
Terms
.
The Company shall bear all fees and expenses attendant to
registering the Registrable Securities, including the expenses of
any legal counsel selected by the Holders to represent them in
connection with the sale of the Registrable Securities but the
Holders shall pay any and all underwriting commissions related to
the Registrable Securities. In the event of such a proposed
registration, the Company shall furnish the then Holders of
outstanding Registrable Securities with not less than fifteen days
written notice prior to the proposed date of filing of such
registration statement. Such notice to the Holders shall continue
to be given for each applicable registration statement filed
(during the period in which the Purchase Option is exercisable) by
the Company until such time as all of the Registrable Securities
have been registered and sold. The Holders of the Registrable
Securities shall exercise the “piggy-back” rights
provided for herein by giving written notice, within ten days of
the receipt of the Company’s notice of its intention to file
a registration statement. The Company shall use its best efforts to
cause any registration statement filed pursuant to the above
“piggyback” rights to remain effective for at least
nine months from the date that the Holders of the Registrable
Securities are first given the opportunity to sell all of such
securities.
5.3
General
Terms
.
5.3.1
Indemnification
.
The Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law, indemnify the Holder(s) of the Registrable Securities to be
sold pursuant to any registration statement hereunder and each
person, if any, who controls such Holders within the meaning of
Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended (“
Exchange
Act
”), against all loss, claim, damage, expense or
liability (including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other
expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or
defending against litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim
whatsoever whether arising out of any action between the
underwriter and the Company or between the underwriter and any
third party or otherwise) to which any of them may become subject
under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from such
registration statement but only to the same extent and with the
same effect as the provisions pursuant to which the Company has
agreed to indemnify the underwriters contained in Section 5 of the
Underwriting Agreement between the Company, EBC and the other
underwriters named therein dated the Effective Date. The Holder(s)
of the Registrable Securities to be sold pursuant to such
registration statement, and their successors and assigns, shall
severally, and not jointly, indemnify the Company, its officers and
directors and each person, if any, who controls the Company within
the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the
Exchange Act, against all loss, claim, damage, expense or liability
(including all reasonable attorneys’ fees and other expenses
reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any claim whatsoever) to which they may become subject
under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise, arising from
information furnished by or on behalf of such Holders, or their
successors or assigns, in writing, for specific inclusion in such
registration statement to the same extent and with the same effect
as the provisions contained in Section 5 of the Underwriting
Agreement pursuant to which the underwriters have agreed to
indemnify the Company.
5.3.2
Exercise
of Purchase Options
. Nothing contained in this Purchase
Option shall be construed as requiring the Holder(s) to exercise
their Purchase Options or Warrants underlying such Purchase Options
prior to or after the initial filing of any registration statement
or the effectiveness thereof.
5.3.3
Documents
Delivered to Holders
. The Company shall furnish EBC, as
representative of the Holders participating in any of the foregoing
offerings, a signed counterpart, addressed to the participating
Holders, of (i) an opinion of counsel to the Company, dated the
effective date of such registration statement (and, if such
registration includes an underwritten public offering, an opinion
dated the date of the closing under any underwriting agreement
related thereto), and (ii) if such registration statement is filed
in connection of an underwritten public offering, a “cold
comfort” letter dated the effective date of such registration
statement (and, if such registration includes an underwritten
public offering, a letter dated the date of the closing under the
underwriting agreement) signed by the independent public
accountants who have issued a report on the Company’s
financial statements included in such registration statement, in
each case covering substantially the same matters with respect to
such registration statement (and the prospectus included therein)
and, in the case of such accountants’ letter, with respect to
events subsequent to the date of such financial statements, as are
customarily covered in opinions of issuer’s counsel and in
accountants’ letters delivered to underwriters in
underwritten public offerings of securities. The Company shall also
deliver promptly to EBC, as representative of the Holders
participating in the offering, the correspondence and memoranda
described below and copies of all correspondence between the
Commission and the Company, its counsel or auditors and all
memoranda relating to discussions with the Commission or its staff
with respect to the registration statement and permit EBC, as
representative of the Holders, to do such investigation, upon
reasonable advance notice, with respect to information contained in
or omitted from the registration statement as it deems reasonably
necessary to comply with applicable securities laws or rules of
FINRA. Such investigation shall include access to books, records
and properties and opportunities to discuss the business of the
Company with its officers and independent auditors, all to such
reasonable extent and at such reasonable times and as often as EBC,
as representative of the Holders, shall reasonably request. The
Company shall not be required to disclose any confidential
information or other records to EBC, as representative of the
Holders, or to any other person, until and unless such persons
shall have entered into reasonable confidentiality agreements (in
form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Company), with
the Company with respect thereto.
5.3.4
Underwriting
Agreement
. The Company shall enter into an underwriting
agreement with the managing underwriter(s), if any, selected by any
Holders whose Registrable Securities are being registered pursuant
to this Section 5, which managing underwriter shall be reasonably
acceptable to the Company. Such agreement shall be reasonably
satisfactory in form and substance to the Company, each Holder and
such managing underwriters, and shall contain such representations,
warranties and covenants by the Company and such other terms as are
customarily contained in agreements of that type used by the
managing underwriter. The Holders shall be parties to any
underwriting agreement relating to an underwritten sale of their
Registrable Securities and may, at their option, require that any
or all the representations, warranties and covenants of the Company
to or for the benefit of such underwriters shall also be made to
and for the benefit of such Holders. Such Holders shall not be
required to make any representations or warranties to or agreements
with the Company or the underwriters except as they may relate to
such Holders and their intended methods of distribution. Such
Holders, however, shall agree to such covenants and indemnification
and contribution obligations for selling stockholders as are
customarily contained in agreements of that type used by the
managing underwriter. Further, such Holders shall execute
appropriate custody agreements and otherwise cooperate fully in the
preparation of the registration statement and other documents
relating to any offering in which they include securities pursuant
to this Section 5. Each Holder shall also furnish to the Company
such information regarding itself, the Registrable Securities held
by it, and the intended method of disposition of such securities as
shall be reasonably required to effect the registration of the
Registrable Securities.
5.3.5
Rule
144 Sale
. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Section
5 to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation pursuant to
Sections 5.1 or 5.2 to use its best efforts to obtain the
registration of Registrable Securities held by any Holder (i) where
such Holder would then be entitled to sell under Rule 144 within
any three-month period (or such other period prescribed under Rule
144 as may be provided by amendment thereof) all of the Registrable
Securities then held by such Holder, and (ii) where the number of
Registrable Securities held by such Holder is within the volume
limitations under paragraph (e) of Rule 144 (calculated as if such
Holder were an affiliate within the meaning of Rule
144).
5.3.6
Supplemental
Prospectus
. Each Holder agrees, that upon receipt of any
notice from the Company of the happening of any event as a result
of which the prospectus included in the registration statement, as
then in effect, includes an untrue statement of a material fact or
omits to state a material fact required to be stated therein or
necessary to make the statements therein not misleading in light of
the circumstances then existing, such Holder will immediately
discontinue disposition of Registrable Securities pursuant to the
registration statement covering such Registrable Securities until
such Holder’s receipt of the copies of a supplemental or
amended prospectus, and, if so desired by the Company, such Holder
shall deliver to the Company (at the expense of the Company) or
destroy (and deliver to the Company a certificate of such
destruction) all copies, other than permanent file copies then in
such Holder’s possession, of the prospectus covering such
Registrable Securities current at the time of receipt of such
notice.
6.
Adjustments.
6.1
Adjustments
to Exercise Price and Number of Securities
. The Exercise
Price and the number of Units underlying the Purchase Option shall
be subject to adjustment from time to time as hereinafter set
forth:
6.1.1
Share
Dividends - Split-Ups
. If after the date hereof, and subject
to the provisions of Section 6.3 below, the number of outstanding
shares of Common Stock is increased by a share dividend payable in
Common Stock or by a split-up of Common Stock or other similar
event, then, on the effective date thereof, the number of shares of
Common Stock underlying each of the Units purchasable hereunder
shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding
shares. In such case, the number of shares of Common Stock, and the
exercise price applicable thereto, underlying the Warrants
underlying each of the Units purchasable hereunder shall be
adjusted in accordance with the terms of the Warrants.
6.1.2
Aggregation
of Shares
. If after the date hereof, and subject to the
provisions of Section 6.3, the number of outstanding shares of
Common Stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination or
reclassification of Common Stock or other similar event, then, on
the effective date thereof, the number of shares of Common Stock
underlying each of the Units purchasable hereunder shall be
decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares. In
such case, the number of shares of Common Stock, and the exercise
price applicable thereto, underlying the Warrants underlying each
of the Units purchasable hereunder shall be adjusted in accordance
with the terms of the Warrants.
6.1.3
Replacement
of Securities upon Reorganization, etc
. In case of any
reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Common Stock
other than a change covered by Section 6.1.1 or 6.1.2 hereof or
that solely affects the par value of such 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 property of the Company as an entirety
or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the
Company is dissolved, the Holder of this Purchase Option shall have
the right thereafter (until the expiration of the right of exercise
of this Purchase Option) to receive upon the exercise hereof, for
the same aggregate Exercise Price payable hereunder immediately
prior to such event, the kind and amount of shares or other
securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such
reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon
a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, by a Holder of
the number of shares of Common Stock of the Company obtainable upon
exercise of this Purchase Option and the underlying Rights and
Warrants immediately prior to such event; and if any
reclassification also results in a change in Common Stock covered
by Section 6.1.1 or 6.1.2, then such adjustment shall be made
pursuant to Sections 6.1.1, 6.1.2 and this Section 6.1.3. The
provisions of this Section 6.1.3 shall similarly apply to
successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or
consolidations, sales or other transfers.
6.1.4
Changes
in Form of Purchase Option
. This form of Purchase Option
need not be changed because of any change pursuant to this Section,
and Purchase Options issued after such change may state the same
Exercise Price and the same number of Units as are stated in the
Purchase Options initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. The
acceptance by any Holder of the issuance of new Purchase Options
reflecting a required or permissive change shall not be deemed to
waive any rights to an adjustment occurring after the Commencement
Date or the computation thereof.
6.2
Substitute
Purchase Option
. In case of any consolidation of the Company
with, or merger of the Company with, or merger of the Company into,
another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger which
does not result in any reclassification or change of the
outstanding Common Stock), the corporation formed by such
consolidation or merger shall execute and deliver to the Holder a
supplemental Purchase Option providing that the holder of each
Purchase Option then outstanding or to be outstanding shall have
the right thereafter (until the stated expiration of such Purchase
Option) to receive, upon exercise of such Purchase Option, the kind
and amount of shares and other securities and property receivable
upon such consolidation or merger, by a holder of the number of
shares of Common Stock of the Company for which such Purchase
Option might have been exercised immediately prior to such
consolidation, merger, sale or transfer. Such supplemental Purchase
Option shall provide for adjustments which shall be identical to
the adjustments provided in Section 6. The above provision of this
Section shall similarly apply to successive consolidations or
mergers.
6.3
Elimination
of Fractional Interests
. The Company shall not be required
to issue certificates representing fractions of shares of Common
Stock or Warrants upon the exercise of the Purchase Option, nor
shall it be required to issue scrip or pay cash in lieu of any
fractional interests, it being the intent of the parties that all
fractional interests shall be eliminated by rounding any fraction
up or down to the nearest whole number of Warrants, shares of
Common Stock or other securities, properties or rights (or as
otherwise provided pursuant to the Warrants Agreement or Rights
Agreement, as the case may be).
7.
Reservation
and Listing.
The Company shall at all times reserve and keep
available out of its authorized but unissued Common Stock, solely
for the purpose of issuance upon exercise of the Purchase Options
(including the Common Stock underlying the Rights) or the Warrants
underlying the Purchase Option, such number of shares of Common
Stock or other securities, properties or rights as shall be
issuable upon the exercise thereof. The Company covenants and
agrees that, upon exercise of the Purchase Options and payment of
the Exercise Price therefor, all shares of Common Stock and other
securities issuable upon such exercise shall be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable and not subject to preemptive
rights of any stockholder. The Company further covenants and agrees
that upon exercise of the Warrants underlying the Purchase Options
and payment of the respective Warrant exercise price therefor, all
shares of Common Stock and other securities issuable upon such
exercise shall be duly and validly issued, fully paid and
non-assessable and not subject to preemptive rights of any
stockholder. As long as the Purchase Options shall be outstanding,
the Company shall use its best efforts to cause all (i) Units and
Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Options
(including the Common Stock underlying the Rights), (ii) Warrants
issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Options, and (iii) Common
Stock issuable upon conversion of the Rights included in the Units
issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Option and (iv) Common Stock
issuable upon exercise of the Warrants included in the Units
issuable upon exercise of the Purchase Option to be listed (subject
to official notice of issuance) on all securities exchanges (or, if
applicable on the OTC Bulletin Board or any successor trading
market) on which the Units, the Common Stock or the Public Warrants
issued to the public in connection herewith may then be listed
and/or quoted.
8.
Certain
Notice Requirements
.
8.1
Holder’s
Right to Receive Notice
. Nothing herein shall be construed
as conferring upon the Holders the right to vote or consent as a
stockholder for the election of directors or any other matter, or
as having any rights whatsoever as a stockholder of the Company.
If, however, at any time prior to the expiration of the Purchase
Options and their exercise, any of the events described in Section
8.2 shall occur, then, in one or more of said events, the Company
shall give written notice of such event at least fifteen days prior
to the date fixed as a record date or the date of closing the
transfer books for the determination of the stockholders entitled
to such dividend, distribution, conversion or exchange of
securities or subscription rights, or entitled to vote on such
proposed dissolution, liquidation, winding up or sale. Such notice
shall specify such record date or the date of the closing of the
transfer books, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Company shall deliver to each Holder a copy of each notice
given to the other stockholders of the Company at the same time and
in the same manner that such notice is given to the
stockholders.
8.2
Events
Requiring Notice
. The Company shall be required to give the
notice described in this Section 8 upon one or more of the
following events: (i) if the Company shall take a record of the
holders of its Common Stock for the purpose of entitling them to
receive a dividend or distribution payable otherwise than in cash,
or a cash dividend or distribution payable otherwise than out of
retained earnings, as indicated by the accounting treatment of such
dividend or distribution on the books of the Company, or (ii) the
Company shall offer to all the holders of its Common Stock any
additional shares of the Company or securities convertible into or
exchangeable for shares of the Company, or any option, right or
warrant to subscribe therefor, or (iii) a dissolution, liquidation
or winding up of the Company (other than in connection with a
consolidation or merger) or a sale of all or substantially all of
its property, assets and business shall be proposed.
8.3
Notice
of Change in Exercise Price
. The Company shall, promptly
after an event requiring a change in the Exercise Price pursuant to
Section 6 hereof, send notice to the Holders of such event and
change (“
Price
Notice
”). The Price Notice shall describe the event
causing the change and the method of calculating same and shall be
certified as being true and accurate by the Company’s
President and Chief Financial Officer.
8.4
Transmittal
of Notices
. All notices, requests, consents and other
communications under this Purchase Option shall be in writing and
shall be deemed to have been duly made when hand delivered, or
mailed by express mail or private courier service: (i) if to the
registered Holder of the Purchase Option, to the address of such
Holder as shown on the books of the Company, or (ii) if to the
Company, to the following address or to such other address as the
Company may designate by notice to the Holders:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Attn:
Chief Executive Officer
Email:
[_____]
9.
Miscellaneous.
9.1
Amendments
.
The Company and EBC may from time to time supplement or amend this
Purchase Option without the approval of any of the Holders in order
to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision
contained herein that may be defective or inconsistent with any
other provisions herein, or to make any other provisions in regard
to matters or questions arising hereunder that the Company and EBC
may deem necessary or desirable and that the Company and EBC deem
shall not adversely affect the interest of the Holders. All other
modifications or amendments shall require the written consent of
and be signed by the party against whom enforcement of the
modification or amendment is sought.
9.2
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 Purchase Option.
9.3
Entire
Agreement
. This Purchase Option (together with the other
agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in
connection with this Purchase Option) constitutes the entire
agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter
hereof, and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings of
the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter
hereof.
9.4
Binding
Effect
. This Purchase Option shall inure solely to the
benefit of and shall be binding upon, the Holder and the Company
and their permitted assignees, respective successors, legal
representative 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 Purchase Option or any
provisions herein contained.
9.5
Governing
Law; Submission to Jurisdiction
. This Purchase Option shall
be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with the
laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflict of
laws. The Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or
claim against it arising out of, or relating in any way to this
Purchase Option shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the
State of New York or of the United States of America 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 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 8 hereof. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and
shall be legal and binding upon the Company in any action,
proceeding or claim. The Company and the Holder agree that the
prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to
recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable
attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or
proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation
therefor.
9.6
Waiver,
Etc
. The failure of the Company or the Holder to at any time
enforce any of the provisions of this Purchase Option shall not be
deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in
any way affect the validity of this Purchase Option or any
provision hereof or the right of the Company or any Holder to
thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Purchase
Option. No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment
of any of the provisions of this Purchase Option 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 or non-compliance.
9.7
Execution
in Counterparts
. This Purchase Option 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.
9.8
Exchange
Agreement
. As a condition of the Holder’s receipt and
acceptance of this Purchase Option, Holder agrees that, at any time
prior to the complete exercise of this Purchase Option by Holder,
if the Company and EBC enter into an agreement (“
Exchange
Agreement
”) pursuant to which they agree that all
outstanding Purchase Options will be exchanged for securities or
cash or a combination of both, then Holder shall agree to such
exchange and become a party to the Exchange Agreement.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Purchase Option to be
signed by its duly authorized officer as of the [___] day of
[_____], 2017.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
|
|
|
Name:
|
|
|
Title:
|
Form to
be used to exercise Purchase Option:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
Attn.:
Chief Executive Officer
Date:_________________,
20___
The
undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to exercise all or a portion
of the within Purchase Option and to purchase ____ Units of Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.and hereby makes payment of
$____________ (at the rate of $10.00 per Unit) in payment of the
Exercise Price pursuant thereto. Please issue the securities as to
which this Purchase Option is exercised in accordance with the
instructions given below.
or
The
undersigned hereby elects irrevocably to convert its right to
purchase _________ Units purchasable under the within Purchase
Option by surrender of the unexercised portion of the attached
Purchase Option (with a “Value” based of $_______ based
on a “Market Price” of $_______). Please issue the
securities comprising the Units as to which this Purchase Option is
exercised in accordance with the instructions given
below.
|
NOTICE: The
signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the purchase option 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).
|
INSTRUCTIONS
FOR REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES
Name
Address
Form to
be used to assign Purchase Option:
ASSIGNMENT
(To be
executed by the registered Holder to effect a transfer of the
within Purchase Option):
FOR
VALUE RECEIVED,______________________________________________ does
hereby sell, assign and transfer
unto___________________________________________ the right to
purchase __________ Units of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(“
Company
”)
evidenced by the within Purchase Option and does hereby authorize
the Company to transfer such right on the books of the
Company.
Dated:
___________________, 20__
|
|
|
Signature
|
|
|
|
|
|
NOTICE: The
signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as
written upon the face of the purchase option 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).
|
14
Exhibit
5.1
|
Akerman LLP
Three
Brickell City Centre
98
Southeast Seventh Street
Suite
1100
Miami,
FL 33131
T: 305
374 5600
F: 305
374 5095
|
November
14, 2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
Re:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Registration Statement on Form S-1
(File
Number 333-220947)
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“
Company
”), has filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on
Form S-1, as amended (Registration No. 333-220947) (the
“
Registration
Statement
”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “
Act
”). The Registration
Statement relates to the underwritten public offering by the
Company pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the
"Underwriting Agreement") of up to 5,750,000 units of the
Company (the “
Units
”) (including up to
750,000 Units subject to the Underwriters’ (as defined below)
over-allotment option), each Unit consisting of:
(i)
one share of the Company’s common
stock, par value $0.001 per share (“
Common Stock
,” and the
shares of Common Stock underlying the Units, the
“
Shares
”),
for an aggregate of up to 5,750,000 Shares (including up to 750,000
Shares included in the Units subject to the Underwriters’
over-allotment option); and
(ii) one
right (“
Right
”) entitling the
holder to receive one-tenth of one share of Common Stock to be
issued under a Right Agreement (the “
Right Agreement
”) to be
entered into by the Company and Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company (“
Continental
”), as
Right Agent, pursuant to the terms of the
Underwriting Agreement, and
(iii) one-half
of one warrant (each whole warrant, a “
Warrant
”) with each
Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock,
for an aggregate of up to 2,875,000 Warrants (including up to
375,000 Warrants included in the Units subject to the
Underwriters’ over-allotment option) to be issued under a
Warrant Agreement (the “
Warrant Agreement
”) to be
entered into by the Company and Continental, as Warrant Agent,
pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting
Agreement.
We have
acted as counsel to the Company in connection with the preparation
and filing of the Registration Statement and this opinion is being
furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item
601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act.
We have
examined copies of such corporate records, agreements, documents
and other instruments of the Company and other certificates and
documents of officials of the Company, public officials, and
others, as we have deemed appropriate for purposes of this letter.
We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal
capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents
submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to authentic
original documents of all copies submitted to us as conformed,
certified, or reproduced copies. We have also assumed that
(i) upon sale and delivery of the Units, the Shares, the
Rights and the Warrants, the certificates representing such Units,
Shares, Rights and Warrants will conform to the specimens thereof
filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and will have been
duly countersigned by the transfer agent and duly registered by the
registrar or, if uncertificated, valid book-entry notations for the
issuance of the Units, the Shares, the Rights and the Warrants in
uncertificated form will have been duly made in the register of the
Company; (ii) at the time of execution, countersigning, issuance,
and delivery of the Rights, the Right Agreement will be a valid and
binding obligation of the Right Agent, enforceable against the
Right Agent in accordance with its terms; and (iii) at the
time of execution, countersigning, issuance, and delivery of the
Warrants, the Warrant Agreement will be a valid and binding
obligation of the Warrant Agent, enforceable against the Warrant
Agent in accordance with its terms. In addition, in providing the
opinions herein, we have relied, with respect to matters related to
the Company’s existence, upon the certificates referenced
above.
akerman.com
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
November
14, 2017
Page
2
Based
upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, exceptions,
qualifications, and limitations stated herein, we are of the
opinion that:
1. When
the Underwriting Agreement, the Right Agreement and the Warrant
Agreement have been duly executed and delivered by the respective
parties thereto and the Units, the Shares, the Rights and the
Warrants have been issued and delivered in accordance with the
Underwriting Agreement against payment in full of the consideration
payable therefor as determined by the Board of Directors of the
Company or a duly authorized committee thereof and as contemplated
by the Underwriting Agreement, the Units and the Shares, Rights and
Warrants included in the Units will be duly authorized, validly
issued, fully paid and non-assessable.
2. When
the Underwriting Agreement, the Right Agreement and the Warrant
Agreement have been duly executed and delivered by the respective
parties thereto and the Rights and the Warrants have been duly
executed by the Company and duly countersigned by the Right Agent
and the Warrant Agent, respectively, in accordance with the terms
of the Right Agreement and the Warrant Agreement and delivered to
and paid for by the Underwriters pursuant to the terms of the
Underwriting Agreement, the Rights and the Warrants will be valid
and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the
Company in accordance with their terms.
The
opinions and other matters in this letter are qualified in their
entirety and subject to the following:
A. We
express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than
(i) the laws of the State of New York, which for the purposes
of this opinion we assume are identical to the State of Delaware,
and (ii) the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
As used herein, the term “General Corporation Law of the
State of Delaware” includes the statutory provisions
contained therein and all applicable provisions of the Delaware
Constitution and reported judicial decisions interpreting these
laws.
B. The
matters expressed in this letter are subject to and qualified and
limited by (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent
transfer and conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar
laws affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally; and
(ii) general principles of equity, including without
limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and
fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific
performance or injunctive relief (regardless of whether considered
in a proceeding in equity or at law).
C. This
opinion letter is limited to the matters expressly stated herein
and no opinion is to be inferred or implied beyond the opinions
expressly set forth herein. We undertake no, and hereby disclaim
any, obligation to make any inquiry after the date hereof or to
advise you of any changes in any matter set forth herein, whether
based on a change in the law, a change in any fact relating to the
Company or any other person or any other circumstance.
We
hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement and to the reference to us under the caption
“Legal Matters” in the prospectus comprising a part of
the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not
thereby admit that we are included within the category of persons
whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Act and the
rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Very
truly yours,
/s/
Akerman LLP
Exhibit 10.1(a)
_________,
2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue
New
York, New York 10017
Re:
Initial Public Offering
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter (this “Letter Agreement”) is being delivered to
you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the
“Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and between
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., as
representative of the several underwriters (the
“Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten initial
public offering (the “Public Offering”), of 5,000,000
of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each
comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock, par
value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one right
(each, a “Right”) and one-half of one warrant (each, a
“Warrant
”). Each Right
entitles the holder thereof to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one
share of Common Stock upon the consummation of a Business
Combination. Each whole Warrant entitles the holder thereof to
purchase one share of the Common Stock at a price
of $11.50
per share, subject to adjustment. The Units shall be sold in the
Public Offering pursuant to the registration statement on Form S-1,
No. 333-220947 and the prospectus (the “Prospectus”)
filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the “Commission”) and the Company has applied to have
the Units listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Certain capitalized
terms used herein are defined in paragraph ten hereof.
In
order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the
Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and
for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, Big Rock Partners
Sponsor, LLC (the “Sponsor”) hereby agrees with the
Company as follows:
1.
The Sponsor agrees
that if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a proposed
Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed
Business Combination, it shall vote all Founder’s Shares and
any shares acquired by it in the Public Offering or the secondary
public market in favor of such proposed Business
Combination.
2.
The Sponsor hereby
agrees that in the event that the Company fails to consummate a
Business Combination within the time period set forth in the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
as the same may be amended from time to time, the Sponsor shall
take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to (i) cease
all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as
promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days
thereafter, redeem 100% of the Common Stock sold as part of the
Units in the Public Offering (the “Offering Shares”),
at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate
amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not
previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income
taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Offering 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 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 other requirements of applicable law. The
Sponsor agrees to not propose any amendment to the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation that would affect
the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem
100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a
Business Combination within the time period set forth in the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
as the same may be amended from time to time, unless the Company
provides its Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem
their shares of Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at
a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on
the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to
the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the
number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
The
Sponsor acknowledges 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 with respect to the Founder’s Shares. The Sponsor
hereby further waives, with respect to any shares of the Common
Stock held by it, him or her, any redemption rights it, he or she
may have in connection with the consummation of a Business
Combination, including, without limitation, any such rights
available in the context of a stockholder vote to approve such
Business Combination or in the context of a tender offer made by
the Company to purchase shares of the Common Stock, although the
Sponsor shall be entitled to redemption and liquidation rights with
respect to any shares of the Common Stock (other than the
Founder’s Shares) it or they hold if the Company fails to
consummate a Business Combination within 24 months from the date of
the closing of the Public Offering.
3.
During the period
commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and
ending 180 days after such date, the undersigned shall not (i)
sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate,
pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or
agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or
increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call
equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and
regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect
to any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities
convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of
Common Stock owned by him, her or it, (ii) enter into any swap or
other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part,
any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares
of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or
exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by
him, her or it, whether any such transaction is to be settled by
delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii)
publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified
in clause (i) or (ii).
4.
In order to
minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from
multiple corporate affiliations, the Sponsor hereby agrees that
until the earliest of the Company’s initial Business
Combination or liquidation, the Sponsor shall present to the
Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other
entity, any target business that has a fair market value of at
least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding
deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income
accrued on the Trust Account), subject to any pre-existing
fiduciary or contractual obligations the Sponsor might
have.
(a)
The Sponsor hereby
agrees not to participate in the formation of, or become an officer
or director of, any other blank check company until the Company has
entered into a definitive agreement with respect to a Business
Combination or the Company has failed to complete a Business
Combination within the required time period set forth in the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
as the same may be amended from time to time.
(b)
The Sponsor hereby
agrees and acknowledges that: (i) each of the Underwriters and the
Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a breach by
the Sponsor of its obligations in this Letter Agreement, (ii)
monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and
(iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive
relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in
law or in equity, in the event of such breach.
5.
(a)
On the date of the Prospectus, the Founder’s Shares, a
portion of which will be subject to forfeiture in the event the
Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option in full,
will be placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New
York by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as
escrow agent.
(b)
The
Sponsor agrees that it shall not effectuate any Transfer of Private
Placement Units or securities underlying such units, until after
the completion of a Business Combination.
(c)
Notwithstanding
the provisions of paragraph 5(b), Transfers of the
Private Placement Units and securities underlying the Private
Placement Units are permitted (a) to the Company’s officers,
directors, consultants or their affiliates; (b) to an
entity’s members; (c) to relatives and trusts for estate
planning purposes; (d) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations
order; (e) by private sales made at or after the consummation of a
Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which
the units were originally purchased; or (f) to the
Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the
consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that in
the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees
must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these
transfer restrictions.
6.
Except as disclosed
in the Prospectus, neither the Sponsor nor any affiliate of the
Sponsor, nor any director or officer of the Company, shall receive
any finder’s fee, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in
respect of any repayment of a loan or other compensation prior to,
or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate
the consummation of the Company’s initial Business
Combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is),
other than the following: repayment of an advance of up to $150,000
made to the Company by the Sponsor, pursuant to a promissory note
dated September 26, 2017; repayment of an advance of $25,000 made
to the Company by Richard Ackerman, pursuant to a promissory note
dated September 26, 2017; payment of an aggregate of $10,000 per
month to the Sponsor for office space, utilities, secretarial
support and administrative services, pursuant to an Administrative
Services Agreement, dated _____, 2017; reimbursement for any
reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying,
investigating and consummating an initial Business Combination, so
long as no proceeds of the Public Offering held in the Trust
Account may be applied to the payment of such expenses prior to the
consummation of a Business Combination; and repayment of
non-interest bearing loans, if any, made by the Sponsor or an
affiliate of the Sponsor or any of the Company’s officers and
directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an
intended initial Business Combination, provided, that, if the
Company does not consummate an initial Business Combination, a
portion of the working capital held outside the Trust Account may
be used by the Company to repay such loaned amounts so long as no
proceeds from the Trust Account are used for such
repayment.
7.
The Sponsor has
full right and power, without violating any agreement to which it
is bound (including, without limitation, any non-competition or
non-solicitation agreement with any employer or former employer),
to enter into this Letter Agreement.
8.
The Sponsor hereby
agrees to not propose, or vote in favor of, an amendment to the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation
prior to the consummation of a Business Combination unless the
Company provides holders of Offering Shares with the opportunity to
have their shares redeemed upon such approval in accordance with
the certificate of incorporation.
9.
As used herein,
(i) “Business Combination” shall mean a merger,
capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination, involving the
Company and one or more businesses or entities;
(ii) “Founder’s Shares” shall mean the
shares of Common Stock of the Company held by the initial
stockholders of the Company prior to the consummation of the Public
Offering; (iii) “Private Placement Units” shall
mean the 225,000 units consists of one share of Common Stock, one
Right and one-half of one Warrant (or up to 243,750 units if the
Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)
that are acquired for an aggregate purchase price of $2,250,000 (or
$2,437,500 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full), in a private placement that shall occur
simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering;
(iv) “Public Stockholders” shall mean the holders
of securities issued in the Public Offering; (v) “Trust
Account” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of
the net proceeds of the Public Offering shall be deposited; and
(vi) “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of,
offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge,
grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or
agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment
or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with
respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the
meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security,
(b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of
ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be
settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or
(c) public announcement of any intention to effect any
transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
10.
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.
11.
No party hereto may
assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights,
interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written
consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation
of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not
operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the
purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the
Sponsor and its successors and assigns.
12.
This Letter
Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving
effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the
application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The
parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or
dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter
Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York
City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such
jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be
exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive
jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an
inconvenient forum.
13.
Any notice, consent
or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or
provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall
be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by
certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or
facsimile transmission.
14.
The Sponsor
acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company
will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set
forth herein in proceeding with the Public Offering. 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.
15.
This Letter
Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the consummation of
the Business Combination or (ii) the liquidation of the Company;
provided, however, that such termination shall not relieve the
undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement prior
to its termination.
[Signature
page follows]
Sincerely,
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
SPONSOR, LLC
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By:
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Name
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Title
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Acknowledged
and Agreed:
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name
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Title
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EARLYBIRDCAPITAL,
INC.
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By:
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Name
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[Signature
Page to Letter Agreement]
Exhibit 10.1b
_________,
2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue
New
York, New York 10017
Re
Initial Public
Offering
Gentlemen:
This
letter (this “Letter Agreement”) is being delivered to
you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the
“Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and between
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., as representative of the several
underwriters (the “Underwriters”), relating to an
underwritten initial public offering (the “Public
Offering”), of 5,000,000 of the Company’s units (the
“Units”), each comprised of one share of the
Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the
“Common Stock”), one right (each, a
“Right”) and one-half of one warrant (each, a
“Warrant”). Each Right entitles the holder thereof to
receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Common Stock upon the
consummation of a Business Combination. Each whole Warrant entitles
the holder thereof to purchase one share of Common Stock at a price
of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Units shall be sold
in the Public Offering pursuant to the registration statement on
Form S-1, No. 333-220947 and the prospectus (the
“Prospectus”) filed by the Company with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the
Company has applied to have the Units listed on the NASDAQ Capital
Market. Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in
paragraph ten hereof.
In
order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the
Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and
for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the undersigned,
hereby agrees with the Company as follows:
1.
The undersigned
agrees that if the Company seeks stockholder approval of a proposed
Business Combination, then in connection with such proposed
Business Combination, the undersigned shall vote all the
Founder’s Shares owned by the undersigned and any shares
acquired by the undersigned in the Public Offering or the secondary
public market in favor of such proposed Business
Combination.
2.
The undersigned
hereby agrees that in the event that the Company fails to
consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth
in the Company’s amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time, the
undersigned shall take all reasonable steps to cause the Company to
(i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii)
as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business
days thereafter, redeem 100% of the Common Stock sold as part of
the Units in the Public Offering (the “Offering
Shares”), at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the
aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including
interest not previously released to the Company to pay its
franchise and income taxes, divided by the number of then
outstanding Offering 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 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 other requirements of
applicable law. The undersigned agrees that the undersigned will
not propose any amendment to the Company’s amended and
restated certificate of incorporation that would affect the
substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem
100% of the Offering Shares if the Company does not complete a
Business Combination within the time period set forth in the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation,
as the same may be amended from time to time, unless the Company
provides its Public Stockholders with the opportunity to redeem
their shares of Common Stock upon approval of any such amendment at
a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount
then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on
the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to
the Company to pay its franchise and income taxes, divided by the
number of then outstanding Offering Shares.
The
undersigned acknowledges that the undersigned 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 with respect to the Founder’s
Shares. The undersigned hereby further waives, with respect to any
shares of the Common Stock held by the undersigned, any redemption
rights the undersigned may have in connection with the consummation
of a Business Combination, including, without limitation, any such
rights available in the context of a stockholder vote to approve
such Business Combination or in the context of a tender offer made
by the Company to purchase shares of the Common Stock (the
undersigned shall be entitled to redemption and liquidation rights
with respect to any shares of the Common Stock (other than the
Founder’s Shares) the undersigned holds if the Company fails
to consummate a Business Combination within 12 months from the date
of the closing of the Public Offering (or up to 18 months if the
Company extends the period of time to consummate a Business
Combination by the full amount of time, as described in the
Prospectus).
3.
During the period
commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and
ending 180 days after such date, the undersigned shall not (i)
sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate,
pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or
agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or
increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call
equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and
regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, with respect
to any Units, shares of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities
convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of
Common Stock owned by the undersigned, (ii) enter into any swap or
other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part,
any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares
of Common Stock, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or
exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Common Stock owned by
the undersigned, whether any such transaction is to be settled by
delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii)
publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified
in clause (i) or (ii). The undersigned further agrees that the
foregoing restrictions shall be equally applicable to any issuer
directed Units that the undersigned may purchase in the Public
Offering.
4.
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 target business that has a fair market value of at
least 80% of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding
deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income
accrued on the Trust Account), subject to any pre-existing
fiduciary or contractual obligations the undersigned might
have.
(a)
The undersigned
hereby agrees not to participate in the formation of, or become an
officer or director of, any other blank check company until the
Company has entered into a definitive agreement with respect to a
Business Combination or the Company has failed to complete a
Business Combination within the required time period set forth in
the Company’s amended and restated certificate of
incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to
time.
(b)
The undersigned
hereby agrees and acknowledges that: (i) each of the Underwriters
and the Company would be irreparably injured in the event of a
breach by the undersigned of his or her obligations in this Letter
Agreement, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for
such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to
injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party
may have in law or in equity, in the event of such
breach.
5.
(a)
On the date of the Prospectus, the Founder’s Shares will be
placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by
Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow
agent.
(b)
The
undersigned agrees that it shall not effectuate any Transfer of
Private Placement Units or Securities underlying such units, until
after the completion of a Business Combination.
(c)
Notwithstanding
the provisions of paragraph 5(b), Transfers of Private
Placement Units are permitted to (a) the Company’s officers,
directors, consultants or their affiliates; (b) to an
entity’s members; (c) to relatives and trusts for estate
planning purposes; (d) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations
order; (e) by private sales made at or after the consummation of a
Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which
the units were originally purchased; or (f) to the
Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the
consummation of a Business Combination; provided, however, that in
the case of clauses (a) through (e) these permitted transferees
must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these
transfer restrictions.
6.
The
undersigned’s biographical information furnished to the
Company that is included in the Prospectus is true and accurate in
all respects and does not omit any material information with
respect to the undersigned’s background. The
undersigned’s questionnaire furnished to the Company is true
and accurate in all respects. The undersigned represents and
warrants that: the undersigned is not subject to or a respondent in
any legal action for, any injunction, cease-and-desist order or
order or stipulation to desist or refrain from any act or practice
relating to the offering of securities in any jurisdiction; the
undersigned has never been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, any
crime (i) involving fraud, (ii) relating to any financial
transaction or handling of funds of another person, or (iii)
pertaining to any dealings in any securities; and the undersigned
is not currently a defendant in any such criminal proceeding; and
the undersigned has never been suspended or expelled from
membership in any securities or commodities exchange or association
or had a securities or commodities license or registration denied,
suspended or revoked.
7.
Except as disclosed
in the Prospectus, neither the undersigned nor any affiliate of the
undersigned, shall receive any finder’s fee, reimbursement,
consulting fee, monies in respect of any repayment of a loan or
other compensation prior to, or in connection with any services
rendered in order to effectuate the consummation of the
Company’s initial Business Combination (regardless of the
type of transaction that it is).
8.
The undersigned has
full right and power, without violating any agreement to which the
undersigned is bound (including, without limitation, any
non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or
former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement and to serve
as an officer of the Company or as a director on the board of
directors of the Company, as applicable, and hereby consents to
being named in the Prospectus as an officer and/or director of the
Company, as applicable. 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.
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 prior to the consummation of a Business Combination
unless the Company provides holders of Offering Shares with the
opportunity to have their shares redeemed upon such approval in
accordance with the certificate of incorporation.
10.
As used herein,
(i) “Business Combination” shall mean a merger,
capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination, involving the
Company and one or more businesses or entities;
(ii) “Founder’s Shares” shall mean the
shares of Common Stock of the Company held by the initial
stockholders of the Company prior to the consummation of the Public
Offering; (iii) “Private Placement Units” shall
mean the 225,000 units consists of one share of Common Stock, one
Right and one-half of one Warrant (or up to 243,750 units if the
Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full)
that are acquired for an aggregate purchase price of $2,250,000 (or
$2,437,500 if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is
exercised in full), in a private placement that shall occur
simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering;
(iv) “Public Stockholders” shall mean the holders
of securities issued in the Public Offering; (v) “Trust
Account” shall mean the trust fund into which a portion of
the net proceeds of the Public Offering shall be deposited; and
(vi) “Transfer” shall mean the (a) sale of,
offer to sell, contract or agreement to sell, hypothecate, pledge,
grant of any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or
agreement to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establishment
or increase of a put equivalent position or liquidation with
respect to or decrease of a call equivalent position within the
meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission
promulgated thereunder with respect to, any security,
(b) entry into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to
another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of
ownership of any security, whether any such transaction is to be
settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or
(c) public announcement of any intention to effect any
transaction specified in clause (a) or (b).
11.
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 the parties hereto.
12.
No party hereto may
assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its rights,
interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written
consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation
of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not
operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the
purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on the
undersigned and each of their respective successors, heirs,
personal representatives and assigns.
13.
This Letter
Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving
effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the
application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The
parties hereto (i) agree that any action, proceeding, claim or
dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter
Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York
City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such
jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be
exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive
jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an
inconvenient forum.
14.
Any notice, consent
or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or
provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in writing and shall
be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by
certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or
facsimile transmission.
15.
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 Public Offering. 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.
16.
This Letter
Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the consummation of
the Business Combination or (ii) the liquidation of the Company;
provided, however, that such termination shall not relieve the
undersigned from liability for any breach of this agreement prior
to its termination.
[Signature
page follows]
Sincerely,
By:____________________
Name:
Acknowledged and
Agreed:
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
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EARLYBIRDCAPITAL,
INC.
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By:
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[Signature
Page to Letter Agreement]
Exhibit 10.1c
_________,
2017
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
366
Madison Avenue
New
York, New York 10017
Re:
Initial Public Offering
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter (this “Letter Agreement”) is being delivered to
you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the
“Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and between
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“Company”), and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., as
representative of the several underwriters (the
“Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten initial
public offering (the “Public Offering”), of 5,000,000
of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each
comprised of one share of the Company’s common stock, par
value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one right
(each, a “Right”), and one-half of one warrant (each, a
“Warrant”). Each Right entitles the holder thereof to
receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Common Stock upon the
consummation of a Business Combination. Each whole Warrant entitles
the holder thereof to purchase one share of the Common Stock at a
price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment. The Units shall
be sold in the Public Offering pursuant to the registration
statement on Form S-1, No. 333-220947 and the prospectus (the
“Prospectus”) filed by the Company with the Securities
and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) and the
Company has applied to have the Units listed on the NASDAQ Capital
Market. Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in
paragraph ten hereof.
In
order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the
Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the Public Offering and
for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and
sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, A/Z Property
Partners, LLC (the “A/Z Property”) hereby agrees with
the Company as follows:
1.
In
the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, A/Z Property
agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any and
all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever
(including, but not limited to, any and all legal or other expenses
reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending
against any litigation, whether pending or threatened, or any claim
whatsoever) to which the Company may become subject as a result of
any claim by (i) any third party for services rendered or products
sold to the Company or (ii) a prospective target business with
which the Company has negotiated with for a proposed Business
Combination (a “Target”); provided, however, that such
indemnification of the Company by A/Z Property shall apply only to
the extent necessary to ensure that such claims by a third party
for services rendered or products sold to the Company or a Target
do not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the
lesser of (i) $10.00 per share of the Offering Shares and (ii) the
actual amount per share of the Offering Shares held in the Trust
Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets as of
the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account, in each case
including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account
and not previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and
income taxes, less franchise and income taxes payable, and,
provided, further, that only if such third party or Target has not
executed an agreement waiving claims against and all rights to seek
access to the Trust Account whether or not such agreement is
enforceable. In the event that any such executed waiver is deemed
to be unenforceable against such third party, A/Z Property shall
not be responsible for any liability as a result of any such third
party claims. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, such
indemnification of the Company by A/Z Property shall not apply 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. A/Z Property shall
have the right to defend against any such claim with counsel of its
choice reasonably satisfactory to the Company if, within 15 days
following written receipt of notice of the claim to A/Z Property,
A/Z Property notifies the Company in writing that it shall
undertake such defense.
2.
A/Z
Property has full right and power, without violating any agreement
to which it is bound (including, without limitation, any
non-competition or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or
former employer), to enter into this Letter Agreement.
3.
As
used herein, “Trust Account” shall mean the trust fund
into which a portion of the net proceeds of the Public Offering
shall be deposited.
4.
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.
5.
No
party hereto may assign either this Letter Agreement or any of its
rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior
written consent of the other party. Any purported assignment in
violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall
not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the
purported assignee. This Letter Agreement shall be binding on A/Z
Property and its successors and assigns.
6.
This
Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in
accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without giving
effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the
application of the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. The
parties hereto (i) all agree that any action, proceeding, claim or
dispute arising out of, or relating in any way to, this Letter
Agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of New York
City, in the State of New York, and irrevocably submits to such
jurisdiction and venue, which jurisdiction and venue shall be
exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive
jurisdiction and venue or that such courts represent an
inconvenient forum.
7.
Any
notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of
the terms or provisions of this Letter Agreement shall be in
writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private
courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by
hand delivery or facsimile transmission.
8.
A/Z
Property acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the
Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and
warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the Public Offering.
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.
9.
This
Letter Agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the
consummation of the Business Combination or (ii) the liquidation of
the Company; provided, however, that such termination shall not
relieve the undersigned from liability for any breach of this
agreement prior to its termination.
[Signature
page follows]
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Sincerely,
A/Z
Property Partners, LLC
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By:
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Acknowledged
and Agreed:
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
By:
________________________
Name:
Title:
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL,
INC.
By:
_______________________
Name:
Title:
[Signature
Page to Letter Agreement]
Exhibit 10.2
FORM OF INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT
This
Investment Management Trust Agreement (this
“Agreement”) is made effective as of _____, 2017 by and
between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation
(the “Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer &
Trust Company, a New York corporation (the
“Trustee”).
WHEREAS,
the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, No.
333-220947 (the “Registration Statement”) and
prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the initial public
offering of the Company’s units (the “Units”),
each of which consists of one share of the Company’s common
stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”),
one right to receive one-tenth of one share of Common Stock upon a
business combination and one-half of one warrant, each whole
warrant entitling the holder thereof to purchase one share of
Common Stock (such initial public offering hereinafter referred to
as the “Offering”), has been declared effective as of
the date hereof by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission;
and
WHEREAS,
the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement (the
“Underwriting Agreement”) with EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
as representative (“EBC” or the
“Representative”) of the several underwriters (the
“Underwriters”) named therein; and
WHEREAS,
as described in the Registration Statement, $50,000,000 of the
gross proceeds of the Offering and sale of the Private Placement
Warrants (as defined in the Underwriting Agreement) (or $57,500,000
if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in
full) will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in
a segregated trust account located at all times in the United
States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the
Company and the holders of the Common Stock included in the Units
issued in the Offering as hereinafter provided (the amount to be
delivered to the Trustee (and any interest subsequently earned
thereon) is referred to herein as the “Property ,” the
stockholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property
will be referred to as the “Public Stockholders,” and
the Public Stockholders and the Company will be referred to
together as the “Beneficiaries”); and
WHEREAS,
the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to
set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee
shall hold the Property.
NOW
THEREFORE, IT IS AGREED:
1.
Agreements and
Covenants of Trustee
. The Trustee hereby agrees and
covenants to:
(a)
Hold the Property
in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this
Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee at
[
●
]
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, having a maturity of 180 days or less, or in money
market funds meeting the conditions of paragraph (d) of Rule 2a-7
promulgated under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,
which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations,
as determined by the Company; the Trustee may not invest in any
other securities or assets, it being understood that the Trust
Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested
awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder and the Trustee
may earn bank credits or other consideration during such
periods;
(d)
Collect and
receive, when due, all interest or other income arising from the
Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as
such term is used herein;
(e)
Promptly notify the
Company of all communications received by the Trustee with respect
to any Property requiring action by the Company;
(f)
Supply any
necessary information or documents as may be requested by the
Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the
Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets
held in the Trust Account;
(g)
Participate in any
plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or
interest arising from the Property if, as and when instructed by
the Company to do so;
(h)
Render to the
Company monthly written statements of the activities of, and
amounts in, the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and
disbursements of the Trust Account;
(i)
Commence
liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after (x)
receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter from
the Company (“Termination Letter”) in a form
substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A
or Exhibit B signed on behalf of the Company by its Chief Executive
Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer, Secretary or Chairman
of the board of directors (the “Board”) or other
authorized officer of the Company, and, in the case of a
Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to that attached
hereto as Exhibit A, acknowledged and agreed to by
EarlyBirdCapital, 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, only as directed in the Termination
Letter and the other documents referred to therein, or (y)
expiration of such time period provided for in the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation, as the same may
be amended from time to time (the “Last Date”), if a
Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee prior to
such date, in which case the Trust Account, including interest not
previously released to the Company to pay its franchise and income
taxes, shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set
forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B and the
Property in the Trust Account shall be distributed to the Public
Stockholders of record as of such date; provided, however, that in
the event the Trustee receives a Termination Letter in a form
substantially similar to Exhibit B hereto, or if the Trustee begins
to liquidate the Property because it has received no such
Termination Letter by the Last Date, the Trustee shall keep the
Trust Account open until twelve (12) months following the date the
Property has been distributed to the Public
Stockholders;
(j)
Upon written
request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a
form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit C (a
“Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction”), withdraw from
the Trust Account and distribute to the Company the amount of
interest earned on the Property requested by the Company to cover
any income or franchise tax obligation owed by the Company as a
result of assets of the Company or interest or other income earned
on the Property, which amount shall be delivered directly to the
Company by electronic funds transfer or other method of prompt
payment, and the Company shall forward such payment to the relevant
taxing authority; provided, however, that to the extent there is
not sufficient cash in the Trust Account to pay such tax
obligation, the Trustee shall liquidate such assets held in the
Trust Account as shall be designated by the Company in writing to
make such distribution; provided, further, that if the tax to be
paid is a franchise tax, the written request by the Company to make
such distribution shall be accompanied by a copy of the franchise
tax bill from the State of Delaware for the Company and a written
statement from the principal financial officer of the Company
setting forth the actual amount payable. The written request of the
Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that
the Company is entitled to said funds, and the Trustee shall have
no responsibility to look beyond said request;
(k)
Upon written
request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a
form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D (a
“Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction”), the
Trustee shall distribute on behalf of the Company the amount
requested by the Company to be used to redeem shares of Common
Stock from Public Stockholders properly submitted in connection
with a stockholder vote to approve an amendment to the
Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation
that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s
obligation to redeem 100% of its public shares of Common Stock if
the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination
within such time as is described in the Company’s amended and
restated certificate of incorporation. The written request of the
Company referenced above shall constitute presumptive evidence that
the Company is entitled to distribute said funds, and the Trustee
shall have no responsibility to look beyond said request;
and
(l)
Not make any
withdrawals or distributions from the Trust Account other than
pursuant to Section 1(i), (j) or (k) above.
2.
Agreements and
Covenants of the Company
. The Company hereby agrees and
covenants to:
(a)
Give all
instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by the
Company’s Chairman of the Board, President, Chief Executive
Officer or Chief Financial Officer. In addition, except with
respect to its duties under Sections 1(i) and 1(j) hereof, the
Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in
relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which
it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by
any one of the persons authorized above to give written
instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such
instructions in writing;
(b)
Subject to Section
4 hereof, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from
and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees
and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection
with any action taken by it hereunder and in connection with any
action, suit or other proceeding brought against the Trustee
involving any claim, or in connection with any claim or demand,
which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the
services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any interest
earned on the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting
from the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful
misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of
demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or
proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek
indemnification under this Section 2(b), it shall notify the
Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the
“Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right
to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim;
provided that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company
with respect to the selection of counsel, 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 such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company
may participate in such action with its own counsel;
(c)
Pay the Trustee the
fees set forth on Schedule A hereto, including an initial
acceptance fee, annual administration fee, and transaction
processing fee which fees shall be subject to modification by the
parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the
Property shall not be used to pay such fees unless and until it is
distributed to the Company pursuant to Sections 1(i) through 1(j)
hereof. The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance
fee and the first monthly fee at the consummation of the Offering.
The Trustee shall refund to the Company the monthly fee (on a pro
rata basis) with respect to any period after the liquidation of the
Trust Account. The Company shall not be responsible for any other
fees or charges of the Trustee except as set forth in this Section
2(c), Schedule A and as may be provided in Section 2(b)
hereof;
(d)
In connection with
any vote of the Company’s stockholders regarding a merger,
capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase,
reorganization or similar business combination involving the
Company and one or more businesses (the “Business
Combination”), provide to the Trustee an affidavit or
certificate of the inspector of elections for the stockholder
meeting verifying the vote of such stockholders regarding such
Business Combination;
(e)
Provide EBC with a
copy of any Termination Letter(s) and/or any other correspondence
that is sent to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal
from the Trust Account promptly after it issues the same;
and
(f)
Instruct the
Trustee to make only those distributions that are permitted under
this Agreement, and refrain from instructing the Trustee to make
any distributions that are not permitted under this
Agreement.
3.
Limitations of Liability
. The Trustee
shall have no responsibility or liability to:
(a)
Imply obligations,
perform duties, inquire or otherwise be subject to the provisions
of any agreement or document other than this Agreement and that
which is expressly set forth herein;
(b)
Take any action
with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Section 1
hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except
for liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence,
fraud or willful misconduct;
(c)
Institute any
proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising
from, or institute, appear in or defend any proceeding of any kind
with respect to, any of the Property unless and until it shall have
received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to
do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds
sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;
(d)
Refund any
depreciation in principal of any Property;
(e)
Assume that the
authority of any person designated by the Company to give
instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided
otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have
delivered a written revocation of such authority to the
Trustee;
(f)
The other parties
hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by it, or
any action suffered by it to be taken or omitted, in good faith and
in the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the
Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The
Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon
any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of
counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee, which counsel may
be the Company’s counsel), statement, instrument, report or
other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the
validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the
truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which
the Trustee believes, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be
genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or
persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or
any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this
Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written
instrument delivered to the Trustee, signed by the proper party or
parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected,
unless it shall give its prior written consent
thereto;
(g)
Verify the accuracy
of the information contained in the Registration
Statement;
(h)
Provide any
assurance that any Business Combination entered into by the Company
or any other action taken by the Company is as contemplated by the
Registration Statement;
(i)
File information
returns with respect to the Trust Account with any local, state or
federal taxing authority or provide periodic written statements to
the Company documenting the taxes payable by the Company, if any,
relating to any interest income earned on the
Property;
(j)
Prepare, execute
and file tax reports, income or other tax returns and pay any taxes
with respect to any income generated by, and activities relating
to, the Trust Account, regardless of whether such tax is payable by
the Trust Account or the Company, including, but not limited to,
franchise and income tax obligations, except pursuant to Section
1(j) hereof; or
(k)
Verify
calculations, qualify or otherwise approve the Company’s
written requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j)
and 1(k) hereof.
4.
Trust Account
Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title,
interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any
monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any
Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have
now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim
against the Company under this Agreement, including, without
limitation, under Section 2(b) or Section 2(c) hereof, the Trustee
shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets
outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any
monies in the Trust Account.
5.
Termination
.
This Agreement shall terminate as follows:
(a)
If the Trustee
gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under
this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to
locate a successor trustee, pending which the Trustee shall
continue to act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time
that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has
been appointed and has agreed to become subject to the terms of
this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the
Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited
to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to
the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate;
provided, however, that in the event that the Company does not
locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of
the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an
application to have the Property deposited with any court in the
State of New York or with the United States District Court for the
Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee
shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or
(b)
At such time that
the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account and
its obligations in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i)
hereof (which section may not be amended under any circumstances)
and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of
the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with
respect to Section 2(b).
6.
Miscellaneous
.
(a)
The Company and the
Trustee each acknowledge that the Trustee will follow the security
procedures set forth below with respect to funds transferred from
the Trust Account. The Company and the Trustee will each restrict
access to confidential information relating to such security
procedures to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other
party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons
may have obtained access to such confidential information, or of
any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds
transfers, the Trustee shall rely upon all information supplied to
it by the Company, including, account names, account numbers, and
all other identifying information relating to a beneficiary,
beneficiary’s bank or intermediary bank. Except for any
liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence,
fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for
any loss, liability or expense resulting from any error in the
information or transmission of the funds.
(b)
This Agreement
shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with
the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to
conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of
the substantive laws of another jurisdiction. This Agreement may be
executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of
which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute
but one instrument.
(c)
This Agreement
contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties
hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for
Sections 1(i) and 1(k) hereof (which sections may not be modified,
amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of a majority of
the then outstanding shares of Common Stock; provided that no such
amendment will affect any Public Stockholder who has otherwise
indicated his election to redeem his shares of Common Stock in
connection with a stockholder vote sought to amend this Agreement),
this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended
or modified (other than to correct a typographical error) by a
writing signed by each of the parties hereto.
(d)
The parties hereto
consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court
located in the City of New York, State of New York, for purposes of
resolving any disputes hereunder. AS TO ANY CLAIM, CROSS-CLAIM OR
COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY
WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY.
(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 or by facsimile
transmission:
if to
the Trustee, to:
Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Steven G. Nelson or Sharmin Carter
Fax
No.: (212) 509-5150
if to
the Company, to:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
Attn:
Richard Ackerman
Fax
No.:
[
●
]
in each
case, with copies to:
Akerman
LLP
Three
Brickell City Centre
98
Southeast 7
th
Street,
Suite
1100
Miami,
FL 33131
Attn:
Michael Francis, Esq.
Fax
No.: (305) 374-5095
and
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
One
Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 4C18
Melville, New York
11747
Attn.:
Eileen Moore
Fax
No.: []
and
Graubard
Miller
The
Chrysler Building
405
Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor
New
York, New York 10174
Attn:
David Alan Miller, Esq.
Fax
No.: (212) 818-8881
(f)
Each of the Company
and the Trustee hereby represents that it has the full right and
power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and
to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder.
The Trustee acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any
claims or proceed against the Trust Account, including by way of
set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust
Account under any circumstance.
(g)
Each of the Company
and the Trustee hereby acknowledges and agrees that EBC on behalf
of the Underwriters, is a third party beneficiary of this
Agreement.
(h)
Except as specified
herein, no party to this Agreement may assign its rights or
delegate its obligations hereunder to any other person or
entity.
[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:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
By:
_________________________________________________
Name:
Richard Ackerman
Title:
Chief Executive Officer
[Signature Page to
Investment Management Trust Agreement]
SCHEDULE A
Fee
Item
|
|
Time
and method of payment
|
|
Amount
|
Initial
set-up fee.
|
|
Initial
closing of Offering by wire transfer.
|
|
|
$2,000.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Trustee
administration fee
|
|
Payable
annually. First year fee payable, at initial closing of Offering by
wire transfer, thereafter by wire transfer or check.
|
|
$
|
10,000.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Transaction
processing fee for disbursements to Company under Sections 1(i) ,
1(j) and 1(k)
|
|
Deduction
by Trustee from accumulated income following disbursement made to
Company under Section 1
|
|
$
|
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
One
State Street, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Steven G. Nelson or Sharmin Carter
Re: Trust
Account No.
Termination Letter
Sir or
Madam:
Pursuant
to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement
between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _____, 2017 (the
“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the
Company has entered into an agreement with ___________ (the
“Target Business”) to consummate a business combination
with Target Business (the “Business Combination”) on or
about ____________. The Company shall notify you at least
forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the actual date of the
consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation
Date”). Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall
have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.
In
accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby
authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the
Trust Account on ___________, and to transfer the proceeds into the
trust checking 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 checking account at
[
●
]
awaiting distribution, the Company
will not earn any interest or dividends.
On the
Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you
written notification that the Business Combination has been
consummated, or will be consummated concurrently with your transfer
of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the “
Notification ” ); (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a)
[an affidavit] [a certificate] of the Chief Executive Officer,
which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a
vote of the Company’s stockholders, if a vote is held and (b)
joint written instruction signed by the Company and
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. with respect to the transfer of the funds
held in the Trust Account (the “Instruction Letter”).
You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held
in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the
Notification and the Instruction Letter in accordance with the
terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits
held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation
Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the
same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds
should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the
Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the
funds, net of any payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed
expenses related to liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations
under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.
In the
event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the
Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not
notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new
Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the Trustee of written
instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account
shall be reinvested as provided in Section 1(c) of the Trust
Agreement on the business day immediately following the
Consummation Date as set forth in the notice as soon thereafter as
possible.
Very
truly yours,
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
By:
_________________________________________________
Name:
Title:
AGREED
TO AND
ACKNOWLEDGED
BY
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL,
INC.
By:
_________________________________________________
EXHIBIT B
[Letterhead
of Company]
[Insert
date]
Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Steven G. Nelson or Sharmin Carter
Re: Trust
Account No.
Termination Letter
Sir or
Madam:
Pursuant
to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement
between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _____, 2017 (the
“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the
Company has been unable to effect a business combination with a
Target Business (the “Business Combination”) within the
time frame specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated
Certificate of Incorporation, as described in the Company’s
Prospectus relating to the Offering. Capitalized terms used but not
defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust
Agreement.
In
accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby
authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account
on ____________, 20___ and to transfer the total proceeds into the
trust checking account at
[
●
]
to await distribution to the Public
Stockholders. The Company has selected [_________]
1
as the record date for the purpose of
determining the Public Stockholders entitled to receive their share
of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of
record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to
distribute said funds directly to the Company’s Public
Stockholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement
and the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the
Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds, net of any
payments necessary for reasonable unreimbursed expenses related to
liquidating the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust
Agreement shall be terminated, except to the extent otherwise
provided in Section 1(j) of the Trust Agreement.
Very
truly yours,
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
By:
_________________________________________________
Name:
Title:
cc:
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
EXHIBIT C
[Letterhead
of Company]
[Insert
date]
Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Accounting Department: Sharmin Carter and Celeste
Gonzalez
Re: Trust
Account No.
Tax Payment Withdrawal Instruction
Ladies:
Pursuant
to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement
between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _____, 2017 (the
“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that
you deliver to the Company $_______ of the interest income earned
on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but
not defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust
Agreement.
The
Company needs such funds to pay for the tax obligations as set
forth on the attached tax return or tax statement. In accordance
with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and
authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon
your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating
account at:
[WIRE
INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]
Very
truly yours,
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
By:
_________________________________________________
Name:
Title:
cc:
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
EXHIBIT D
[Letterhead
of Company]
[Insert
date]
Continental
Stock Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Steven G. Nelson or Sharmin Carter
Re: Trust
Account No.
Stockholder Redemption Withdrawal Instruction
Sir or
Madam:
Pursuant
to Section 1(k) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement
between Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (the “Trustee”), dated as of _____, 2017 (the
“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that
you deliver to the redeeming Public Stockholders of the Company
$_______ of the principal and interest income earned on the
Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized terms used but not
defined herein shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust
Agreement.
The
Company needs such funds to pay its Public Stockholders who have
properly elected to have their shares of Common Stock redeemed by
the Company in connection with a stockholder vote to approve an
amendment to the Company’s amended and restated certificate
of incorporation that affects the substance or timing of the
Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of its public shares of
Common Stock if the Company has not consummated an initial Business
Combination within such time as is described in the Company’s
amended and restated certificate of incorporation. As such, you are
hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such
funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the redeeming
Public Stockholders in accordance with your customary
procedures.
Very
truly yours,
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
By:
_________________________________________________
Name:
Title:
cc:
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
Exhibit 10.3
FORM OF STOCK ESCROW AGREEMENT
STOCK
ESCROW AGREEMENT, dated as of ______, 2017 (the
“Agreement”) by and among Big Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), Big Rock
Partners Sponsor LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the
“Sponsor”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust
Company (the “Escrow Agent”).
WHEREAS,
the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement, dated
______, 2017 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), with
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the “Representative”), acting
as representative of the several underwriters (collectively, the
“Underwriters”), pursuant to which, among other
matters, the Underwriters have agreed to purchase in a public
offering (the “IPO”) 5,000,000 units (plus up to
750,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any) (the
“Units”) of the Company’s securities, each Unit
consisting of one share of the Company’s common stock, par
value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), one right
to receive one-tenth (1/10) of one share of Common Stock upon the
consummation of an initial business combination, and one-half of
one warrant (a “Warrant”), each whole Warrant entitling
the holder to purchase one share of Common Stock, all as more fully
described in the Company’s Prospectus dated ______, 2017
(“Prospectus”), comprising part of the Company’s
Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-220947) under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Registration
Statement”), declared effective on ______, 2017 (the
“Effective Date”);
WHEREAS,
the Sponsor has agreed, as a condition to the Underwriters’
obligation to purchase the Units pursuant to the Underwriting
Agreement and to offer them to the public, to deposit all of the
number of shares of Common Stock as set forth opposite
Sponsor’s name on Exhibit A attached hereto, in the aggregate
1,437,500 shares, which includes all shares of Common Stock
outstanding prior to the date of the closing of the IPO (the
“Closing Date”), up to 187,500 shares of which will be
forfeited if the Underwriters’ over-allotment option is not
exercised in full (the “Founder Shares” or
“Escrow Shares”), in escrow with the Escrow Agent as
hereinafter provided; and
WHEREAS,
the Company and the Sponsor desire that the Escrow Agent accept the
Escrow Shares, in escrow, to be held and disbursed as hereinafter
provided.
IT IS
AGREED:
1.
Appointment of
Escrow Agent
. The Company and the Sponsor hereby appoint the
Escrow Agent to act in accordance with and subject to the terms of
this Agreement, and the Escrow Agent hereby accepts such
appointment and agrees to act in accordance with and subject to
such terms.
2.
Deposit of Escrow
Shares
. On or before the Closing Date, the Sponsor shall
deliver to the Escrow Agent certificates representing their
respective Escrow Shares, in proper transfer order with Medallion
guaranteed stock powers, to be held and disbursed subject to the
terms and conditions of this Agreement. The Sponsor acknowledges
and agrees that the certificates representing the Escrow Shares
will bear a legend to reflect the deposit of such Escrow Shares
under this Agreement.
3.
Disbursement of the
Escrow Shares
. The Escrow Agent shall hold the Escrow Shares
until the termination of the Escrow Period (as defined below). In
the case of the Escrow Shares, the “Escrow Period”
shall be the period beginning on the date the certificates
representing the Escrow Shares are deposited with the Escrow Agent
and ending on the earliest of (x) the first anniversary of the
completion of the Company’s initial business combination (as
such term is defined in the Registration Statement), (y) such time
subsequent to the Company’s initial business combination as
the last sales price of the Company’s Common Stock equals or
exceeds $12.50 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, and (z) the date
on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, stock
exchange or other similar transaction after the Company’s
initial business combination 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.
On the
termination date of the Escrow Period, the Escrow Agent shall, upon
written instructions from the Company, disburse the Escrow Shares
to the Sponsor; provided, however, that if the Escrow Agent is
notified by the Company, with written notice to the Sponsor,
pursuant to Section 6.6 hereof that up to an aggregate of 187,500
of the Escrow Shares have been forfeited because the Underwriters
did not exercise their over-allotment option in full then the
Escrow Agent shall promptly destroy the certificates representing
such Escrow Shares (or portion thereof, as applicable). In
addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
herein, the Escrow Agent shall disburse the Escrow Shares to the
Sponsor upon being notified by the Company that the trust account
into which substantially all of the proceeds of the IPO has been
deposited as described in the Prospectus (the “Trust
Account”) is being liquidated because the Company has been
unable to consummate its initial business combination within the
required time frame. The Escrow Agent shall have no further duties
hereunder after the disbursement or destruction of the Escrow
Shares in accordance with this Section 3.
4.
Rights of Sponsor
in Escrow Shares
.
4.1
Voting Rights as a
Stockholder
. Subject to the terms of the Insider Letter
described in Section 4.4 hereof and except as herein provided, the
Sponsor shall retain all of its rights as a stockholder of the
Company during the Escrow Period, including, without limitation,
the right to vote the Escrow Shares.
4.2
Dividends and Other
Distributions in Respect of the Escrow Shares
. During the
Escrow Period, all dividends payable in cash with respect to the
Escrow Shares shall be paid to the Sponsor, but all dividends
payable in stock or other non-cash property with respect to all of
the Escrow Shares (“Non-Cash Dividends”) shall be
delivered to the Escrow Agent to hold in accordance with the terms
hereof. As used herein, the term “Escrow Shares” shall
be deemed to include the Non-Cash Dividends distributed thereon, if
any.
4.3
Restrictions on
Transfer
. During the applicable Escrow Period, no sale,
transfer or other disposition may be made of any or all of the
Escrow Shares except (i) to the Sponsor's or the
Company’s officers, directors, employees, consultants or
their affiliates, (ii) to a Sponsor’s officers, directors,
employees or members; (iii) to relatives and trusts of the Sponsor
for estate planning purposes; (iv) pursuant to a qualified domestic
relations order; (v) by private sales made at or prior to the
consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than
the price at which the shares were originally purchased; or (vi) to
the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the
consummation of a business combination; provided, however, that in
the case of clauses (i) through (vi), except with the
Company’s prior written consent, these permitted transferees
must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these
transfer restrictions. Even if transferred in accordance with this
Section 4.3, the Escrow Shares will remain subject to this
Agreement and may be released from escrow only in accordance with
Section 3 hereof. During the applicable Escrow Period, the Sponsor
shall not pledge or grant a security interest in the Escrow Shares
or grant a security interest in its rights under this Agreement.
The Escrow Shares shall bear the legend provided on Exhibit B
attached hereto.
4.4
Insider
Letter
. Sponsor has executed a letter agreement with the
Representative and the Company, dated as of the Effective Date, and
which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the
“Insider Letter”), which contains certain rights and
obligations of the Sponsor with respect to the Company, including,
but not limited to, certain voting obligations in respect of the
Escrow Shares.
5.
Concerning the
Escrow Agent
.
5.1
Good Faith
Reliance
. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any
action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in the exercise of
its own best judgment, and 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
Escrow Agent, which counsel may be company counsel), statement,
instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its
due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions,
but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information
therein contained) which is believed by the Escrow Agent to be
genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or
persons. The Escrow Agent shall not be bound by any notice or
demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of
this Agreement unless evidenced by a writing delivered to the
Escrow Agent signed by the proper party or parties and, if the
duties or rights of the Escrow Agent are affected, unless it shall
have given its prior written consent thereto.
5.2
Indemnification
.
The Escrow Agent shall be indemnified and held harmless by the
Company from and against any expenses, including reasonable counsel
fees and disbursements, or loss suffered by the Escrow Agent in
connection with any action taken by it hereunder, action, suit or
other proceeding involving any claim which in any way, directly or
indirectly, arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the
services of the Escrow Agent hereunder, or the Escrow Shares held
by it hereunder, other than expenses or losses arising from the
gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith of the Escrow
Agent. Promptly after the receipt by the Escrow Agent of notice of
any demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or
proceeding, the Escrow Agent shall notify the other parties hereto
in writing. In the event of the receipt of such notice, the Escrow
Agent, in its sole discretion, may commence an action in the nature
of interpleader in an appropriate court to determine ownership or
disposition of the Escrow Shares or it may deposit the Escrow
Shares with the clerk of any appropriate court or it may retain the
Escrow Shares pending receipt of a final, non-appealable order of a
court having jurisdiction over all of the parties hereto directing
to whom and under what circumstances the Escrow Shares are to be
disbursed and delivered. The provisions of this Section 5.2 shall
survive in the event the Escrow Agent resigns or is discharged
pursuant to Sections 5.5 or 5.6 below.
5.3
Compensation
.
The Escrow Agent shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from
the Company for all services rendered by it hereunder, as set forth
on Exhibit C hereto. The Escrow Agent shall also be entitled to
reimbursement from the Company for all reasonable expenses paid or
incurred by it in the administration of its duties hereunder
including, but not limited to, all counsel, advisors’ and
agents’ fees and disbursements and all taxes or other
governmental charges.
5.4
Further
Assurances
. From time to time on and after the date hereof,
the Company and the Sponsor shall deliver or cause to be delivered
to the Escrow Agent such further documents and instruments and
shall do or cause to be done such further acts as the Escrow Agent
shall reasonably request to carry out more effectively the
provisions and purposes of this Agreement, to evidence compliance
herewith or to assure itself that it is protected in acting
hereunder.
5.5
Resignation
.
The Escrow Agent may resign at any time and be discharged from its
duties as escrow agent hereunder by its giving the other parties
hereto written notice and such resignation shall become effective
as hereinafter provided. Such resignation shall become effective at
such time that the Escrow Agent shall turn over to a successor
escrow agent appointed by the Company and approved by the
Representative, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld,
conditioned or delayed, the Escrow Shares held hereunder. If no new
escrow agent is so appointed within the 60 day period following the
giving of such notice of resignation, the Escrow Agent may deposit
the Escrow Shares with any court it reasonably deems appropriate in
the State of New York.
5.6
Discharge of Escrow
Agent
. The Escrow Agent shall resign and be discharged from
its duties as escrow agent hereunder if so requested in writing at
any time by all of the other parties hereto, jointly, provided,
however, that such resignation shall become effective only upon
acceptance of appointment by a successor escrow agent as provided
in Section 5.5.
5.7
Liability
.
Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Escrow Agent
shall not be relieved from liability hereunder for its own gross
negligence, fraud or willful misconduct.
6.
Miscellaneous
.
6.1
Governing
Law
. This Agreement shall for all purposes be deemed to be
made under and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of
the State of New York without reference to its principles of
conflicts of law which would require the application of the laws of
another jurisdiction. Each of the parties 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 personal jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive.
Each of the parties hereby waives any objection to such exclusive
jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient
forum.
6.2
Entire
Agreement
. This Agreement and the Insider Letters contain
the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the
subject matter hereof and, except as expressly provided herein, may
not be changed or modified except by an instrument in writing
signed by the party to be charged. In connection with any proposed
amendment, the Escrow Agent may request an opinion of the
Company’s counsel as to the validity of the proposed
amendment as a condition to its execution of said
amendment.
6.3
Headings
.
The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes
only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation
thereof.
6.4
Binding
Effect
. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to
the benefit of the respective parties hereto and their legal
representative, successors and assigns.
6.5
Notices
. Any
notice or other communication required or which may be given
hereunder shall be in writing and either be delivered personally or
by private national courier service, or be mailed, certified or
registered mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, and
shall be deemed given when so delivered personally or by private
national courier service, or, if mailed, four business days after
the date of mailing, in the case of the Sponsor to the address
listed on Exhibit A attached hereto, and to the other parties, as
follows:
if to
the Escrow Agent, to:
Continental Stock
Transfer & Trust Company
One
State Street Plaza, 30th Floor
New
York, New York 10004
Attn:
Steven G. Nelson or Sharmin Carter
Fax
No.: (212) 509-5150
if to
the Company, to:
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, FL 33483
Attn:
Richard Ackerman
and a
copy, which shall not constitute notice, to:
Akerman
LLP
Three
Brickell City Centre
98
Southeast 7
th
Street,
Suite
1100
Miami,
FL 33131
Attn:
Michael Francis, Esq.
Fax
No.: (305) 374-5095
if to
the Sponsor, to the address set forth in Exhibit A
hereto.
A copy
of any notice sent hereunder shall be sent to:
EarlyBirdCapital,
Inc.
One
Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 4C18
Melville, New York
11747
Attn:
Eileen Moore
Fax
No.: []
with a
copy, to:
Graubard
Miller
The
Chrysler Building
405
Lexington Avenue, 11th Floor
New
York, New York 10174
Attn:
David Alan Miller, Esq.
Fax
No.: (212) 818-8881
The
parties may change the persons and addresses to which the notices
or other communications are to be sent by giving written notice to
any such change in the manner provided herein for giving
notice.
6.6
Liquidation of
Company; Forfeiture
. The Company shall give the Escrow Agent
prompt written notification of (i) the liquidation of the Trust
Account or (ii) forfeiture of up to an aggregate of 187,500 Escrow
Shares held by the Sponsor to the extent the Underwriters’
over-allotment option is not exercised in full, as further
described in the Registration Statement.
6.7
Trust Account
Waiver
. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the
Escrow Agent hereby waives any and all right, title, interest,
demand, damages, action, causes of action or claim of any kind
whatsoever, known or unknown, foreseen or unforeseen, in law or
equity (a “Claim”) that it has or may have against the
Company or in or to any distribution of the Trust Account, and
hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or
satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason
whatsoever.
6.8
Third-Party
Beneficiaries
. Sponsor hereby acknowledges that the
Underwriters, including, without limitation, the Representative,
are third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement
cannot be modified or changed without the prior written consent of
the Representative.
6.9
Counterpart
s.
This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts each one of
which shall constitute an original and may be delivered by
facsimile transmission and together shall constitute one
instrument.
[Remainder
of page intentionally left blank]
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused the execution of this
Agreement as of the date first above written.
|
BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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By:
|
|
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|
|
Name
|
|
|
|
Title
|
|
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CONTINENTAL STOCK
TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY
|
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By:
|
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Name
|
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Title
|
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BIG ROCK PARTNER
SPONSOR, LLC
|
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By:
|
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Name
|
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Title
|
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[Signature Page to
Securities Escrow Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
Name
|
|
Founder
Shares
|
|
|
|
Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC.2645 N. Federal HighwaySuite 230Delray
Beach, FL 33483Attn: Richard Ackerman
|
|
1,437,500
(up to 187,500 of which will be forfeited if the
Underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in
full)
|
|
|
|
EXHIBIT B
LEGEND
The
following legend shall be included on the certificates representing
the Founder Shares:
“THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS
AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED,
SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT
TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH ACT OR SUCH LAWS
OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS
WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL, IS AVAILABLE.
THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS
OF A STOCK ESCROW AGREEMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD,
TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE
ESCROW AGREEMENT.”
EXHIBIT C
ESCROW
AGENT FEES
$200
escrow agent fee per month to be billed on the Closing
Date.
Exhibit 10.4
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”)
is entered into as of the [___] day of [________], 2017, by
and between Big Rock Partners 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 currently hold all of the issued and
outstanding securities of the Company;
WHEREAS, the Investors and the Company desire to enter into this
Agreement to provide the Investors with certain rights relating to
the registration of shares of Common Stock, Founders’ Units
(defined below) and Working Capital Units (defined below) held by
them;
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, stock 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 common stock, par value
$0.001 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.
“ Founders’ Units ” means the units being
purchased privately by the Investors simultaneously with the
consummation of the Company’s initial public offering
(including to a certain extent in connection with the consummation
of the underwriters’ over-allotment option related
thereto).
“ 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.
“ 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) all of the shares
of Common Stock beneficially owned or held by Investors prior to
the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering,
(ii) all of the Founders’ Units (and underlying securities),
and (iii) all of the Working Capital Units (and underlying
securities). Registrable Securities include any warrants, shares of
capital stock or other securities of the Company issued as a
dividend or other distribution with respect to or in exchange for
or in replacement of such shares of Common Stock, Founders’
Units (and underlying securities) and Working Capital Units (and
underlying 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) such securities are
freely saleable under Rule 144 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 Common Stock (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).
“ Release Date ” means the date on which shares of
Common Stock are disbursed from escrow pursuant to Section 3 of
that certain Stock Escrow Agreement dated as of [________], 2017 by
and among the parties hereto and Continental Stock Transfer &
Trust Company.
“ Rule 144 ” means Rule 144 promulgated under the
Securities Act.
“ 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.
“ Working Capital Units ” means the units held by
Investors or 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 (i) the date that the Company consummates a
Business Combination with respect to the Founders’ Units (or
underlying securities) and Working Capital Units (or underlying
securities) or (ii) three months prior to the Release Date with
respect to all other Registrable Securities, the holders of a
majority-in-interest of such Founders’ Units (or underlying
securities), Working Capital Units (or underlying securities) or
other Registrable Securities, as the case may be, held by the
Investors, officers or directors of the Company or their
affiliates, or the transferees of the Investors, may make a written
demand for registration under the Securities Act of all or part of
their Founders’ Units (or underlying securities), Working
Capital Units (or underlying securities) or other Registrable
Securities, as the case may be (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
affirmatively elect to continue the offering and notify the Company
in writing, but in no event later than five (5) days of such
election; 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 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) 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
Demanding Holder has requested be included in such registration,
regardless of the number of shares held by each such Demanding
Holder (such proportion is referred to herein as “ Pro Rata
”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of
Shares; (ii) to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has
not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the Registrable
Securities of holders exercising their rights to register their
Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2.2; (iii) to the extent
that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the
foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), 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; (iv) 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 registrable pursuant to the terms of the Unit
Purchase Option issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. or its designees
in connection with the Company’s initial public offering (the
“ Unit Purchase Option ” and such registrable
securities, the “ Option Securities ”) as to which
“piggy-back” registration has been requested by the
holders thereof, Pro Rata, that can be sold without exceeding the
Maximum Number of Shares and (v) to the extent that the Maximum
Number of Shares have not been reached under the foregoing clauses
(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv), 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 this 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
stockholders of the Company for their account (or by the Company
and by stockholders 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 stockholders, (iii) for an offering
of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company
or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall
(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 and Option 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 holders of Option Securities, (A) 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) 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 that the Company desires
to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of
Shares; (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 comprised of Registrable
Securities, Pro Rata, as to which registration has been requested
pursuant to the terms hereof that can be sold without exceeding the
Maximum Number of Shares; and (D) 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.
c) If the registration is a “demand” registration
undertaken at the demand of persons or entities other than the
holders of Registrable Securities or Option Securities, (A) 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) 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 that the Company desires
to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of
Shares; (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 comprised of Registrable
Securities and Option Securities, Pro Rata, as to which
registration has been requested pursuant to the terms hereof and
the Unit Purchase Option, as applicable, that can be sold without
exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (D) 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 the 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.
2.3 Registrations on Form S-3. The holders of Registrable
Securities may at any time and from time to time, request in
writing that the Company 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 if: (i)
Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) 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 and remain 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
Chairman of the Board of Directors or President 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 stockholders 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 (which period shall not exceed the sum of one hundred
eighty (180) days plus any period during which any such disposition
is interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the
Commission or any governmental agency or court) 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 reasonably
object.
3.1.5. 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 or securities exchanges, including the
Nasdaq Capital Market, 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 as reasonably requested by the Underwriters and, 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 stockholders, as soon as
reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering a period of
twelve (12) months, beginning within three (3) months after the
effective date of the registration statement, 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.
3.2 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 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 Class A 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 stockholders 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 Requirements for Participation in Underwritten Offerings
and Limitations on Registration Rights. No person may participate
in any underwritten offering for equity securities of the Company
pursuant to a registration initiated by the Company hereunder
unless such person (i) agrees to sell such person’s
securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements
approved by the Company and (ii) completes and executes all
customary questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, lock-up
agreements, underwriting agreements and other customary documents
as may be reasonably required under the terms of such underwriting
arrangements. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i)
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. may not exercise its rights under Sections
2.1 and 2.2 hereunder after five (5) and seven (7) years after the
effective date of the registration statement relating to the
Company’s initial public offering, respectively, and (ii)
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. may not exercise its rights under Section
2.1 more than one time.
3.6 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 3.6.
“ Adverse Disclosure ” shall mean any public disclosure
of material non-public information, which disclosure, in the good
faith judgment of the principal 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.
3.7 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 shares of the 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. Each selling
holder of Registrable Securities shall indemnify any Underwriter of
the Registrable Securities, their officers, affiliates, directors,
partners, members and agents and each person who controls such
Underwriter to the same extent as provided in the foregoing with
respect to indemnification of the Company.
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 opinion 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. 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) shall be entitled to contribution 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 a holder of the Registrable
Securities and the representative of the underwriters of the
Company’s initial public offering, 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.
This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the
holders of Registrable Securities hereunder may be freely assigned
or delegated by such holder of Registrable Securities in
conjunction with and to the extent of any transfer of Registrable
Securities by any such holder. This Agreement and the provisions
hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each
of the parties and 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. No assignment by any party hereto of such
party’s rights, duties and obligations hereunder shall be
binding upon or obligate the Company unless and until the Company
shall have received (i) written notice of such assignment and (ii)
the written agreement of the assignee, in a form reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, to be bound by the terms and
provisions of this Agreement (which may be accomplished by an
addendum or certificate of joinder to this Agreement).
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:
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.,
c/o Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, FL 33483
(310) 734 2300
Attn: Chief Executive Officer
with a copy to:
Akerman LLP
Three Brickell City Centre
98 Southeast Seventh Street
Suite 1100
Miami, Florida 33131
Attn: Michael Francis, Esq.
To and 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.
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. Upon the written consent of
the Company and the holders of at least sixty-six and two-thirds
percent (66-2/3%) of the Registrable Securities at the time in
question, compliance with any of the provisions, covenants and
conditions set forth in this Agreement may be waived, or any of
such provisions, covenants or conditions may be amended or
modified; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing,
any amendment hereto or waiver hereof that adversely affects one
holder of Registrable Securities, solely in its capacity as a
holder of the shares of Common Stock of the Company, in a manner
that is materially different from the other holders of Registrable
Securities (in such capacity) shall require the consent of the
holder so affected. No course of dealing between any holders of
Registrable Securities or the Company and any other party hereto or
any failure or delay on the part of a holder of Registrable
Securities or the Company in exercising any rights or remedies
under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver of any rights or
remedies of any holder of Registrable Securities or the Company. No
single or partial exercise of any rights or remedies under this
Agreement by a party shall operate as a waiver or preclude the
exercise of any other rights or remedies hereunder or thereunder by
such party.
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 Investors 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.
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 Investors 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.
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COMPANY:
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name: Richard Ackeramn
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Title: Chief Executive Officer
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INVESTORS:
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS SPONSOR, LLC
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
EXHIBIT A
Name
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Address
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Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
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2645 N. Federal Highway, Suite 230, Delray Beach, FL
33483
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Exhibit 10.5
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
_____, 2017
Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC.
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
Re: Administrative Services Agreement
Gentlemen:
This letter agreement by and between Big Rock Partners Acquisition
Corp. (the “Company” or “our”) and our
sponsor, Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC (the
“Affiliate”), dated as of the date hereof, will confirm
our agreement that, commencing on the effective (the
“Effective Date”) of the Registration Statement on Form
S-1 and prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the “Registration Statement”) and
continuing until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of
an initial business combination or the Company’s liquidation
(in each case as described in the Registration Statement) (such
earlier date hereinafter referred to as the “Termination
Date”):
(i) the Affiliate shall make available to the Company, at 2645 N.
Federal Highway, Suite 230, Delray Beach, Florida 33483 (or any
successor location), certain office space, utilities, secretarial
support and administrative services as may be reasonably required
by the Company. In exchange therefor, the Company shall pay the
Affiliate the sum of $10,000 per month on the Effective Date and
continuing monthly thereafter until the Termination Date;
and
(ii) the Affiliate hereby irrevocably waives any and all right,
title, interest, causes of action and claims of any kind (each, a
“Claim”) in or to, and any and all right to seek
payment of any amounts due to it out of, the trust account
established for the benefit of the public stockholders of the
Company and into which substantially all of the proceeds of the
Company’s initial public offering will be deposited (the
“Trust Account”), and hereby irrevocably waives any
Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of,
this letter agreement, which Claim would reduce, encumber or
otherwise adversely affect the Trust Account or any monies or other
assets in the Trust Account, and further agrees not to seek
recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction of any Claim
against the Trust Account or any monies or other assets in the
Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.
This letter agreement constitutes the entire agreement and
understanding of the parties hereto in respect of its subject
matter and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or
representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to
the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or
the transactions contemplated hereby.
This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to
any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed
by the parties hereto.
No party hereto may assign either this letter agreement or any of
its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior
written approval of the other party. Any purported assignment in
violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall
not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the
purported assignee.
This letter agreement, the entire relationship of the parties
hereto, and any litigation between the parties (whether grounded in
contract, tort, statute, law or equity) shall be governed by,
construed in accordance with, and interpreted pursuant to the laws
of the State of New York, without giving effect to its choice of
laws principles.
[Signature page follows]
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Very truly yours,
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Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY:
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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[Signature Page to Administrative Services Agreement]
Exhibit 10.6
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, Florida 33483
September
26, 2017
Big
Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N.
Federal Highway
Suite
230
Delray
Beach, Florida 33483
RE:
Securities Subscription Agreement
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
securities subscription agreement (the “
Agreement
”) is entered into on
September 26, 2017 by and between Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company (the “
Subscriber
” or “
you
”), and Big Rock
Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “
Company
”, “
we
” or “
us
”). Pursuant to the
terms hereof, the Company hereby accepts the offer the Subscriber
has made to purchase 1,437,500 shares of the Company’s common
stock, $0.001 par value per share (the “
Shares
”), up to 187,500 of which
Shares are subject to complete or partial forfeiture (the “
forfeiture
”) if the
underwriters of the proposed initial public offering (“
IPO
”) of units of the
Company do not fully exercise their over-allotment option (the
“
Over-allotment
Option
”). The Company and the Subscriber’s
agreements regarding such Shares are as follows:
1.
Purchase of
Securities
.
1.1.
Purchase
of Shares
. For the sum of $25,000 (the “
Purchase Price
”), which the
Company acknowledges receiving in cash from or on behalf of the
Subscriber, the Company hereby issues the Shares to the Subscriber,
and the Subscriber hereby purchases the Shares from the Company,
subject to forfeiture by the Subscriber, on the terms and subject
to the conditions set forth in this Agreement.
2.
Representations, Warranties and
Agreements
.
2.1.
Subscriber’s
Representations, Warranties and Agreements
. To induce the
Company to issue the Shares to the Subscriber, the Subscriber
hereby represents and warrants to the Company and agrees with the
Company as follows:
2.1.1.
No
Government Recommendation or Approval
. The Subscriber
understands that no federal or state agency has passed upon or made
any recommendation or endorsement of the offering of the
Shares.
2.1.2.
No
Conflicts
. The execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement and the consummation by the Subscriber of the
transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or
constitute a default under (i) the formation and governing
documents of the Subscriber, (ii) any agreement, indenture or
instrument to which the Subscriber is a party or (iii) any law,
statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or
any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is
subject.
2.1.3.
Authority
.
Upon execution and delivery by you, 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 Shares and (ii) able to
bear the economic risk of its investment in the Shares for an
indefinite period of time because the Shares have not been
registered under the Securities Act (as defined below) and
therefore cannot be sold unless subsequently registered under the
Securities Act or an exemption from such registration is available.
Subscriber is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of its
investment in the Company and has the capacity to protect its own
interests. Subscriber must bear the economic risk of this
investment until the Shares are sold pursuant to an effective
registration statement under the Securities Act or an exemption
from registration available with respect to such sale. Subscriber
is able to afford a complete loss of Subscriber’s investment
in the Shares.
2.1.5.
Access
to Information; Independent Investigation
. Prior to the
execution of this Agreement, the Subscriber has had the opportunity
to ask questions of and receive answers from representatives of the
Company concerning an investment in the Company, as well as the
finances, operations, business and prospects of the Company, and
the opportunity to obtain additional information to verify the
accuracy of all information so obtained. In determining whether to
make this investment, Subscriber has relied solely on
Subscriber’s own knowledge and understanding of the Company
and its business based upon Subscriber’s own due diligence
investigation and the information furnished pursuant to this
paragraph. Subscriber understands that no person has been
authorized to give any information or to make any representations
which were not furnished pursuant to this Section 2 and Subscriber
has not relied on any other representations or information in
making its investment decision, whether written or oral, relating
to the Company, its operations and/or its prospects.
2.1.6.
Regulation
D Offering
. Subscriber represents that it is an
“accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule
501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended
(the “
Securities Act
”) and acknowledges the sale contemplated hereby is being
made in reliance on a private placement exemption to
“accredited investors” within the meaning of Section
501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act or similar
exemptions under state law.
2.1.7.
Investment
Purposes
. The Subscriber is purchasing the Shares solely for
investment purposes, for the Subscriber’s own account and not
for the account or benefit of any other person, and not with a view
towards the distribution or dissemination thereof. The Subscriber
did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any
general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of
Rule 502 under the Securities Act.
2.1.8.
Restrictions
on Transfer; Shell Company
. Subscriber understands the
Shares are being offered in a transaction not involving a public
offering within the meaning of the Securities Act. Subscriber
understands the Shares will be “restricted securities”
within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, and
Subscriber understands that the certificates representing the
Shares will contain a legend in respect of such restrictions. If in
the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or
otherwise transfer the Shares, such Shares may be offered, resold,
pledged or otherwise transferred only pursuant to (i) registration
under the Securities Act, or (ii) an available exemption from
registration. Subscriber agrees that if any transfer of its Shares
or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition
precedent to any such transfer, Subscriber may be required to
deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the
Company. Absent registration or an exemption, the Subscriber agrees
not to resell the Shares. Subscriber further acknowledges that
because the Company is a shell company, Rule 144 may not be
available to the Subscriber for the resale of the Shares until one
year following consummation of the initial business combination by
the Company, despite technical compliance with the requirements of
Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer
restrictions.
2.1.9.
No
Governmental Consents
. No governmental, administrative or
other third party consents or approvals are required, necessary or
appropriate on the part of Subscriber in connection with the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.2.
Company’s
Representations, Warranties and Agreements
. To induce the
Subscriber to purchase the Shares, the Company hereby represents
and warrants to the Subscriber and agrees with the Subscriber as
follows:
2.2.1.
Organization
and Corporate Power
. The Company is a Delaware corporation
and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the
failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a
material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating
results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all
requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the
transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
2.2.2.
No
Conflicts
. The execution, delivery and performance of this
Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions
contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a
default under (i) the certificate of incorporation of the Company,
(ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company is
a party or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the
Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to
which the Company is subject.
2.2.3.
Title
to Securities
. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment
pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Shares will be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Upon issuance in accordance
with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, and registration
in the Company’s register of stockholders, the Subscriber
will have or receive good title to the Shares, free and clear of
all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (a)
transfer restrictions hereunder and other agreements to which the
Shares may be subject, (b) transfer restrictions under federal and
state securities laws, and (c) liens, claims or encumbrances
imposed due to the actions of the Subscriber.
2.2.4.
No
Adverse Actions
. There are no actions, suits, investigations
or proceedings pending, threatened against or affecting the Company
which (i) seek to restrain, enjoin, prevent the consummation of or
otherwise affect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or
(ii) question the validity or legality of any transactions or seek
to recover damages or to obtain other relief in connection with any
transactions.
3.
Forfeiture of
Shares
.
3.1.
Partial
or No Exercise of the Over-allotment Option
. In the event
the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Subscriber
shall forfeit any and all rights to up to 187,500 Shares (based
upon the percentage of the Over-allotment Option not exercised)
such that immediately following such forfeiture, the Subscriber and
all other initial stockholders prior to the IPO will own an
aggregate number of Shares (not including shares issuable upon
exercise of any warrants or any shares purchased by the Subscriber
in the Company’s IPO or in the aftermarket) equal to 20% of
the issued and outstanding shares of the Company immediately
following the IPO.
3.2.
Termination
of Rights as Stockholder
. If any of the Shares are forfeited
by the Subscriber in accordance with this Section 3, then after
such time, the Subscriber (or successor in interest), shall no
longer have any rights as a holder of such Shares, and the Company
shall take such action as is appropriate to cancel such Shares. In
addition, the Subscriber hereby irrevocably grants the Company a
limited power of attorney for the purpose of effectuating the
foregoing and agrees to take any and all actions reasonably
requested by the Company necessary to effect any adjustment in this
Section 3.
4.
Waiver of Liquidation Distributions;
Redemption Rights
. In connection with the Shares purchased
pursuant to this Agreement, the Subscriber hereby waives any and
all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any
distributions by the Company from the trust account which will be
established for the benefit of the Company’s public
stockholders and into which substantially all of the proceeds of
the IPO will be deposited (the “
Trust Account
”), in the event of
a liquidation of the Company upon the Company’s failure to
timely complete an initial business combination. For purposes of
clarity, in the event the Subscriber purchases Shares in the IPO or
in the aftermarket, any additional Shares so purchased shall be
eligible to receive any liquidating distributions by the Company.
However, in no event will the Subscriber have the right to redeem
any Shares into funds held in the Trust Account upon the successful
completion of an initial business combination.
5.
Restrictions on
Transfer
.
5.1.
Securities
Law Restrictions
. In addition to any restrictions to be
contained in that certain letter agreement (commonly known as an
“
Insider Letter
”) dated as of the closing of the IPO by and between
Subscriber and the Company and the escrow agreement between the
Subscriber and the Company’s transfer agent as escrow agent
(commonly known as the “
Escrow Agreement
”), Subscriber
agrees not to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise
dispose of all or any part of the Shares unless, prior thereto (a)
a registration statement on the appropriate form under the
Securities Act and applicable state securities laws with respect to
the Shares proposed to be transferred shall then be effective or
(b) the Company has received an opinion from counsel reasonably
satisfactory to the Company, that such registration is not required
because such transaction is exempt from registration under the
Securities Act and the rules promulgated by the Securities and
Exchange Commission thereunder and with all applicable state
securities laws.
5.2.
Restrictive
Legends
. Any certificates representing the Shares shall have
endorsed thereon legends substantially as follows:
“THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED HEREBY HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE
SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS
AND NEITHER THE SECURITIES NOR ANY INTEREST THEREIN MAY BE OFFERED,
SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF EXCEPT PURSUANT
TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER SUCH ACT OR SUCH LAWS
OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND SUCH LAWS
WHICH, IN THE OPINION OF COUNSEL, IS AVAILABLE.”
“THE
SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO THE TERMS
OF A STOCK ESCROW AGREEMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD,
TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE
ESCROW AGREEMENT.”
5.3.
Additional
Shares or Substituted Securities
. In the event of the
declaration of a share dividend, the declaration of an
extraordinary dividend payable in a form other than Shares, a
spin-off, a share split, an adjustment in conversion ratio, a
recapitalization or a similar transaction affecting the
Company’s outstanding Shares without receipt of
consideration, any new, substituted or additional securities or
other property which are by reason of such transaction distributed
with respect to any Shares subject to this Section 5 or into which
such Shares thereby become convertible shall immediately be subject
to this Section 5 and Section 3. Appropriate adjustments to reflect
the distribution of such securities or property shall be made to
the number and/or class of Shares subject to this Section 5 and
Section 3.
5.4.
Escrow
.
The Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares will be held in escrow
pursuant to the Escrow Agreement. Pursuant to the Escrow Agreement,
the Shares will be held in escrow and 50% of such Shares may not be
released until the earlier of the one year anniversary of the date
of the Company’s initial business combination (the
“
Consummation
Date
”) and the date on which the closing price of the
Company’s Shares exceeds $12.50 per share for any 20 trading
days within a 30-trading day period following the Consummation Date
(as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and
recapitalizations) while the remaining 50% of such Shares may not
be released until the end of the one-year anniversary of the
Consummation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Shares shall
be immediately released from escrow if, subsequent to the
Consummation Date, the Company consummates a subsequent
liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction
which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the
right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities
or property.
5.5.
Registration
Rights
. Subscriber acknowledges that the Shares are being
purchased pursuant to an exemption from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act and will become freely tradable
only after certain conditions are met or they are registered
pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement (the
“
Registration Rights
Agreement
”) to be entered into with the Company prior
to the closing of the IPO.
6.
Other Agreements
.
6.1.
Further
Assurances
. Subscriber agrees to execute such further
instruments and to take such further action as may reasonably be
necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.
6.2.
Notices
.
All notices, statements or other documents which are required or
contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and
delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified
mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic
transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by
facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or
such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by
such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail
address most recently provided to such party or such other
electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such
party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be
deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered
personally, on the business day following receipt of written
confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic transmission, one
(1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or
five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.
6.3.
Entire
Agreement
. This Agreement, together with (a) that certain
Insider Letter to be entered into between Subscriber and the
Company, (b) that certain Escrow Agreement to be entered into among
Subscriber, the Company, the Company’s transfer agent and
certain other shareholders of the Company, and (c) that certain
Registration Rights Agreement to be entered into among Subscriber,
the Company and certain other shareholders of the Company, each
substantially in the form to be filed as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement on Form S-1 associated with the
Company’s IPO, embodies the entire agreement and
understanding between the Subscriber and the Company with respect
to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior oral or
written agreements and understandings relating to the subject
matter hereof. No statement, representation, warranty, covenant or
agreement of any kind not expressly set forth in this Agreement
shall affect, or be used to interpret, change or restrict, the
express terms and provisions of this Agreement.
6.4.
Modifications
and Amendments
. The terms and provisions of this Agreement
may be modified or amended only by written agreement executed by
all parties hereto.
6.5.
Waivers
and Consents
. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may
be waived, or consent for the departure therefrom granted, only by
a written document executed by the party entitled to the benefits
of such terms or provisions. No such waiver or consent shall be
deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver or consent with respect
to any other terms or provisions of this Agreement, whether or not
similar. Each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the
specific instance and for the purpose for which it was given, and
shall not constitute a continuing waiver or consent.
6.6.
Assignment
.
The rights and obligations under this Agreement may not be assigned
by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the
other party.
6.7.
Benefit
.
All statements, representations, warranties, covenants and
agreements in this Agreement shall be binding on the parties hereto
and shall inure to the benefit of the respective successors and
permitted assigns of each party hereto. Nothing in this Agreement
shall be construed to create any rights or obligations except among
the parties hereto, and no person or entity shall be regarded as a
third-party beneficiary of this Agreement.
6.8.
Governing
Law
. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the
parties hereunder shall be construed in accordance with and
governed by the laws of the State of Delaware applicable to
contracts wholly performed within the borders of such state,
without giving effect to the conflict of law principles
thereof.
6.9.
Severability
.
In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall
determine that any provision, or any portion thereof, contained in
this Agreement shall be unreasonable or unenforceable in any
respect, then such provision shall be deemed limited to the extent
that such court deems it reasonable and enforceable, and as so
limited shall remain in full force and effect. In the event that
such court shall deem any such provision, or portion thereof,
wholly unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement
shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect.
6.10.
No
Waiver of Rights, Powers and Remedies
. No failure or delay
by a party hereto in exercising any right, power or remedy under
this Agreement, and no course of dealing between the parties
hereto, shall operate as a waiver of any such right, power or
remedy of such party. No single or partial exercise of any right,
power or remedy under this Agreement by a party hereto, nor any
abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce any such right,
power or remedy, shall preclude such party from any other or
further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power
or remedy hereunder. The election of any remedy by a party hereto
shall not constitute a waiver of the right of such party to pursue
other available remedies. No notice to or demand on a party not
expressly required under this Agreement shall entitle the party
receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or
demand in similar or other circumstances or constitute a waiver of
the rights of the party giving such notice or demand to any other
or further action in any circumstances without such notice or
demand.
6.11.
Survival
of Representations and Warranties
. All representations and
warranties made by the parties hereto in this Agreement or in any
other agreement, certificate or instrument provided for or
contemplated hereby, shall survive the execution and delivery
hereof and any investigations made by or on behalf of the
parties.
6.12.
No
Broker or Finder
. Each of the parties hereto represents and
warrants to the other that no broker, finder or other financial
consultant has acted on its behalf in connection with this
Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as
to create any liability on the other. Each of the parties hereto
agrees to indemnify and save the other harmless from any claim or
demand for commission or other compensation by any broker, finder,
financial consultant or similar agent claiming to have been
employed by or on behalf of such party and to bear the cost of
legal expenses incurred in defending against any such
claim.
6.13.
Headings
and Captions
. The headings and captions of the various
subdivisions of this Agreement are for convenience of reference
only and shall in no way modify or affect the meaning or
construction of any of the terms or provisions hereof.
6.14.
Counterparts
.
This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of
which when taken together shall be considered one and the same
agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been
signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being
understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart. In
the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission
or any other form of electronic delivery, such signature shall
create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on
whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and
effect as if such signature page were an original
thereof.
6.15.
Construction
.
The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and
drafting of this Agreement. If an ambiguity or question of intent
or interpretation arises, this Agreement will be construed as if
drafted jointly by the parties hereto and no presumption or burden
of proof will arise favoring or disfavoring any party hereto
because of the authorship of any provision of this Agreement. The
words “
include
,” “
includes
,” and “
including
” will be deemed to be
followed by “
without
limitation
.” Pronouns in masculine, feminine, and
neuter genders will be construed to include any other gender, and
words in the singular form will be construed to include the plural
and vice versa, unless the context otherwise requires. The words
“
this Agreement
,” “
herein
,” “
hereof
,” “
hereby
,” “
hereunder
,” and words of similar import refer to this Agreement as a
whole and not to any particular subdivision unless expressly so
limited. The parties hereto intend that each representation,
warranty, and covenant contained herein will have independent
significance. If any party hereto has breached any representation,
warranty, or covenant contained herein in any respect, the fact
that there exists another representation, warranty or covenant
relating to the same subject matter (regardless of the relative
levels of specificity) which such party hereto has not breached
will not detract from or mitigate the fact that such party hereto
is in breach of the first representation, warranty, or
covenant.
7.
Voting and Tender of Shares
.
Subscriber agrees to vote the Shares in favor of an initial
business combination that the Company negotiates and submits for
approval to the Company’s stockholders and shall not seek
redemption with respect to such Shares. Additionally, the
Subscriber agrees not to tender any Shares in connection with a
tender offer presented to the Company’s stockholders in
connection with an initial business combination negotiated by the
Company.
[Signature Page Follows]
If the
foregoing accurately sets forth our understanding and agreement,
please sign the enclosed copy of this Agreement and return it to
us.
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Very
truly yours,
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BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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/s/
Lori Wittman
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Name:
Lori Wittman
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Title:
Chief Financial Officer
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Accepted
and agreed as of the date first written above.
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS SPONSOR, LLC
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By:
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/s/
Richard Ackerman
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Name:
Richard Ackerman
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Title:
Managing Member
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[Signature
Page to Securities Subscription Agreement]
Exhibit 10.7
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT
ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF
REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN
OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND
SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
Principal
Amount: $25,000
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Dated
as of September 26, 2017
Delray
Beach, Florida
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Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“
Maker
”),
promises to pay to the order of Richard Ackerman (the
“
Payee
”) the
principal sum of Twenty Five Thousand Dollars ($25,000) in lawful
money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions
described below. All payments on this Note shall be made
by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as
otherwise determined by the Maker to such account as the Payee may
from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with
the provisions of this Note.
1.
Principal.
The
principal balance of Note shall be payable on the earlier of: (i)
December 31, 2018 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an
initial public offering of its securities. The principal
balance may be prepaid at any time.
2.
Interest.
No
interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this
Note.
3.
Application
of Payments.
All payments shall be applied first to
payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum
due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable
attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late
charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal
balance of this Note.
4.
Events
of Default.
The following shall constitute an event of
default (“
Event of
Default
”):
(a)
Failure to Make Required
Payments
. Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount due
pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the date
specified above.
(b)
Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc
. The
commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other
similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking
possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian,
sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any
substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any
assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker
generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking
of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the
foregoing.
(c)
Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc
.
The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having
jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary
case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar
law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian,
trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any
substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or
liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree
or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive
days.
5.
Remedies.
(a)
Upon the occurrence
of an Event of Default specified in Section 4(a) hereof, Payee may,
by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately
and payable, whereupon the unpaid principal amount of this Note,
and all other amounts payable thereunder, shall become immediately
due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other
notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived,
anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same
to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b)
Upon the occurrence
of an Event of Default specified in Sections 4(b) and 4(c), the
unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable
with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately
become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part
of Payee.
6.
Waivers.
Maker
and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note
waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest,
and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects
and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the
terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by
virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real
or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of
any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution,
or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil
process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that
any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment
obtained by virtue hereof, on any writ of execution issued hereon,
may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order
desired by Payee.
7.
Unconditional
Liability.
Maker hereby waives all notices in
connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or
enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its
liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability
of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any
indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification
granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all
extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be
granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of
this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers,
guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to
Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
8.
Notices.
All
notices, statements or other documents which are required or
contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and
delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified
mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic
transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by
facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or
such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by
such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail
address most recently provided to such party or such other
electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such
party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted
shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if
delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of
written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic
transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight
courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by
mail.
9.
Construction.
THIS
NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF
DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS
THEREOF.
10.
Severability.
Any
provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction,
be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or
unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions
hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any
jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such
provision in any other jurisdiction.
11.
Trust
Waiver
. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title,
interest or claim of any kind (“
Claim
”) in or to any distribution
of or from the trust account to be established in which the
proceeds of the initial public offering (the “
IPO
”) conducted by the Maker
(including the deferred underwriters discounts and commissions) and
the proceeds of the sale of the units issued in a private placement
to occur prior to the effectiveness of the IPO are to be deposited,
as described in greater detail in the registration statement and
prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse,
reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the
trust account for any reason whatsoever.
12.
Amendment;
Waiver
. Any amendment hereto or waiver of any
provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written
consent of the Maker and the Payee.
13.
Assignment
. No
assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations
hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or
otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party
hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent
shall be void.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, Maker, intending to
be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed
by the undersigned as of the day and year first above
written.
|
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/
Lori Wittman
|
|
|
Name: LORI
WITTMAN
|
|
|
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
|
Exhibit 10.8
THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED
UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES
ACT”). THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT
ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF
REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN
OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND
SUBSTANCE TO THE COMPANY THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.
PROMISSORY NOTE
Principal
Amount: Up to $150,000
|
Dated
as of September 26, 2017
Delray
Beach, Florida
|
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the
“
Maker
”),
promises to pay to the order of Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC, a
Delaware limited liability company, or its registered assigns or
successors in interest
(the “
Payee
”),
or order, the principal sum of up to One Hundred and Fifty Thousand
Dollars ($150,000) in lawful money of the United States of America,
on the terms and conditions described below. All
payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of
immediately available funds or as otherwise determined by the Maker
to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by
written notice in accordance with the provisions of this
Note.
1.
Principal.
The
principal balance of Note shall be payable on the earlier of: (i)
December 31, 2018 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an
initial public offering of its securities. The principal
balance may be prepaid at any time.
2.
Interest.
No
interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this
Note.
3.
Drawdown
Requests.
The principal of this Note may be drawn down
from time to time prior to the earlier of: (i) December 31, 2018 or
(ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering
of its securities, upon request from Maker to Payee (each, a
“
Drawdown Request
”). Payee shall fund each Drawdown Request within five (5)
business days after receipt of a Drawdown Request; provided,
however, that the maximum amount of drawdowns collectively under
this Note is One Hundred and Fifty Thousand Dollars
($150,000).
4.
Application
of Payments.
All payments shall be applied first to
payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum
due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable
attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late
charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal
balance of this Note.
5.
Events
of Default.
The following shall constitute an event of
default (“
Event of
Default
”):
(a)
Failure to Make Required
Payments
. Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount due
pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the date
specified above.
(b)
Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc
. The
commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable
bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other
similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking
possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian,
sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any
substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any
assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker
generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking
of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the
foregoing.
(c)
Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc
.
The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having
jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary
case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar
law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian,
trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any
substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or
liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree
or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive
days.
6.
Remedies.
(a)
Upon the occurrence
of an Event of Default specified in Section 5(a) hereof, Payee may,
by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately
and payable, whereupon the unpaid principal amount of this Note,
and all other amounts payable thereunder, shall become immediately
due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other
notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived,
anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same
to the contrary notwithstanding.
(b)
Upon the occurrence
of an Event of Default specified in Sections 5(b) and 5(c), the
unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable
with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately
become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part
of Payee.
7.
Waivers.
Maker
and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note
waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest,
and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects
and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the
terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by
virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real
or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of
any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution,
or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil
process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that
any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment
obtained by virtue hereof, on any writ of execution issued hereon,
may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order
desired by Payee.
8.
Unconditional
Liability.
Maker hereby waives all notices in
connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or
enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its
liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability
of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any
indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification
granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all
extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be
granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of
this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers,
guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to
Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.
9.
Notices.
All
notices, statements or other documents which are required or
contemplated by this Agreement shall be: (i) in writing and
delivered personally or sent by first class registered or certified
mail, overnight courier service or facsimile or electronic
transmission to the address designated in writing, (ii) by
facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or
such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by
such party and (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail
address most recently provided to such party or such other
electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such
party. Any notice or other communication so transmitted
shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if
delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of
written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic
transmission, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight
courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by
mail.
10.
Construction.
THIS
NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF
DELAWARE, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS
THEREOF.
11.
Severability.
Any
provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or
unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction,
be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or
unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions
hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any
jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such
provision in any other jurisdiction.
12.
Trust
Waiver
. Notwithstanding anything herein to the
contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title,
interest or claim of any kind (“
Claim
”) in or to any distribution
of or from the trust account to be established in which the
proceeds of the initial public offering (the “
IPO
”) conducted by the Maker
(including the deferred underwriters discounts and commissions) and
the proceeds of the sale of the units issued in a private placement
to occur prior to the effectiveness of the IPO are to be deposited,
as described in greater detail in the registration statement and
prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse,
reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the
trust account for any reason whatsoever.
13.
Amendment;
Waiver
. Any amendment hereto or waiver of any
provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written
consent of the Maker and the Payee.
14.
Assignment
. No
assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations
hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or
otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party
hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent
shall be void.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF
, Maker, intending to
be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed
by the undersigned as of the day and year first above
written.
|
BIG
ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
|
|
|
|
|
By:
|
/s/
Lori Wittman
|
|
|
Name: LORI
WITTMAN
|
|
|
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
|
Exhibit 10.9
FORM OF INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT
THIS INDEMNIFICATION AGREEMENT (this “ Agreement ”) is
made as of November __, 2017, by and between BIG ROCK PARTNERS
ACQUISITION CORP., a Delaware corporation (the “ Company
”), and _______________ (“ Indemnitee
”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to
serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or other
capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection
through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate
risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their
service to and activities on behalf of such
corporations.
WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “ Board
”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain
qualified individuals as directors, officers and special advisors,
the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its
sole expense, liability insurance to protect such persons serving
the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities. Although
the furnishing of such insurance has been a customary and
widespread practice among United States-based corporations and
other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given
current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be
available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more
exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers and others are
being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming
litigation. The Certificate of Incorporation (as may be amended
and/or restated from time to time, the “ Charter ”)
and/or the Bylaws (as may be amended and/or restated from time to
time, the “ Bylaws ”) of the Company require
indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company, and
permit indemnification of employees and agents of the Company.
Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to
applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law
(“ DGCL ”). The Charter, Bylaws and the DGCL expressly
provide that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are
not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be
entered into between the Company and members of the board of
directors, officers and other persons with respect to
indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement and
reimbursement rights.
WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to
indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and
retaining such persons.
WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in
attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best
interests of the Company’s stockholders and that the Company
should act to assure such persons that there will be increased
certainty of such protection in the future.
WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company
contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, hold harmless,
exonerate and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve
or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they
will not be so protected against liabilities.
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of
the Charter and Bylaws of the Company and any resolutions adopted
pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor,
nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee
thereunder.
WHEREAS, Indemnitee may not be willing to serve as an officer,
director or special advisor of the Company, as applicable, without
adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in
one or more of such capacities. Indemnitee is willing to serve or
continue to serve for or on behalf of the Company on the condition
that Indemnitee be so indemnified.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants
contained herein, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and
agree as follows:
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. SERVICES
TO THE COMPANY . In consideration of the Company’s covenants
and obligations hereunder, Indemnitee will serve or continue to
serve as an officer, director, special advisor and/or key employee
of the Company, as applicable, for so long as Indemnitee is duly
elected or appointed or until Indemnitee tenders his or her
resignation or until Indemnitee is removed. The foregoing
notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in full force and
effect after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a director, officer,
special advisor and/or key employee of the Company, as applicable,
as provided in Section 16. This Agreement, however, shall not
impose any obligation on Indemnitee or the Company to continue
Indemnitee’s service to the Company beyond any period
otherwise required by law or by other agreements or commitments of
the parties, if any.
2. DEFINITIONS
. As used in this Agreement:
(a) References
to “ agent ” shall mean any person who is or was a
director, officer, employee or special advisor of the Company or a
subsidiary of the Company or other person authorized by the Company
to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such
capacity as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other
official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability
company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request
of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the
Company or a subsidiary of the Company.
(b) The
terms “ Beneficial Owner ” and “ Beneficial
Ownership ” shall have the meanings set forth in
Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined
below) as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) A
“ Change in Control ” shall be deemed to occur upon the
earliest to occur after the later of the date of this Agreement or
the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering of
any of the following events:
(i) Acquisition
of Stock by Third Party. Any Person (as defined below) is or
becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities
of the Company representing fifteen percent (15%) or more of the
combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding
securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors,
unless (1) the change in the relative Beneficial Ownership of
the Company’s securities by any Person results solely from a
reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of
securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors,
or (2) such acquisition was approved in advance by the
Continuing Directors (as defined below) and such acquisition would
not constitute a Change in Control under part (iii) of this
definition;
(ii) Change
in Board of Directors. Individuals who, as of the date hereof,
constitute the Board, and any new director whose election by the
Board or nomination for election by the Company’s
stockholders was approved by a vote of at least two thirds of the
directors then still in office who were directors on the date
hereof or whose election for nomination for election was previously
so approved (collectively, the “ Continuing Directors
”), cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of
the members of the Board;
(iii) Corporate
Transactions. The effective date of a merger, stock exchange, asset
acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or
other similar business combination of the Company (a “
Business Combination ”), in each case, unless, following such
Business Combination: (1) all or substantially all of the
individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners of
securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors
immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own,
directly or indirectly, more than 51% of the combined voting power
of the then outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote
generally in the election of directors resulting from such Business
Combination (including, without limitation, a corporation which as
a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or
substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or
through one or more Subsidiaries (as defined below)) in
substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately
prior to such Business Combination, of the securities entitled to
vote generally in the election of directors; (2) no Person
(excluding any corporation resulting from such Business
Combination) is the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of
15% or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding
securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors
of the surviving corporation except to the extent that such
ownership existed prior to the Business Combination; and
(3) at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the
corporation resulting from such Business Combination were
Continuing Directors at the time of the execution of the initial
agreement, or of the action of the Board of Directors, providing
for such Business Combination;
(iv) Liquidation.
The approval by the stockholders of the Company of a complete
liquidation of the Company or an agreement or series of agreements
for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially
all of the Company’s assets, other than factoring the
Company’s current receivables or escrows due (or, if such
stockholder approval is not required, the decision by the Board to
proceed with such a liquidation, sale, or disposition in one
transaction or a series of related transactions); or
(v) Other
Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be
required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of
Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or a response to any
similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the
Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then
subject to such reporting requirement.
(d) “
Corporate Status ” describes the status of a person who is or
was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager,
managing member, fiduciary, employee, special advisor or agent of
the Company or of any other Enterprise (as defined below) which
such person is or was serving at the request of the
Company.
(e) “
Delaware Court ” shall mean the Court of Chancery of the
State of Delaware.
(f) “
Disinterested Director ” shall mean a director of the Company
who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as defined below)
in respect of which indemnification is sought by
Indemnitee.
(g) “
Enterprise ” shall mean the Company and any other
corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of
a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger to which the
Company (or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries) is a party,
limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust,
employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or
was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer,
trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee,
special advisor or agent.
(h) “
Exchange Act ” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended.
(i) “
Expenses ” shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees
and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever, including, without
limitation, all reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs,
retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness
fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and
professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing and binding
costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax
transmission charges, secretarial services and all other
disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with
prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend,
investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or
appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding (as defined
below), including reasonable compensation for time spent by the
Indemnitee for which he or she is not otherwise compensated by the
Company or any third party. Expenses also shall include Expenses
incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any
Proceeding (as defined below), including without limitation the
principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any
cost bond, supersedes bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent.
Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by
Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against
Indemnitee.
(j) References
to “ fines ” shall include any excise tax assessed on
Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to
“serving at the request of the Company” shall include
any service as a director, officer, employee, special advisor,
agent or fiduciary of the Company which imposes duties on, or
involves services by, such director, officer, employee, special
advisor, agent or fiduciary with respect to an employee benefit
plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in
good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in
the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an
employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in
a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the
Company” as referred to in this Agreement.
(k) “
Independent Counsel ” shall mean a law firm or a member of a
law firm with significant experience in matters of corporation law
and that neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been,
retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any
matter material to either such party (other than with respect to
matters concerning the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other
indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements); or
(ii) any other party to the Proceeding (as defined below)
giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent
Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the
applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would
have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or
Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights
under this Agreement.
(l) The
term “ Person ” shall have the meaning as set forth in
Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the
date hereof; provided, however, that “Person” shall
exclude: (i) the Company; (ii) any Subsidiaries (as defined
below) of the Company; (iii) any employment benefit plan of
the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or
of any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the
stockholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions
as their ownership of stock of the Company; and (iv) any
trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee
benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below)
of the Company or of a corporation owned directly or indirectly by
the stockholders of the Company in substantially the same
proportions as their ownership of stock of the
Company.
(m) The
term “ Proceeding ” shall include any threatened,
pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation,
alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry,
administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed
proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or
otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or
unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or
investigative nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be
involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that
Indemnitee is or was a director, officer, employee or special
advisor of the Company, by reason of any action (or failure to act)
taken by Indemnitee or of any action (or failure to act) on
Indemnitee’s part while acting as a director, officer,
employee or special advisor of the Company, or by reason of the
fact that Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the
Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing
member, fiduciary, employee, special advisor or agent of any other
Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at
the time any liability or expense is incurred for which
indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be
provided under this Agreement.
(n) The
term “ Subsidiary ,” with respect to any Person, shall
mean any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint
venture, trust or other entity of which a majority of the voting
power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned,
directly or indirectly, by that Person.
3. INDEMNITY
IN THIRD-PARTY PROCEEDINGS . To the fullest extent permitted by
applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and
exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this
Section 3 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made,
a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise)
in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of
the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of
Indemnitee’s Corporate Status. Pursuant to this
Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and
exonerated against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines,
penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest,
assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or
in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and
amounts paid in settlement) actually, and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such
Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee
acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in
or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the
case of a criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe
that Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
4.
INDEMNITY IN PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY. To the
fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall
indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance
with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is,
or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a
witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the
right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason
of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status. Pursuant to this
Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and
exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in connection with such
Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee
acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in
or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No
indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration for Expenses shall be
made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or
matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a
court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent
that any court in which the Proceeding was brought or the Delaware
Court shall determine upon application that, despite the
adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of
the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to
indemnification, to be held harmless or to
exoneration.
5. INDEMNIFICATION
FOR EXPENSES OF A PARTY WHO IS WHOLLY OR PARTLY SUCCESSFUL .
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement except for
Section 26, to the extent that Indemnitee was or is, by reason of
Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a party to (or a participant
in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any
Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in
whole or in part, the Company shall, to the fullest extent
permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate
Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by
Indemnitee in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly
successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or
otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or
matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and
exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in
connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter.
If the Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding, the
Company also shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable
law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all
Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or
matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which the
Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without
limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a
Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed
to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or
matter.
6. INDEMNIFICATION
FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS . Notwithstanding any other provision of
this Agreement except for Section 26, to the extent that Indemnitee
is, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a witness or
deponent in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee was or is not a
party or threatened to be made a party, he shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by applicable law, be indemnified, held harmless
and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably
incurred by Indemnitee or on Indemnitee’s behalf in
connection therewith.
7. CONTRIBUTION
IN THE EVENT OF JOINT LIABILITY.
(a) To
the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the
indemnification, hold harmless and/or exoneration rights provided
for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in
part for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of
indemnifying, holding harmless or exonerating Indemnitee, shall
pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by
Indemnitee, whether for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties,
amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in
connection with any Proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to
contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and
relinquishes any right of contribution it may have at any time
against Indemnitee.
(b) The
Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in
which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if
joined in such Proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a
full and final release of all claims asserted against
Indemnitee.
(c) The
Company hereby agrees to fully indemnify, hold harmless and
exonerate Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be
brought by officers, directors or employees of the Company other
than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with
Indemnitee.
8.
EXCLUSIONS.
Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement except for Section
26, the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make
any indemnification, advance expenses, hold harmless or exoneration
payment in connection with any claim made against
Indemnitee:
(a) for
which payment has actually been received by or on behalf of
Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity or
advancement provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the
amount actually received under any insurance policy, contract,
agreement, other indemnity or advancement provision or
otherwise;
(b) for
an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale
and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the
meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act or similar provisions
of state statutory law or common law; or
(c) except
as otherwise provided in Sections 14(f)-(g) hereof, prior to a
Change in Control, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part
of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any
Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee
against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other
indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding
(or any part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation or
(ii) the Company provides the indemnification, hold harmless
or exoneration payment, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the
powers vested in the Company under applicable law. Indemnitee shall
seek payments or Advances from the Company only to the extent that
such payments or Advances are unavailable from any insurance policy
of the Company covering Indemnitee.
9. ADVANCES
OF EXPENSES; DEFENSE OF CLAIM.
(a) Notwithstanding
any provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section
26, and to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law, the
Company shall pay the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee (or
reasonably expected by Indemnitee to be incurred by Indemnitee
within three months) in connection with any Proceeding within ten
(10) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or
statements requesting such advances from time to time, prior to the
final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, be unsecured and interest free. Advances
shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be made without
regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and
without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to be
indemnified, held harmless or exonerated under the other provisions
of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all reasonable
Expenses incurred pursuing a Proceeding to enforce this right of
advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding
statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. To the
fullest extent required by applicable law, such payments of
Expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding
shall be made only upon the Company’s receipt of an
undertaking, by or on behalf of the Indemnitee, to repay the
advanced amounts to the extent that it is ultimately determined
that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company
under the provisions of this Agreement, the Charter, the Bylaws of
the Company, applicable law or otherwise. This Section 9(a) shall
not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which an
indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment is excluded
pursuant to Section 8.
(b) The
Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its
own expense.
(c) The
Company shall not settle any action, claim or Proceeding (in whole
or in part) which would impose any Expense, judgment, fine, penalty
or limitation on the Indemnitee without the Indemnitee’s
prior written consent.
10. PROCEDURE
FOR NOTIFICATION AND APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) Indemnitee
agrees to notify promptly the Company in writing upon being served
with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment,
information or other document relating to any Proceeding, claim,
issue or matter therein which may be subject to indemnification,
hold harmless or exoneration rights, or advancement of Expenses
covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the
Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it
may have to the Indemnitee under this Agreement, or
otherwise.
(b) Indemnitee
may deliver to the Company a written application to indemnify, hold
harmless or exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with this Agreement.
Such application(s) may be delivered from time to time and at such
time(s) as Indemnitee deems appropriate in Indemnitee’s sole
discretion. Following such a written application for
indemnification by Indemnitee, the Indemnitee’s entitlement
to indemnification shall be determined according to Section 11(a)
of this Agreement.
11. PROCEDURE
UPON APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.
(a) A
determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to
Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification shall be made in
the specific case by one of the following methods, which shall be
at the election of Indemnitee: (i) by a majority vote of the
Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum of the
Board or (ii) by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to
the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee. The
Company promptly will advise Indemnitee in writing with respect to
any determination that Indemnitee is or is not entitled to
indemnification, including a description of any reason or basis for
which indemnification has been denied. If it is so determined that
Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee
shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination.
Indemnitee shall reasonably cooperate with the person, persons or
entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s
entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person,
persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation
or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from
disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and
reasonably necessary to such determination. Any costs or Expenses
(including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements)
incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons
or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company
(irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s
entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby agrees to
indemnify and to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom.
(b) In
the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to
be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 11(a) hereof,
the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this
Section 11(b). The Independent Counsel shall be selected by
Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be
made by the Board), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the
Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so
selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected
meets the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as
defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. If the Independent
Counsel is selected by the Board, the Company shall give written
notice to Indemnitee advising Indemnitee of the identity of the
Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent
Counsel so selected meets the requirements of “Independent
Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. In
either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may,
within ten (10) days after such written notice of selection
shall have been received, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee,
as the case may be, a written objection to such selection;
provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the
ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the
requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in
Section 2 of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth
with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a
proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as
Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and
substantiated, the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as
Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or
a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that such
objection is without merit. If, within twenty (20) days after
submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification
pursuant to Section 10(a) hereof, no Independent Counsel shall have
been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee
may petition the Delaware Court for resolution of any objection
which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the
other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the
appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the
Delaware Court, and the person with respect to whom all objections
are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent
Counsel under Section 11(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of
any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 13(a) of
this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and
relieved of any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to
the applicable standards of professional conduct then
prevailing).
(c) The
Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of
Independent Counsel and to fully indemnify and hold harmless such
Independent Counsel against any and all Expenses, claims,
liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this
Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.
12. PRESUMPTIONS
AND EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS.
(a) In
making a determination with respect to entitlement to
indemnification hereunder, the person, persons or entity making
such determination shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a
request for indemnification in accordance with Section 10(b) of
this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to
overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any
person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that
presumption. Neither the failure of the Company (including by the
Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) to have made a
determination prior to the commencement of any action pursuant to
this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances
because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor
an actual determination by the Company (including by the
Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has
not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to
the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the
applicable standard of conduct.
(b) If
the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under
Section 11 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee
is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination
within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the
request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to
indemnification shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be
deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such
indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a
material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make
Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in
connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a
final judicial determination that any or all such indemnification
is expressly prohibited under applicable law; provided, however,
that such 30-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not
to exceed an additional fifteen (15) days, if the person,
persons or entity making the determination with respect to
entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such
additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation
and/or information relating thereto.
(c) The
termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter
therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a
plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as
otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely
affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a
presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a
manner which he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the
best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal
Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that
Indemnitee’s conduct was unlawful.
(d) For
purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be
deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is
based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise,
including financial statements, or on information supplied to
Indemnitee by the directors, manager, or officers of the Enterprise
in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel
for the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any
director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, or
on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise,
its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee,
general partner, manager or managing member, by an independent
certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert
selected by the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board
or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing
member. The provisions of this Section 12(d) shall not be deemed to
be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in
which the Indemnitee may be deemed or found to have met the
applicable standard of conduct set forth in this
Agreement.
(e) The
knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any other director,
officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary,
agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to
Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification
under this Agreement.
13. REMEDIES
OF INDEMNITEE.
(a) In
the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to
Section 11 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled
to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of
Expenses is not timely made pursuant to Section 9 of this
Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to
indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 11(a) of
this Agreement within thirty (30) days after receipt by the
Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of
indemnification is not made pursuant to Section 5, 6 or the
last sentence of Section 11(a) of this Agreement within ten
(10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request
therefor, (v) a contribution payment is not made in a timely
manner pursuant to Section 7 of this Agreement,
(vi) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3 or 4 of
this Agreement is not made within ten (10) days after a
determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to
indemnification, or (vii) payment to Indemnitee pursuant to
any hold harmless or exoneration rights under this Agreement or
otherwise is not made in accordance with this Agreement, Indemnitee
shall be entitled to an adjudication by the Delaware Court to such
indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or
advancement rights. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at
Indemnitee’s option, may seek an award in arbitration to be
conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial
Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. Except
as set forth herein, the provisions of Delaware law (without regard
to its conflict of laws rules) shall apply to any such arbitration.
The Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any
such adjudication or award in arbitration.
(b) In
the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to
Section 11(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to
indemnification, any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced
pursuant to this Section 13 shall be conducted in all respects
as a de novo trial, or arbitration, on the merits and Indemnitee
shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse
determination.
(c) In
any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this
Section 13, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to be
indemnified, held harmless, exonerated to receive advancement of
Expenses under this Agreement and the Company shall have the burden
of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, held
harmless, exonerated and to receive advancement of Expenses, as the
case may be, and the Company may not refer to or introduce into
evidence any determination pursuant to Section 11(a) of this
Agreement adverse to Indemnitee for any purpose. If Indemnitee
commences a judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this
Section 13, Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the
Company for any advances pursuant to Section 9 until a final
determination is made with respect to Indemnitee’s
entitlement to indemnification (as to which all rights of appeal
have been exhausted or lapsed).
(d) If a
determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 11(a) of
this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the
Company shall be bound by such determination in any judicial
proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this
Section 13, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a
material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make
Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in
connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a
prohibition of such indemnification under applicable
law.
(e) The
Company shall be precluded from asserting in any judicial
proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this
Section 13 that the procedures and presumptions of this
Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall
stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the
Company is bound by all the provisions of this
Agreement.
(f) The
Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee to the fullest
extent permitted by law against all Expenses and, if requested by
Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after the
Company’s receipt of such written request) pay to Indemnitee,
to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, such Expenses
which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any judicial
proceeding or arbitration brought by Indemnitee: (i) to
enforce Indemnitee’s rights under, or to recover damages for
breach of, this Agreement or any other indemnification, hold
harmless, exoneration, advancement or contribution agreement or
provision of the Charter, or the Company’s Bylaws now or
hereafter in effect; or (ii) for recovery or advances under
any insurance policy maintained by any person for the benefit of
Indemnitee, regardless of the outcome and whether Indemnitee
ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification,
hold harmless or exoneration right, advancement, contribution or
insurance recovery, as the case may be (unless such judicial
proceeding or arbitration was not brought by Indemnitee in good
faith).
(g) Interest
shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee at the legal rate under
Delaware law for amounts which the Company indemnifies, holds
harmless or exonerates, or advances, or is obliged to indemnify,
hold harmless or exonerate or advance for the period commencing
with the date on which Indemnitee requests indemnification, to be
held harmless, exonerated, contribution, reimbursement or
advancement of any Expenses and ending with the date on which such
payment is made to Indemnitee by the Company.
14. SECURITY
. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary except for
Section 26, to the extent requested by the Indemnitee and approved
by the Board, the Company may at any time and from time to time
provide security to the Indemnitee for the Company’s
obligations hereunder through an irrevocable bank line of credit,
funded trust or other collateral. Any such security, once provided
to the Indemnitee, may not be revoked or released without the prior
written consent of the Indemnitee.
15. NON-EXCLUSIVITY;
SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS; INSURANCE; SUBROGATION.
(a) The
rights of Indemnitee as provided by this Agreement shall not be
deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any
time be entitled under applicable law, the Charter, the
Company’s Bylaws, any agreement, a vote of stockholders or a
resolution of directors, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or
repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or
restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of
any Proceeding (regardless of when such Proceeding is first
threatened, commenced or completed) or claim, issue or matter
therein arising out of, or related to, any action taken or omitted
by such Indemnitee in Indemnitee’s Corporate Status prior to
such amendment, alteration or repeal. To the extent that a change
in applicable law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits
greater indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights or
advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the
Charter, the Company’s Bylaws or this Agreement, it is the
intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this
Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right
or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other
right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be
cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given
hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or
otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy
hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion
or employment of any other right or remedy.
(b) The
DGCL, the Charter and the Company’s Bylaws permit the Company
to purchase and maintain insurance or furnish similar protection or
make other arrangements including, but not limited to, providing a
trust fund, letter of credit, or surety bond (“
Indemnification Arrangements ”) on behalf of Indemnitee
against any liability asserted against Indemnitee or incurred by or
on behalf of Indemnitee or in such capacity as a director, officer,
employee, special advisor or agent of the Company, or arising out
of Indemnitee’s status as such, whether or not the Company
would have the power to indemnify Indemnitee against such liability
under the provisions of this Agreement or under the DGCL, as it may
then be in effect. The purchase, establishment, and maintenance of
any such Indemnification Arrangement shall not in any way limit or
affect the rights and obligations of the Company or of the
Indemnitee under this Agreement except as expressly provided
herein, and the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the
Company and the Indemnitee shall not in any way limit or affect the
rights and obligations of the Company or the other party or parties
thereto under any such Indemnification Arrangement.
(c) To
the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or
policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers,
trustees, partners, managers, managing members, fiduciaries,
employees, special advisors or agents of the Company or of any
other Enterprise which such person serves at the request of the
Company, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in
accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the
coverage available for any such director, officer, trustee,
partner, managers, managing member, fiduciary, employee, special
advisor or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time the
Company receives notice from any source of a Proceeding as to which
Indemnitee is a party or a participant (as a witness, deponent or
otherwise), the Company has director and officer liability
insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such
Proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set
forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter take
all necessary or desirable action to cause such insurers to pay, on
behalf of the Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such
Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such
policies.
(d) In
the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company, to the
fullest extent permitted by law, shall be subrogated to the extent
of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who
shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to
secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are
necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such
rights.
(e) The
Company’s obligation to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate
or advance Expenses hereunder to Indemnitee who is or was serving
at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee,
partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee, special
advisor or agent of any other Enterprise shall be reduced by any
amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification, hold
harmless or exoneration payments or advancement of expenses from
such Enterprise. Notwithstanding any other provision of this
Agreement to the contrary except for Section 26,
(i) Indemnitee shall have no obligation to reduce, offset,
allocate, pursue or apportion any indemnification, hold harmless,
exoneration, advancement, contribution or insurance coverage among
multiple parties possessing such duties to Indemnitee prior to the
Company’s satisfaction and performance of all its obligations
under this Agreement, and (ii) the Company shall perform fully
its obligations under this Agreement without regard to whether
Indemnitee holds, may pursue or has pursued any indemnification,
advancement, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or insurance
coverage rights against any person or entity other than the
Company.
16.
DURATION
OF AGREEMENT. All agreements and obligations of the Company
contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee serves
as a director, officer, employee and/or special advisor of the
Company or as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager,
managing member, fiduciary, employee, special advisor or agent of
any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee
benefit plan or other Enterprise which Indemnitee serves at the
request of the Company and shall continue thereafter so long as
Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding (including
any rights of appeal thereto and any Proceeding commenced by
Indemnitee pursuant to Section 13 of this Agreement) by reason
of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, whether or not Indemnitee
is acting in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense
is incurred for which indemnification or advancement can be
provided under this Agreement.
17.
SEVERABILITY.
If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to
be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever:
(a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining
provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each
portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement
containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or
unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or
unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby
and shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by
law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed
to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give
the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and
(c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this
Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any
Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any
such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that
is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed
so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.
18. ENFORCEMENT
AND BINDING EFFECT.
(a) The
Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this
Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order
to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director, officer, special
advisor and/or key employee of the Company, and the Company
acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in
serving as a director, officer, special advisor and/or key employee
of the Company.
(b) Without
limiting any of the rights of Indemnitee under the Charter or
Bylaws of the Company as they may be amended from time to time,
this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties
hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all
prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied,
between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter
hereof.
(c) The
indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration and advancement of
expenses rights provided by or granted pursuant to this Agreement
shall be binding upon and be enforceable by the parties hereto and
their respective successors and assigns (including any direct or
indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise
to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the
Company), shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a
director, officer, employee, special advisor or agent of the
Company or a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager,
managing member, fiduciary, employee, special advisor or agent of
any other Enterprise at the Company’s request, and shall
inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and Indemnitee’s spouse,
assigns, heirs, devisees, executors and administrators and other
legal representatives.
(d) The
Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or
indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all,
substantially all or a substantial part, of the business and/or
assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance
reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnitee, expressly to assume and
agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same
extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such
succession had taken place.
(e) The
Company and Indemnitee agree herein that a monetary remedy for
breach of this Agreement, at some later date, may be inadequate,
impracticable and difficult of proof, and further agree that such
breach may cause Indemnitee irreparable harm. Accordingly, the
parties hereto agree that Indemnitee may, to the fullest extent
permitted by law, enforce this Agreement by seeking, among other
things, injunctive relief and/or specific performance hereof,
without any necessity of showing actual damage or irreparable harm
and that by seeking injunctive relief and/or specific performance,
Indemnitee shall not be precluded from seeking or obtaining any
other relief to which he may be entitled. The Company and
Indemnitee further agree that Indemnitee shall, to the fullest
extent permitted by law, be entitled to such specific performance
and injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders,
preliminary injunctions and permanent injunctions, without the
necessity of posting bonds or other undertaking in connection
therewith. The Company acknowledges that in the absence of a
waiver, a bond or undertaking may be required of Indemnitee by the
Court, Company hereby waives any such requirement of such a bond or
undertaking to the fullest extent permitted by law.
19.
MODIFICATION
AND WAIVER. No supplement, modification or amendment of this
Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the
Company and the Indemnitee. No waiver of any of the provisions of
this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any
other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute
a continuing waiver.
20.
NOTICES.
All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this
Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly
given (i) if delivered by hand and receipted for by the party
to whom said notice or other communication shall have been
directed, or (ii) mailed by certified or registered mail with
postage prepaid, on the third (3rd) business day after the date on
which it is so mailed:
(a) If
to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of
this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide
in writing to the Company.
(b) If
to the Company, to:
Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
c/o Big Rock Partners Sponsor, LLC
2645 N. Federal Highway
Suite 230
Delray Beach, FL 33483
or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee in
writing by the Company.
21. APPLICABLE
LAW AND CONSENT TO JURISDICTION . This Agreement and the legal
relations among the parties shall be governed by, and construed and
enforced in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware,
without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Except with respect
to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section
13(a) of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law,
the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally:
(a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in
connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the
Delaware Court and not in any other state or federal court in the
United States of America or any court in any other country; (b)
consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Delaware
Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in
connection with this Agreement; (c) waive any objection to the
laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Delaware
Court; and (d) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any
claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Delaware
Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum, or is
subject (in whole or in part) to a jury trial. To the fullest
extent permitted by law, the parties hereby agree that the mailing
of process and other papers in connection with any such action or
proceeding in the manner provided by Section 20 or in such other
manner as may be permitted by law, shall be valid and sufficient
service thereof.
22.
IDENTICAL
COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or more
counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be
an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the
same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party
against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to
evidence the existence of this Agreement.
23.
MISCELLANEOUS.
Use of the masculine pronoun shall be deemed to include usage of
the feminine pronoun where appropriate. The headings of the
paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and
shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to
affect the construction thereof.
24.
PERIOD
OF LIMITATIONS. No legal action shall be brought and no cause of
action shall be asserted by or in the right of the Company against
Indemnitee, Indemnitee’s spouse, heirs, executors or personal
or legal representatives after the expiration of two years from the
date of accrual of such cause of action, and any claim or cause of
action of the Company shall be extinguished and deemed released
unless asserted by the timely filing of a legal action within such
two-year period; provided, however, that if any shorter period of
limitations is otherwise applicable to any such cause of action
such shorter period shall govern.
25.
ADDITIONAL
ACTS. If for the validation of any of the provisions in this
Agreement any act, resolution, approval or other procedure is
required to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company
undertakes to cause such act, resolution, approval or other
procedure to be affected or adopted in a manner that will enable
the Company to fulfill its obligations under this
Agreement.
26.
WAIVER.
Indemnitee hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title,
interest or claim of any kind (each, a “Claim”) in or
to any monies in the trust account established in connection with
the Company’s initial public offering for the benefit of the
Company and holders of shares issued in such offering, and hereby
waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or
arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not
seek recourse against such trust account for any reason
whatsoever.
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Indemnification Agreement to be signed as of the day and year first
above written.
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BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
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By:
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Name:
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Title:
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INDEMNITEE
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By:
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Name:
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Address:
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[Signature page to Indemnification Agreement]
Exhibit 14
FORM OF CODE OF ETHICS
OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
The Board of Directors (the
“
Board
”
)
of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. has adopted this code of
ethics (this
“
Code
”
),
which is applicable to all directors, officers and employees (each
a
“
person,
”
as used
herein) of the Company (as defined below), to:
●
promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling
of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and
professional relationships;
●
promote
the full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in
reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to,
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“
SEC
”
),
as well as in other public communications made by or on behalf of
the Company;
●
promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and
regulations;
●
require prompt internal reporting of breaches of, and
accountability for adherence to, this Code.
This Code may be amended or modified by the Board. In this Code,
references to the
“
Company
”
mean Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. and, in appropriate context, the
Company’s subsidiaries, if any.
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2.
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Honest, Ethical and Fair Conduct
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Each person owes a duty to the Company to act with integrity.
Integrity requires, among other things, being honest, fair and
candid. Deceit, dishonesty and subordination of principle are
inconsistent with integrity. Service to the Company should never be
subordinated to personal gain and advantage.
Each person must:
●
Act with integrity, including being honest and candid while still
maintaining the confidentiality of the Company’s information
where required or when in the Company’s
interests;
●
Observe all applicable governmental laws, rules and
regulations;
●
Comply with the requirements of applicable accounting and auditing
standards, as well as Company policies, in order to maintain a high
standard of accuracy and completeness in the Company’s
financial records and other business-related information and
data;
●
Adhere to a high standard of business ethics and not seek
competitive advantage through unlawful or unethical business
practices;
●
Deal fairly with the Company’s customers, suppliers,
competitors and employees;
●
Refrain from taking advantage of anyone through manipulation,
concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of
material facts or any other unfair-dealing practice;
●
Protect the assets of the Company and ensure their proper use;
and
●
Disclose
conflicts of interest and only enter into
“
related-party
transactions
”
under
guidelines or resolutions approved by the Board (or the appropriate
committee of the Board). For purposes of this Code,
“
related-party
transactions
”
are
defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved
will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year,
(2) the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a participant, and
(3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as
a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of the
Company’s shares of common stock, or (c) immediate family
member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or
will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely
as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner
of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when
a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult
to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts
of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her
family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or
her position. Anything that would be a conflict for a person
subject to this Code also will be a conflict if it is related to a
member of his or her family or a close relative. Examples of
conflict of interest situations include, but are not limited to,
the following:
●
any significant ownership interest in any supplier or
customer;
●
any consulting or employment relationship with any supplier or
customer;
●
the receipt of any money, non-nominal gifts or excessive
entertainment from any entity with which the Company has current or
prospective business dealings;
●
selling anything to the Company or buying anything from the
Company, except on the same terms and conditions as comparable
officers or directors are permitted to so purchase or
sell;
●
any other financial transaction, arrangement or relationship
(including any indebtedness or guarantee of indebtedness) involving
the Company; and
●
any other circumstance, event, relationship or situation in which
the personal interest of a person subject to this Code interferes
— or even appears to interfere — with the interests of
the Company as a whole.
The Company strives to ensure that the contents of and the
disclosures in the reports and documents that the Company files
with the SEC and other public communications shall be full, fair,
accurate, timely and understandable in accordance with applicable
disclosure standards, including standards of materiality, where
appropriate. Each person must:
●
not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts
about the Company to others, whether within or outside the Company,
including to the Company’s independent registered public
accountants, governmental regulators, self-regulating organizations
and other governmental officials, as appropriate; and
●
in relation to his or her area of responsibility, properly review
and critically analyze proposed disclosure for accuracy and
completeness.
In addition to the foregoing, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer of the Company and each subsidiary of the Company
(or persons performing similar functions), and each other person
that typically is involved in the financial reporting of the
Company, must familiarize himself or herself with the disclosure
requirements applicable to the Company as well as the business and
financial operations of the Company.
Each person must promptly bring to the attention of the Chairman of
the Board any information he or she may have concerning (a)
significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal
and/or disclosure controls that could adversely affect the
Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report
financial data or (b) any fraud that involves management or other
employees who have a significant role in the Company’s
financial reporting, disclosures or internal controls.
It is the Company’s obligation and policy to comply with all
applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations. It is the
personal responsibility of each person to, and each person must,
adhere to the standards and restrictions imposed by those laws,
rules and regulations, including those relating to accounting and
auditing matters.
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5.
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Reporting and Accountability
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The Board is responsible for applying this Code to specific
situations in which questions are presented to it and has the
authority to interpret this Code in any particular situation. Any
person who becomes aware of any existing or potential breach of
this Code is required to notify the Chairman of the Board promptly.
Failure to do so is, in and of itself, a breach of this
Code.
Specifically, each person must:
●
Notify the Chairman of the Board promptly of any existing or
potential violation of this Code; and
●
Not retaliate against any other person for reports of potential
violations that are made in good faith.
The Company will follow the following procedures in investigating
and enforcing this Code and in reporting on the Code:
●
The Board will take all appropriate action to investigate any
breaches reported to it; and
●
Upon determination by the Board that a breach has occurred, the
Board (by majority decision) will take or authorize such
disciplinary or preventive action as it deems appropriate, after
consultation with the Company’s internal or external legal
counsel, up to and including dismissal or, in the event of criminal
or other serious violations of law, notification of the SEC or
other appropriate law enforcement authorities.
No person following the above procedure shall, as a result of
following such procedure, be subject by the Company or any officer
or employee thereof to discharge, demotion suspension, threat,
harassment or, in any manner, discrimination against such person in
terms and conditions of employment.
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6.
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Waivers and Amendments
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Any waiver (defined below) or implicit waiver (defined below) from
a provision of this Code for the principal executive officer,
principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or
controller, and persons performing similar functions, or any
amendment (as defined below) to this Code is required to be
disclosed in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC. In
lieu of filing a Form 8-K to report any such waivers or amendments,
the Company may provide such information on its website, in the
event that it establishes one in the future, and keep such
information on the website for at least 12 months and disclose the
website address as well as any intention to provide such
disclosures in this manner in its most recently filed Annual Report
on Form 10-K.
A
“
waiver
”
means the
approval by the Company’s Board of a material departure from
a provision of the Code. An
“
implicit
waiver
”
means the
Company’s failure to take action within a reasonable period
of time regarding a material departure from a provision of the Code
that has been made known to an executive officer of the Company.
An
“
amendment
”
means any
amendment to this Code other than minor technical, administrative
or other non-substantive amendments hereto.
All persons should note that it is not the Company’s
intention to grant or to permit waivers from the requirements of
this Code. The Company expects full compliance with this
Code.
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7.
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Other Policies and Procedures
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Any other policy or procedure set out by the Company in writing or
made generally known to employees, officers or directors of the
Company prior to the date hereof or hereafter are separate
requirements and remain in full force and effect.
All inquiries and questions in relation to this Code or its
applicability to particular people or situations should be
addressed to the Company’s Secretary, or such other
compliance officer as shall be designated from time to time by the
Company.
Exhibit
23.1
INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM’S
CONSENT
We
consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Big Rock
Partners Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Amendment
No. 1 to Form S-1 of our report dated October 13, 2017, 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 Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. as of
September 30, 2017 and for the period from September 18, 2017
(inception) through September 30, 2017, 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
November
14, 2017
Exhibit 99.1
Consent
of Director Nominee
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Pursuant to Rule
438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “
Securities
Act
”), in connection with the Registration Statement
on Form S-1 (the “
Registration
Statement
”) of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), the
undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a
director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration
Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any
subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this
consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement thereto.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of
November 14, 2017.
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/s/
Richard
Birdoff
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Name:
Richard Birdoff
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Exhibit 99.2
Consent
of Director Nominee
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Pursuant to Rule
438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “
Securities
Act
”), in connection with the Registration Statement
on Form S-1 (the “
Registration
Statement
”) of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), the
undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a
director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration
Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any
subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this
consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement thereto.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of
November 14, 2017.
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/s/ Michael
Fong
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Name:
Michael Fong
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Exhibit 99.3
Consent
of Director Nominee
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Pursuant to Rule
438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “
Securities
Act
”), in connection with the Registration Statement
on Form S-1 (the “
Registration
Statement
”) of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), the
undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a
director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration
Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any
subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this
consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement thereto.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of
November 14, 2017.
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/s/
Stuart
Koenig
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Name:
Stuart Koenig
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Exhibit 99.4
Consent
of Director Nominee
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Pursuant to Rule
438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “
Securities
Act
”), in connection with the Registration Statement
on Form S-1 (the “
Registration
Statement
”) of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), the
undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a
director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration
Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any
subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this
consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement thereto.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of
November 14, 2017.
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/s/ Albert G.
Rex
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Name:
Albert G. Rex
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Exhibit 99.5
Consent
of Director Nominee
Big
Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
Pursuant to Rule
438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933,
as amended (the “
Securities
Act
”), in connection with the Registration Statement
on Form S-1 (the “
Registration
Statement
”) of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the “
Company
”), the
undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a
director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration
Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any
subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b)
under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this
consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or
supplement thereto.
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of
November 14, 2017.
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/s/
Troy T.
Taylor
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Name:
Troy T. Taylor
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Exhibit 99.6
FORM OF AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER
OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
1.
STATUS
The Audit Committee (the “Committee”) is a committee of
the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Big Rock
Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“Company”).
2.
PURPOSE
The Committee is appointed by the Board for the primary purposes
of:
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Performing the Board’s oversight responsibilities as they
relate to the Company’s accounting policies and internal
controls, financial reporting practices and legal and regulatory
compliance, including, among other things:
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the quality and integrity of the Company’s financial
statements;
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the Company’s compliance with legal and regulatory
requirements as well as compliance with all documents filed by the
Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “
SEC ”); review of the independent auditors’
qualifications and independence; and
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the performance of the Company’s internal audit function and
the Company’s independent auditors;
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●
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Maintaining, through regularly scheduled meetings, a line of
communication between the Board and the Company’s financial
management, internal auditors and independent
auditors;
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●
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Preparing the report to be included in the Company’s annual
proxy statement, as required by the SEC rules; and
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In the event any noncompliance is identified, immediately taking
all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise
cause compliance.
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3.
COMPOSITION
AND QUALIFICATIONS
The Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall, within one
year of the listing of the Company’s securities, be comprised
of three or more Directors (as determined from time to time by the
Board), each of whom shall meet the independence requirements of
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Act ”), the Nasdaq
Stock Market LLC and all other applicable laws.
Each member of the Committee shall be financially literate and at
least one member of the Committee shall have past employment
experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional
certification in accounting or any other comparable experience or
background which results in the individual’s financial
sophistication, including being or having been a chief executive
officer, chief financial officer or other senior officer with
financial oversight responsibilities, as each such qualification is
interpreted by the Board in its business judgment. In addition, at
least one member of the Committee shall be an “audit
committee financial expert” as defined in Item 407(d)(5)(ii)
of Regulation S-K.
4.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Committee will:
1. Review
and discuss the annual audited financial statements and the
Company’s disclosures under “Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations” (“MD&A”) with management and the
independent auditors. In connection with such review, the Committee
will:
|
●
|
Discuss with the independent auditors the matters required to be
discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 (as may be
modified or supplemented) and the matters in the written
disclosures required by the applicable requirements of the Public
Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding the independent
accountant’s communications with the audit committee
concerning independence;
|
|
●
|
Review significant changes in accounting or auditing
policies;
|
|
●
|
Review with the independent auditors any problems or difficulties
encountered in the course of their audit, including any change in
the scope of the planned audit work and any restrictions placed on
the scope of such work and management’s response to such
problems or difficulties;
|
|
●
|
Review with the independent auditors, management and the senior
internal auditing executive the adequacy of the Company’s
internal controls, and any significant findings and recommendations
with respect to such controls;
|
|
●
|
Review reports required to be submitted by the independent auditor
concerning: (a) all critical accounting policies and practices
used; (b) all alternative treatments of financial information
within generally accepted accounting principles
(“GAAP”) that have been discussed with management, the
ramifications of such alternatives, and the accounting treatment
preferred by the independent auditors; and (c) any other material
written communications with management;
|
|
●
|
Review (a) major issues regarding accounting principles and
financial statement presentations, including any significant
changes in the Company’s selection or application of
accounting principles, and major issues as to the adequacy of the
Company’s internal controls and any special audit steps
adopted in light of material control deficiencies; and (b) analyses
prepared by management and/or the independent auditor setting forth
significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in
connection with the preparation of the financial statements,
including analysis of the effects of alternative GAAP methods on
the financial statements and the effects of regulatory and
accounting initiatives, as well as off-balance sheet structures, on
the financial statements of the Company; and
|
|
●
|
Discuss policies and procedures concerning earnings press releases
and review the type and presentation of information to be included
in earnings press releases (paying particular attention to any use
of “pro forma” or “adjusted” non-GAAP
information), as well as financial information and earnings
guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies.
|
2. Recommend
to the Board that the annual financial statements and MD&A be
included in the Company’s Form 10-K.
3. Review
and discuss the quarterly financial statements and the
Company’s disclosures provided in periodic quarterly reports
including MD&A with management, the senior internal auditing
executive and the independent auditor.
4. Oversee
the external audit coverage. The Company’s independent
auditors are ultimately accountable to the Committee, which has the
direct authority and responsibility to appoint, retain, compensate,
terminate, select, evaluate and, where appropriate, replace the
independent auditors. In connection with its oversight of the
external audit coverage, the Committee will:
|
●
|
Have authority to appoint and replace (subject to stockholder
approval, if deemed advisable by the Board) the independent
auditors;
|
|
●
|
Have authority to approve the engagement letter and the fees to be
paid to the independent auditors;
|
|
●
|
Pre-approve all audit and permitted non-audit services to be
performed by the independent auditors and the related fees and
terms for such services other than prohibited non-auditing services
as promulgated under rules and regulations of the SEC (subject to
the inadvertent de minimus exceptions set forth in the Act and the
SEC rules);
|
|
●
|
Monitor and obtain confirmation and assurance as to the independent
auditors’ independence, including ensuring that they submit
on a periodic basis (not less than annually) to the Committee a
formal written statement delineating all relationships between the
independent auditors and the Company. The Committee is responsible
for actively engaging in a dialogue with the independent auditors
with respect to any disclosed relationships or services that may
impact the objectivity and independence of the independent auditors
and for taking appropriate action in response to the independent
auditors’ report to satisfy itself of their
independence;
|
|
●
|
At least annually, obtain and review a report by the independent
auditors describing: the firm’s internal quality-control
procedures; any material issues raised by the most recent internal
quality-control review, or peer review, of the firm, or by any
inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional
authorities, within the preceding five years, respecting one or
more independent audits carried out by the firm, and any steps
taken to deal with any such issues; and to assess the independent
auditors’ independence, all relationships between the
independent auditors and the Company;
|
|
●
|
Meet with the independent auditors prior to the annual audit to
discuss planning and staffing of the audit;
|
|
●
|
Review and evaluate the performance of the independent auditors, as
the basis for a decision to reappoint or replace the independent
auditors;
|
|
●
|
Set clear hiring policies for employees or former employees of the
independent auditors, including but not limited to, as required by
all applicable laws and listing rules; and
|
|
●
|
Assure regular 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 the Act, and
consider whether rotation of the independent auditor is required to
ensure independence.
|
5. Oversee
internal audit coverage. In connection with its oversight
responsibilities, the Committee will:
|
●
|
Review the appointment or replacement of the senior internal
auditing executive;
|
|
●
|
Review, in consultation with management, the independent auditors
and the senior internal auditing executive, the plan and scope of
internal audit activities;
|
|
●
|
Review internal audit activities, budget and staffing;
and
|
|
●
|
Review significant reports to management prepared by the internal
auditing department and management’s responses to such
reports.
|
6. Review
with the independent auditors and the senior internal auditing
executive the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls,
and any significant findings and recommendations with respect to
such controls.
7. Resolve
any differences in financial reporting between management and the
independent auditors.
8. Establish
procedures for (i) the receipt, retention and treatment of
complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal
accounting controls or auditing matters and (ii) the confidential,
anonymous submission by employees of concerns regarding
questionable accounting or auditing matters.
9. Discuss
policies and guidelines to govern the process by which risk
assessment and risk management is undertaken.
10. Meet
periodically with management to review and assess the
Company’s major financial risk exposures and the manner in
which such risks are being monitored and controlled.
11. Meet
periodically (not less than annually) in separate executive session
with each of the chief financial officer, the senior internal
auditing executive, and the independent auditors.
12. Review
and approve all “related party transactions” requiring
disclosure under Item 404 of Regulation S-K.
13. Review
periodically with the Company’s management, independent
auditors, and legal advisors, as appropriate (i) legal, regulatory
and compliance matters, including any correspondence with
regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or
published reports which raise material issues on the financial
statements or accounting policies, and (ii) corporate compliance
policies or codes of conduct.
14. Have
the authority, in the Committee’s sole discretion, to retain
and obtain the advice and assistance of independent outside counsel
and such other advisors as it deems necessary to fulfill its duties
and responsibilities under this Charter.
15. Report
regularly to the Board with respect to Committee
activities.
16. Prepare
the report of the Committee required by the rules of the SEC to be
included in the proxy statement for each annual
meeting.
17. Review
and reassess annually the adequacy of this Charter and recommend
any proposed changes to the Board.
18. Monitor
compliance, on a regularly scheduled basis, with the terms of the
Company’s initial public offering (the “Offering
”) and, if any noncompliance is identified, promptly take all
action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise cause
the Company to come into compliance with the terms of the
Offering.
19. Inquire
and discuss with management the Company’s compliance with
applicable laws and regulations.
20. Determine
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.
21. Review
and approve, on a quarterly basis, all payments made to the
Company’s existing holders, sponsor, executive officers or
directors and their and the Company’s respective
affiliates.
5.
PROCEDURES
1. Action.
A majority of the members of the entire Committee shall constitute
a quorum. The Committee shall act on the affirmative vote of a
majority of the members present at a meeting at which a quorum is
present. Without a meeting, the Committee may act by unanimous
written consent of all members. However, the Committee may delegate
to one or more of its members the authority to grant pre-approvals
of audit and permitted non-audit services, provided the decision is
reported to the full Committee at its next scheduled
meeting.
2. Fees.
The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by
the Committee, for payment of compensation: (a) to outside legal
accounting or other advisors employed by the Committee; and (b) for
ordinary administrative expenses of the Committee that are
necessary or appropriate in carrying out its duties.
3. Limitations.
While the Committee has the responsibilities and powers set forth
in this Charter, it is not the duty of the Committee to plan or
conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial
statements are complete and accurate and are in accordance with
GAAP. This is the responsibility of management and the independent
auditors.
Exhibit 99.7
FORM OF
COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER
OF
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
The following Compensation Committee Charter (the
“
Charter
”
)
was adopted by the Board of Directors (the
“
Board
”
)
of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp. (the
“
Company
”
).
The Compensation Committee (the
“
Committee
”
)
is a committee of the Board of the Company.
The Committee is appointed by the Board for the primary purposes
of:
●
|
discharging its responsibilities for approving and evaluating the
officer compensation plans, policies and programs of the
Company;
|
●
|
reviewing and recommending to the Board regarding compensation to
be provided to the Company’s employees and directors;
and
|
●
|
administering the equity compensation plans of the Company. The
Committee shall ensure that the Company’s compensation
programs are competitive, designed to attract and retain highly
qualified directors, officers and employees, encourage high
performance, promote accountability and assure that employee
interests are aligned with the interests of the Company’s
stockholders.
|
|
3.
|
COMPOSITION AND QUALIFICATIONS
|
The Committee shall be appointed by the Board and shall be
comprised of at least three or more Directors (as determined from
time to time by the Board), each of whom shall meet the
independence requirements of the federal securities laws and rules
and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission
(
“
SEC
”
),
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the
“
Act
”
),
the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the
“
Nasdaq Stock
Market
”
)
and all other applicable laws. Each appointed member of the
Committee, shall serve for such term or terms as the Board may
determine or until earlier resignation or death, and may be removed
by the Board at any time, with or without cause. Unless the Board
elects a chairman of the Committee (a
“
Chairman
”
),
the Committee shall elect a Chairman by majority vote. Each
Committee member shall have one vote.
The Committee shall, among its duties and responsibilities as may
be delegated to the Committee by the Board, and in addition to any
duties and responsibilities imparted to the Committee by the SEC,
the Nasdaq Stock Market or any other applicable laws or
regulations:
|
1.
|
Determine, in executive session at which the Chief Executive
Officer of the Company (the
“
CEO
”
)
is not present, the compensation for the Company’s CEO or
President, if such person is acting as the CEO.
|
|
2.
|
Review and determine the compensation of the executive officers of
the Company other than the CEO based upon the recommendation of the
CEO and such other customary factors that the Committee deems
necessary or appropriate.
|
|
3.
|
Determine awards and/or bonuses to be granted to executive officers
of the Company under the Company’s equity plans and other
compensation or benefit plans or policies as approved by the Board
or the Committee.
|
|
4.
|
Approve the overall amount or percentage of plan and/or bonus
awards to be granted to all Company employees and delegate to the
Company’s executive management the right and power to
specifically grant such awards to each Company employee within the
aggregate limits and parameters set by the Committee.
|
|
5.
|
Review and evaluate the performance of the CEO and the other
executive officers of the Company.
|
|
6.
|
Review and approve the design of other benefit plans pertaining to
executives and employees of the Company.
|
|
7.
|
Approve such reports on compensation as are necessary for filing
with the SEC and other government bodies.
|
|
8.
|
Assist management in complying with the Company’s proxy
statement and annual report disclosure requirements.
|
|
9.
|
If required by applicable rules and regulations, issuing a
“
Compensation Committee
Report
”
to be
included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K or proxy
statement, as applicable.
|
|
10.
|
If required by applicable rules and regulations, review and discuss
with management the Company’s Compensation and Discussion and
Analysis (
“
CD&A
”
)
and the related executive compensation information, recommend that
the CD&A and related executive compensation information be
included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K and
proxy statement and produce the compensation committee report on
executive officer compensation required to be included in the
Company’s proxy statement or annual report on Form
10-K.
|
|
11.
|
Monitor the Company’s compliance with the requirements of the
Act relating to loans to directors and officers, and with all other
applicable laws affecting employee compensation and
benefits.
|
|
12.
|
Oversee the Company’s compliance with SEC rules and
regulations regarding shareholder approval of certain executive
compensation matters, including advisory votes on executive
compensation and the frequency of such votes, and the requirement
under the rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market that with limited
exceptions, shareholders approve equity compensation
plans.
|
|
13.
|
Review, recommend to the Board, and administer all plans that
require
“
disinterested
administration
”
under Rule
16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended.
|
|
14.
|
Approve the amendment or modification of any compensation or
benefit plan pertaining to executives or employees of the Company
that does not require stockholder approval.
|
|
15.
|
Review and recommend to the Board the adoption of or changes to the
compensation of the Company’s independent
directors.
|
|
16.
|
Retain and obtain, in its sole discretion, (at the Company’s
expense) outside consultants and obtain assistance from members of
management as the Committee deems appropriate in the exercise of
its authority.
|
|
17.
|
Make reports and recommendations to the Board within the scope of
its functions and advise the officers of the Company regarding
various personnel matters as may be raised with the
Committee.
|
|
18.
|
Approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other
special compensation and benefit arrangements for the
Company’s executive officers and employees.
|
|
19.
|
Review the form, terms and provisions of employment and similar
agreements with the Company’s executive officers and any
amendments thereto.
|
|
20.
|
To the extent the same has been adopted, review, at least annually,
the compensation philosophy of the Company.
|
The powers and responsibilities delegated by the Board to the
Committee in this Charter or otherwise shall be exercised and
carried out by the Committee as it deems appropriate without
requirement of Board approval, and any decision made by the
Committee (including any decision to exercise or refrain from
exercising any of the powers delegated to the Committee hereunder)
shall be at the Committee’s sole discretion. While acting
within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to
it, the Committee shall have and may exercise all the powers and
authority of the Board. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the
Committee shall have the power to determine which matters are
within the scope of the powers and responsibilities delegated to
it. To the extent that the Company’s securities are not
listed or quoted on the Nasdaq Stock Market or any exchange or
national listing market system for trading, the Committee shall
determine which of the aforementioned duties and responsibilities
it shall undertake or shall be applicable to the
Committee.
The Committee will meet as often as it deems necessary or
appropriate, in its judgment, either in person or telephonically,
and at such times and places as the Committee members determine.
The majority of the members of the Committee constitutes a quorum
and shall be empowered to act on behalf of the Committee. Minutes
will be kept of each meeting of the Committee. The Chairman shall
report to the Board following meetings of the Committee and as
otherwise requested by the Chairman of the Board. The Committee
shall also make reports and recommendations to the Board within the
scope of its functions. The Committee shall be governed by the same
rules regarding meetings as are applicable to the
Board.
|
2.
|
Compensation Consultant; Advisor.
|
The Committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the
advice of a compensation consultant, legal counsel or other
advisor. The Committee shall be directly responsible for the
appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any
compensation consultant, legal counsel and other advisor retained
by the Committee. The Company shall provide for appropriate
funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of reasonable
compensation to a compensation consultant, legal counsel or any
other advisor retained by the Committee.
Before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant,
external legal counsel or any other advisor, the Committee shall
consider the independence of each such advisor by taking into
account the following factors and any other factors required by the
Nasdaq Stock Market or the SEC and corresponding rules that may be
amended from time to time, including any exceptions permitted by
such rules:
(i) the provision of
other services to the Company by the person that employs the
compensation consultant, legal counsel or other advisor (the
“
Advisory
Firm
”
);
(ii) the amount of fees received from the Company by the Advisory
Firm, as a percentage of the total revenue of the Advisory
Firm;
(iii) the policies and procedures of the Advisory Firm or other
advisor that are designed to prevent conflicts of
interest;
(iv) any business or personal relationship of the compensation
consultant, legal counsel or advisor with a member of the
Committee;
(v) any stock of the Company owned by the compensation consultant,
legal counsel or other advisor; and
(vi) any business or personal relationship of the compensation
consultant, legal counsel, other advisor or the Advisory
Firm.
The Committee shall review this Charter at least annually and
recommend any changes thereto to the Board.
|
4.
|
Delegation by Committee.
|
The Committee may delegate authority consistent with this Charter
to one or more Committee members or subcommittees comprised of one
or more Committee members when appropriate. Any such member,
members or subcommittee shall be subject to this Charter. The
decisions of any such member, members or subcommittees to which
authority is delegated under this paragraph shall be presented to
the full Committee at its next regularly scheduled
meeting.
Any amendment or other modification of this Charter shall be made
and approved by the full Board.
|
6.
|
Disclosure of Charter.
|
If required by the rules of the SEC or the Nasdaq Stock Market,
this Charter, as amended from time to time, shall be made available
to the public on the Company’s website.
Exhibit 99.8
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP. (the
“
Company
”
)
Nominating Committee Charter (the
“
Charter
”
)
The responsibilities and powers of this Nominating Committee
(the
“
Committee
”
)
as delegated by the Company’s Board of Directors (the
“
Board
”
)
are set forth in this charter. Whenever the Committee takes an
action, it shall exercise its independent judgment on an informed
basis that the action is in the best interests of the Company and
its stockholders.
I. PURPOSE
As set forth herein, the Committee shall, among other things,
discharge the responsibilities of the Board relating to the
appropriate size, functioning and needs of the Board including, but
not limited to, identification, recommendation, recruitment and
retention of high quality Board members and committee composition
and structure.
II. MEMBERSHIP
The Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Board as
determined from time to time by the Board. Each member shall
be
“
independent
”
in
accordance with the listing standards of the NASDAQ Capital Market,
as amended from time to time.
The Board shall elect the members of this Committee at the first
Board meeting practicable following the annual meeting of
stockholders and may make changes from time to time pursuant to the
provisions below. Unless a chairman (the
“
Chair
”
or
“
Chairman
”
)
is elected by the Board, the members of the Committee shall
designate a Chair by majority vote of the full Committee
membership.
A Committee member may resign by delivering his or her written
resignation to the Chairman of the Board, or may be removed by
majority vote of the Board by delivery to such member of written
notice of removal, to take effect at a date specified therein, or
upon delivery of such written notice to such member if no date is
specified.
III. MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE ACTION
The Committee shall meet at such times as it deems necessary to
fulfill its responsibilities. Meetings of the Committee shall be
called by the Chairman of the Committee upon such notice as is
provided for in the by-laws of the Company with respect to meetings
of the Board. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
Actions of the Committee may be taken in person at a meeting or in
writing without a meeting. Actions taken at a meeting, to be valid,
shall require the approval of a majority of the members present and
voting. Actions taken in writing, to be valid, shall be signed by
all members of the Committee. The Committee shall report its
minutes from each meeting to the Board.
The Chairman of the Committee may establish such rules as may from
time to time be necessary or appropriate for the conduct of the
business of the Committee. At each meeting, the Chairman shall
appoint as Secretary a person who may, but need not, be a member of
the Committee. A certificate of the Secretary of the Committee or
minutes of a meeting of the Committee executed by the Secretary
setting forth the names of the members of the Committee present at
the meeting or actions taken by the Committee at the meeting shall
be sufficient evidence at all times as to the members of the
Committee who were present, or such actions taken.
IV. COMMITTEE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES
|
●
|
Developing the criteria and qualifications for membership on the
Board.
|
|
●
|
Recruiting, reviewing, nominating and recommending candidates for
election to the Board or to fill vacancies on the
Board.
|
|
●
|
Reviewing candidates proposed by stockholders, and conducting
appropriate inquiries into the background and qualifications of any
such candidates.
|
|
●
|
Establishing subcommittees for the purpose of evaluating special or
unique matters.
|
|
●
|
Monitoring and making recommendations regarding committee
functions, contributions and composition.
|
|
●
|
Evaluating, on an annual basis, the Board’s and
management’s performance.
|
|
●
|
Evaluating, on an annual basis, the Committee’s performance
and report to the Board on such performance.
|
|
●
|
Developing and making recommendations to the Board regarding
corporate governance guidelines for the Company.
|
|
●
|
Retaining and terminating any advisors, including search firms to
identify director candidates, compensation consultants as to
director compensation and legal counsel, including sole authority
to approve all such advisors’ or search firms’ fees and
other retention terms, as the case may be.
|
V. REPORTING
The Committee shall report to the Board periodically. The Committee
shall prepare a statement each year concerning its compliance with
this charter for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement.
The Committee shall periodically review and assess the adequacy of
this charter and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for
approval.
BIG ROCK PARTNERS ACQUISITION CORP.
Board of Director Candidate Guidelines
The Nominating Committee of Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp.
(the
“
Company
”
)
will identify, evaluate and recommend candidates to become members
of the Board of Directors (the
“
Board
”
)
with the goal of creating a balance of knowledge and experience.
Nominations to the Board may also be submitted to the Nominating
Committee by the Company’s stockholders in accordance with
the Company’s policy, a copy of which is attached hereto.
Candidates will be reviewed in the context of the then current
composition of the Board, the operating requirements of the Company
and the long-term interests of the Company’s stockholders. In
conducting this assessment, the Committee will consider and
evaluate each director-candidate based upon its assessment of the
following criteria:
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is independent pursuant to the requirements
of the NASDAQ Capital Market.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is accomplished in his or her field and has a
reputation, both personal and professional, that is consistent with
the image and reputation of the Company.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate has the ability to read and understand basic
financial statements. The Nominating Committee also will determine
if a candidate satisfies the criteria for being an
“
audit committee
financial expert,
”
as defined
by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate has relevant education, experience and
expertise and would be able to provide insights and practical
wisdom based upon that education, experience and
expertise.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate has knowledge of the Company and issues
affecting the Company.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is committed to enhancing stockholder
value.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate fully understands, or has the capacity to
fully understand, the legal responsibilities of a director and the
governance processes of a public company.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is of high moral and ethical character and
would be willing to apply sound, objective and independent business
judgment, and to assume broad fiduciary
responsibility.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate has, and would be willing to commit, the
required hours necessary to discharge the duties of Board
membership.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate has any prohibitive interlocking
relationships or conflicts of interest.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is able to develop a good working
relationship with other Board members and contribute to the
Board’s working relationship with the senior management of
the Company.
|
|
●
|
Whether the candidate is able to suggest business opportunities to
the Company.
|
Stockholder Recommendations for Directors
Stockholders who wish to recommend to the Nominating Committee a
candidate for election to the Board of Directors should send their
letters to Big Rock Partners Acquisition Corp., 2645 N. Federal
Highway, Suite 230, Delray Beach, FL 33483, Attn: Corporate
Secretary. The Corporate Secretary will promptly forward all such
letters to the members of the Nominating Committee. Stockholders
must follow certain procedures to recommend to the Nominating
Committee candidates for election as directors. In general, in
order to provide sufficient time to enable the Nominating Committee
to evaluate candidates recommended by stockholders in connection
with selecting candidates for nomination in connection with the
Company’s annual meeting of stockholders, the Corporate
Secretary must receive the stockholder’s recommendation no
later than the close of business on the 90
th
day nor
earlier than the 120
th
day before
the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of
stockholders.
The recommendation must contain the following information about the
candidate:
|
●
|
Business and current residence addresses;
|
|
●
|
Principal occupation or employment and employment history (name and
address of employer and job title) for the past 10 years (or such
shorter period as the candidate has been in the
workforce);
|
|
●
|
Educational background;
|
|
●
|
Permission for the Company to conduct a background investigation,
including the right to obtain education, employment and credit
information;
|
|
●
|
The number of shares of common stock of the Company owned
beneficially or of record by the candidate;
|
|
●
|
The information that would be required to be disclosed by the
Company about the candidate under the rules of the Securities and
Exchange Commission in a Proxy Statement soliciting proxies for the
election of such candidate as a director (which currently includes
information required by Items 401, 404 and 405 of
Regulation S-K);
|
|
●
|
A signed consent of the nominee to serve as a director of the
Company, if elected.
|
In addition to the information detailed above, the nominating
stockholder must provide information concerning the nominating
stockholder’s share ownership and other information in
accordance with the requirements of Section 3.2(d) of the
Company’s bylaws.